Why does college prestige matter to you? Rank these reasons.

[Anonymous]

1) Status symbol that reflects intellect and ambition

- Not so much a status symbol, but a name brand degree that has household recognition and a reputation for quality. (1)

2) Networking opportunities for graduate school, jobs, and more

-Career opportunities and a network with career opportunities that you're interested in (2)

3) Quality of education that includes instruction from noted academics

-Critical thinking skills, global thinking, cutting edge concepts (3)

4) Recruiting opportunities, including Wall Street and high-end consulting companies

(3)- Same as above

5) Family tradition to go to a particular school or type of school

-Not a factor

6) Student quality, including smarts, wealth, celebrity, and more

-Not a factor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just happy that people aren’t putting 3 at the top. There’s too many PhDs coming out of the Ivy league, let alone the rest of the T50, to even begin suggesting that there’s some extreme difference in education. Unless your kid is on the bounds and is highly highly intelligent (like top 0.001%) where they need specialized/accelerated instruction to the level of grad school near freshman year, you’re probably receiving a very similar education to others.

Even a standard freshman course like math 2230 at Cornell will exceed the level of rigor of any freshman math course at most lower ranked universities

Cite?

https://math.cornell.edu/lower-level-courses (scroll to bottom)

https://pi.math.cornell.edu/~allenk/courses/14/2230/

Compre this to the freshman math options at most other lower ranked schools (e.g. any VA school besides UVA)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just happy that people aren’t putting 3 at the top. There’s too many PhDs coming out of the Ivy league, let alone the rest of the T50, to even begin suggesting that there’s some extreme difference in education. Unless your kid is on the bounds and is highly highly intelligent (like top 0.001%) where they need specialized/accelerated instruction to the level of grad school near freshman year, you’re probably receiving a very similar education to others.

Even a standard freshman course like math 2230 at Cornell will exceed the level of rigor of any freshman math course at most lower ranked universities

Cite?

https://math.cornell.edu/lower-level-courses (scroll to bottom)

https://pi.math.cornell.edu/~allenk/courses/14/2230/

Compre this to the freshman math options at most other lower ranked schools (e.g. any VA school besides UVA)

Post the syllabus from a VA school to backup your claim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just happy that people aren’t putting 3 at the top. There’s too many PhDs coming out of the Ivy league, let alone the rest of the T50, to even begin suggesting that there’s some extreme difference in education. Unless your kid is on the bounds and is highly highly intelligent (like top 0.001%) where they need specialized/accelerated instruction to the level of grad school near freshman year, you’re probably receiving a very similar education to others.

Even a standard freshman course like math 2230 at Cornell will exceed the level of rigor of any freshman math course at most lower ranked universities

Cite?

https://math.cornell.edu/lower-level-courses (scroll to bottom)

https://pi.math.cornell.edu/~allenk/courses/14/2230/

Compre this to the freshman math options at most other lower ranked schools (e.g. any VA school besides UVA)

Post the syllabus from a VA school to backup your claim.

DP. Very few schools are teaching a course like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just happy that people aren’t putting 3 at the top. There’s too many PhDs coming out of the Ivy league, let alone the rest of the T50, to even begin suggesting that there’s some extreme difference in education. Unless your kid is on the bounds and is highly highly intelligent (like top 0.001%) where they need specialized/accelerated instruction to the level of grad school near freshman year, you’re probably receiving a very similar education to others.

Even a standard freshman course like math 2230 at Cornell will exceed the level of rigor of any freshman math course at most lower ranked universities

Cite?

https://math.cornell.edu/lower-level-courses (scroll to bottom)

https://pi.math.cornell.edu/~allenk/courses/14/2230/

Compre this to the freshman math options at most other lower ranked schools (e.g. any VA school besides UVA)

Post the syllabus from a VA school to backup your claim.

DP. Very few schools are teaching a course like that.

Prove it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just happy that people aren’t putting 3 at the top. There’s too many PhDs coming out of the Ivy league, let alone the rest of the T50, to even begin suggesting that there’s some extreme difference in education. Unless your kid is on the bounds and is highly highly intelligent (like top 0.001%) where they need specialized/accelerated instruction to the level of grad school near freshman year, you’re probably receiving a very similar education to others.

Even a standard freshman course like math 2230 at Cornell will exceed the level of rigor of any freshman math course at most lower ranked universities

Cite?

https://math.cornell.edu/lower-level-courses (scroll to bottom)

https://pi.math.cornell.edu/~allenk/courses/14/2230/

Compre this to the freshman math options at most other lower ranked schools (e.g. any VA school besides UVA)

Post the syllabus from a VA school to backup your claim.

DP. Very few schools are teaching a course like that.

I'm lost. As someone with a math degree, many colleges teach vector calculus. This is just Calc 3 for math majors and is not at all unique to Cornell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just happy that people aren’t putting 3 at the top. There’s too many PhDs coming out of the Ivy league, let alone the rest of the T50, to even begin suggesting that there’s some extreme difference in education. Unless your kid is on the bounds and is highly highly intelligent (like top 0.001%) where they need specialized/accelerated instruction to the level of grad school near freshman year, you’re probably receiving a very similar education to others.

Even a standard freshman course like math 2230 at Cornell will exceed the level of rigor of any freshman math course at most lower ranked universities

Cite?

https://math.cornell.edu/lower-level-courses (scroll to bottom)

https://pi.math.cornell.edu/~allenk/courses/14/2230/

Compre this to the freshman math options at most other lower ranked schools (e.g. any VA school besides UVA)

Post the syllabus from a VA school to backup your claim.

DP. Very few schools are teaching a course like that.

Prove it

Have you taken vector calc? How did the material compare to the posted course?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just happy that people aren’t putting 3 at the top. There’s too many PhDs coming out of the Ivy league, let alone the rest of the T50, to even begin suggesting that there’s some extreme difference in education. Unless your kid is on the bounds and is highly highly intelligent (like top 0.001%) where they need specialized/accelerated instruction to the level of grad school near freshman year, you’re probably receiving a very similar education to others.

Even a standard freshman course like math 2230 at Cornell will exceed the level of rigor of any freshman math course at most lower ranked universities

Cite?

https://math.cornell.edu/lower-level-courses (scroll to bottom)

https://pi.math.cornell.edu/~allenk/courses/14/2230/

Compre this to the freshman math options at most other lower ranked schools (e.g. any VA school besides UVA)

Post the syllabus from a VA school to backup your claim.

DP. Very few schools are teaching a course like that.

I'm lost. As someone with a math degree, many colleges teach vector calculus. This is just Calc 3 for math majors and is not at all unique to Cornell.

It's not unique, but it is uncommon, especially outside T50 schools. For example, there is no such course at any VA school besides UVA. Most schools only have the equivalent of Cornell's math 1920 (ordinary calc 3) or math 2220 (honors calc 3, with proofs), with nothing matching the math 2230/2240 sequence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just happy that people aren’t putting 3 at the top. There’s too many PhDs coming out of the Ivy league, let alone the rest of the T50, to even begin suggesting that there’s some extreme difference in education. Unless your kid is on the bounds and is highly highly intelligent (like top 0.001%) where they need specialized/accelerated instruction to the level of grad school near freshman year, you’re probably receiving a very similar education to others.

Even a standard freshman course like math 2230 at Cornell will exceed the level of rigor of any freshman math course at most lower ranked universities

Cite?

https://math.cornell.edu/lower-level-courses (scroll to bottom)

https://pi.math.cornell.edu/~allenk/courses/14/2230/

Compre this to the freshman math options at most other lower ranked schools (e.g. any VA school besides UVA)

Post the syllabus from a VA school to backup your claim.

DP. Very few schools are teaching a course like that.

I'm lost. As someone with a math degree, many colleges teach vector calculus. This is just Calc 3 for math majors and is not at all unique to Cornell.

It's not unique, but it is uncommon, especially outside T50 schools. For example, there is no such course at any VA school besides UVA. Most schools only have the equivalent of Cornell's math 1920 (ordinary calc 3) or math 2220 (honors calc 3, with proofs), with nothing matching the math 2230/2240 sequence.

Seems like a virginia issue, plus not all colleges have the same name for courses, or teach them at the same time or in the same course structure. It's actually very difficult to compare across curriculums if you don't have access to a syllabus...Typically linear algebra/multivariable is a vector calculus course that separates it from MV calc. Really these skills can be taught in anything from 1-3 different courses, and that's a department structure thing more than anything.
When I think of unique math courses, I think of Math 112 at Reed for freshman or famously Math 55

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1) Status symbol that reflects intellect and ambition

2) Networking opportunities for graduate school, jobs, and more

3) Quality of education that includes instruction from noted academics

4) Recruiting opportunities, including Wall Street and high-end consulting companies

5) Family tradition to go to a particular school or type of school

6) Student quality, including smarts, wealth, celebrity, and more

6 partly: Student smarts, not wealth

Then
3 : Faculty quality and higher amount of smaller-sized classes

Then
2, partly: phD and MD and Law feeders; couldn't care less about finance/banking


Attending a T15 was lifechanging for myself and many peers; the difference in resources has only grown between T15 vs below the T50ish. It is a wider gap every decade as the smartest students from all over the world aim for the same 10-15 schools. The top quarter of most of these schools used to have about 25% of their students at the 98-99%ile intelligence wise, in the 1990s. Now >75% of all of these schools has students at that level. The students overwhelmingly start in higher math levels and more. For most students in that range, it makes these schools a unique learning experience they cannot get elsewhere. For some students in that range, it is a recipe for self esteem implosion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prestigious schools are more likely to give excellent need based aid, which is a priority for us.

That is the best reason of all

[Anonymous]

None of the above.

First priority is zero debt, huge aid offered to attract an intelligent student.
Second priority is high ratio of full time faculty to students.
Third priority is proximity to mass transit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m just happy that people aren’t putting 3 at the top. There’s too many PhDs coming out of the Ivy league, let alone the rest of the T50, to even begin suggesting that there’s some extreme difference in education. Unless your kid is on the bounds and is highly highly intelligent (like top 0.001%) where they need specialized/accelerated instruction to the level of grad school near freshman year, you’re probably receiving a very similar education to others.

No. Ask faculty who have taught at both. Look at course syllabi. We have multiple relatives who are phD and md-phd who are teaching at a wide range of places. The faculty themselves are not too different barring the very top schools who tend to hire from each other, but the student set is vastly different: they can detail how much they have to water down and slow the pace when they teach at (unnamed 40-something) vs ivy. All institutions put pressure on faculty to keep the average student receiving no lower than a B : they have to rework their courses from what they taught as T10 postdoc, or risk not advancing to tenure. Parents are highly involved and students can ruin a professor on ratings or complaints to the dept chair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just happy that people aren’t putting 3 at the top. There’s too many PhDs coming out of the Ivy league, let alone the rest of the T50, to even begin suggesting that there’s some extreme difference in education. Unless your kid is on the bounds and is highly highly intelligent (like top 0.001%) where they need specialized/accelerated instruction to the level of grad school near freshman year, you’re probably receiving a very similar education to others.

Even a standard freshman course like math 2230 at Cornell will exceed the level of rigor of any freshman math course at most lower ranked universities

Cite?

https://math.cornell.edu/lower-level-courses (scroll to bottom)

https://pi.math.cornell.edu/~allenk/courses/14/2230/

Compre this to the freshman math options at most other lower ranked schools (e.g. any VA school besides UVA)

Post the syllabus from a VA school to backup your claim.

DP. Very few schools are teaching a course like that.

Prove it

Have you taken vector calc? How did the material compare to the posted course?

You said very few VA schools teach a course like that. Did you review course catalogs and syllabi before making your claim?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just happy that people aren’t putting 3 at the top. There’s too many PhDs coming out of the Ivy league, let alone the rest of the T50, to even begin suggesting that there’s some extreme difference in education. Unless your kid is on the bounds and is highly highly intelligent (like top 0.001%) where they need specialized/accelerated instruction to the level of grad school near freshman year, you’re probably receiving a very similar education to others.

Purely anecdotal. Have your PhD friends published any literature about this topic?

No. Ask faculty who have taught at both. Look at course syllabi. We have multiple relatives who are phD and md-phd who are teaching at a wide range of places. The faculty themselves are not too different barring the very top schools who tend to hire from each other, but the student set is vastly different: they can detail how much they have to water down and slow the pace when they teach at (unnamed 40-something) vs ivy. All institutions put pressure on faculty to keep the average student receiving no lower than a B : they have to rework their courses from what they taught as T10 postdoc, or risk not advancing to tenure. Parents are highly involved and students can ruin a professor on ratings or complaints to the dept chair.