"Socially Competitive" Colleges

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:lol. Other ways. Then you ARE the connection that other people want to make. You will be very popular.

Just means you have connections to those IB jobs etc. via parents and personal network.

It's sad to me that kids feel like the whole point of college is to "build their network". They have their whole life to do that.

Read Paul Tough’s book. This is the entire point of college for the UC. It isn’t trade school ffs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:lol. Other ways. Then you ARE the connection that other people want to make. You will be very popular.

Just means you have connections to those IB jobs etc. via parents and personal network.

It's sad to me that kids feel like the whole point of college is to "build their network". They have their whole life to do that.

Read Paul Tough’s book. This is the entire point of college for the UC. It isn’t trade school ffs.

The UC already has a network.
Maybe you mean the MC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:lol. Other ways. Then you ARE the connection that other people want to make. You will be very popular.

Just means you have connections to those IB jobs etc. via parents and personal network.

It's sad to me that kids feel like the whole point of college is to "build their network". They have their whole life to do that.

Read Paul Tough’s book. This is the entire point of college for the UC. It isn’t trade school ffs.

Why so angry? And agree this is the whole point of Pell Grants, FGLI, educating the LC etc.
Not the UC. They don't need college for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:lol. Other ways. Then you ARE the connection that other people want to make. You will be very popular.

Just means you have connections to those IB jobs etc. via parents and personal network.

It's sad to me that kids feel like the whole point of college is to "build their network". They have their whole life to do that.

Read Paul Tough’s book. This is the entire point of college for the UC. It isn’t trade school ffs.

The UC already has a network.
Maybe you mean the MC?

NP but yes. Those are the strivers and climbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Penn.

At a lot of top schools, kids arrive having been rock stars at their high school. A lot are immediately prepared to try to run everything in college, too, but it's just not possible when there are so many Type A kids in one place.

Fraternities, sororities, eating clubs, etc., are inherently competitive to get into.

Sometimes parties are hard to get into -- you have to know someone.

So it’s a competitiveness in a social context, not academically? Competitive to be friends with the right people kind of thing?

Yes. But a “friends with the right people kind of thing” affects access to important clubs, activities, etc, which is how a lot of people get the right jobs, and then move up in the world. For the rest of their lives. So it’s more than who they hang out with on Saturday. If you aren’t an extreme climber, professionally or socially, this doesn’t matter.

Is it really that serious though?
You make it sound like it will dramatically impact the course of your life - if you pick a school that’s socially competitive and you aren’t able to manage the grind and the sharp elbowed-ness and compete?

It will dramatically impact your life if you can compete.

Failing to compete will only close doors if you are looking to enter certain doors, and don’t have any other keys.

Exactly. Not making those connections won’t leave you worse off than if you hadn’t gone to college, but making them will open doors that even the most prestigious degree can’t. Take Bucknell, for example. It’s a great school, but it’s not HYPMS or WASP in pure academic prestige. However, its alumni network and Wall Street connections rival any of those schools. If you can tap into that, the world is your oyster. And the cool part is that Bucknell’s social scene isn’t as cutthroat as those others schools. Its network of elites is accessible to anyone willing to put in the effort.

Hello again Bucknell booster…always makes me wonder if is this an avid alum or if it’s the school who posts constantly in this forum.

+100. 😂. I just can’t with this guy anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What if you don't need the school's clubs etc to open doors? Bc you have other ways...

Then, is there really even a point to this type of environment? It seems toxic?

Two options. You don’t play the game altogether. Or depending on how strong your connections are and how much money you have ie you’re family has personal connections with folks in Mar a Lago, they will want to be friends with You.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Penn.

At a lot of top schools, kids arrive having been rock stars at their high school. A lot are immediately prepared to try to run everything in college, too, but it's just not possible when there are so many Type A kids in one place.

Fraternities, sororities, eating clubs, etc., are inherently competitive to get into.

Sometimes parties are hard to get into -- you have to know someone.

So it’s a competitiveness in a social context, not academically? Competitive to be friends with the right people kind of thing?

Yes. But a “friends with the right people kind of thing” affects access to important clubs, activities, etc, which is how a lot of people get the right jobs, and then move up in the world. For the rest of their lives. So it’s more than who they hang out with on Saturday. If you aren’t an extreme climber, professionally or socially, this doesn’t matter.

Is it really that serious though?
You make it sound like it will dramatically impact the course of your life - if you pick a school that’s socially competitive and you aren’t able to manage the grind and the sharp elbowed-ness and compete?

It will dramatically impact your life if you can compete.

Failing to compete will only close doors if you are looking to enter certain doors, and don’t have any other keys.

Exactly. Not making those connections won’t leave you worse off than if you hadn’t gone to college, but making them will open doors that even the most prestigious degree can’t. Take Bucknell, for example. It’s a great school, but it’s not HYPMS or WASP in pure academic prestige. However, its alumni network and Wall Street connections rival any of those schools. If you can tap into that, the world is your oyster. And the cool part is that Bucknell’s social scene isn’t as cutthroat as those others schools. Its network of elites is accessible to anyone willing to put in the effort.

Bucknell, the Street, drink!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Penn.

At a lot of top schools, kids arrive having been rock stars at their high school. A lot are immediately prepared to try to run everything in college, too, but it's just not possible when there are so many Type A kids in one place.

Fraternities, sororities, eating clubs, etc., are inherently competitive to get into.

Sometimes parties are hard to get into -- you have to know someone.

That sounds really sad.

And miserable. Who would sign up for that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Penn.

At a lot of top schools, kids arrive having been rock stars at their high school. A lot are immediately prepared to try to run everything in college, too, but it's just not possible when there are so many Type A kids in one place.

Fraternities, sororities, eating clubs, etc., are inherently competitive to get into.

Sometimes parties are hard to get into -- you have to know someone.

That sounds really sad.

And miserable. Who would sign up for that?

its Penn. a lot of people sign up.
by the way that description is cornell too.

[Anonymous]

I have kids at Vandy and Tulane, they are both what I would consider extremely extroverted, friendly, socially savvy people. I have noticed that their more introverted friends seem to have a lot more struggles with rushing, internship recruiting, joining clubs, building relationships with profs, building / finding friend groups, networking, etc. All of these things have the potential to affect the entire college experience and post-grad outcomes.

While these are all life experiences that are universal to college, it becomes more pronounced of a struggle as a more introverted student when you are surrounded by many highly social extroverts. In many ways you are competing against them for various opportunities, so it seems to create an unnecessary disadvantage for more socially anxious students who would THRIVE in other environments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have kids at Vandy and Tulane, they are both what I would consider extremely extroverted, friendly, socially savvy people. I have noticed that their more introverted friends seem to have a lot more struggles with rushing, internship recruiting, joining clubs, building relationships with profs, building / finding friend groups, networking, etc. All of these things have the potential to affect the entire college experience and post-grad outcomes.

While these are all life experiences that are universal to college, it becomes more pronounced of a struggle as a more introverted student when you are surrounded by many highly social extroverts. In many ways you are competing against them for various opportunities, so it seems to create an unnecessary disadvantage for more socially anxious students who would THRIVE in other environments.

this is very accurate at many schools. And moreso for boys than girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Penn.

At a lot of top schools, kids arrive having been rock stars at their high school. A lot are immediately prepared to try to run everything in college, too, but it's just not possible when there are so many Type A kids in one place.

Fraternities, sororities, eating clubs, etc., are inherently competitive to get into.

Sometimes parties are hard to get into -- you have to know someone.

So it’s a competitiveness in a social context, not academically? Competitive to be friends with the right people kind of thing?

Yes. But a “friends with the right people kind of thing” affects access to important clubs, activities, etc, which is how a lot of people get the right jobs, and then move up in the world. For the rest of their lives. So it’s more than who they hang out with on Saturday. If you aren’t an extreme climber, professionally or socially, this doesn’t matter.

Is it really that serious though?
You make it sound like it will dramatically impact the course of your life - if you pick a school that’s socially competitive and you aren’t able to manage the grind and the sharp elbowed-ness and compete?

It will dramatically impact your life if you can compete.

Failing to compete will only close doors if you are looking to enter certain doors, and don’t have any other keys.

Exactly. Not making those connections won’t leave you worse off than if you hadn’t gone to college, but making them will open doors that even the most prestigious degree can’t. Take Bucknell, for example. It’s a great school, but it’s not HYPMS or WASP in pure academic prestige. However, its alumni network and Wall Street connections rival any of those schools. If you can tap into that, the world is your oyster. And the cool part is that Bucknell’s social scene isn’t as cutthroat as those others schools. Its network of elites is accessible to anyone willing to put in the effort.

Hello again Bucknell booster…always makes me wonder if is this an avid alum or if it’s the school who posts constantly in this forum.

It has to be the school. No one thinks about Bucknell this much.

Agree. I looked at its CDS. Very low stats. b students 1100-1300 sats. Why would Wall Street want those kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Penn.

At a lot of top schools, kids arrive having been rock stars at their high school. A lot are immediately prepared to try to run everything in college, too, but it's just not possible when there are so many Type A kids in one place.

Fraternities, sororities, eating clubs, etc., are inherently competitive to get into.

Sometimes parties are hard to get into -- you have to know someone.

So it’s a competitiveness in a social context, not academically? Competitive to be friends with the right people kind of thing?

Yes. But a “friends with the right people kind of thing” affects access to important clubs, activities, etc, which is how a lot of people get the right jobs, and then move up in the world. For the rest of their lives. So it’s more than who they hang out with on Saturday. If you aren’t an extreme climber, professionally or socially, this doesn’t matter.

Is it really that serious though?
You make it sound like it will dramatically impact the course of your life - if you pick a school that’s socially competitive and you aren’t able to manage the grind and the sharp elbowed-ness and compete?

It will dramatically impact your life if you can compete.

Failing to compete will only close doors if you are looking to enter certain doors, and don’t have any other keys.

Exactly. Not making those connections won’t leave you worse off than if you hadn’t gone to college, but making them will open doors that even the most prestigious degree can’t. Take Bucknell, for example. It’s a great school, but it’s not HYPMS or WASP in pure academic prestige. However, its alumni network and Wall Street connections rival any of those schools. If you can tap into that, the world is your oyster. And the cool part is that Bucknell’s social scene isn’t as cutthroat as those others schools. Its network of elites is accessible to anyone willing to put in the effort.

Hello again Bucknell booster…always makes me wonder if is this an avid alum or if it’s the school who posts constantly in this forum.

It has to be the school. No one thinks about Bucknell this much.

Agree. I looked at its CDS. Very low stats. b students 1100-1300 sats. Why would Wall Street want those kids?

I don't really care about Bucknell (my kid applied last year, got in, went somewhere else), but it is DEF not a feeder to Wall Street - just look at the data?
https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-banking

[Anonymous]

Most of the top "feeders" to Wall Street on this list are the most socially competitive colleges, guess they go hand in hand?

https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-banking

[Anonymous]

Harvard. Just living vicariously through DC about punching for final clubs was exhausting.