Is it crazy to choose a non-ivy over an ivy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the schools? Fit is important.

Stanford vs. Princeton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the schools? Fit is important.

Stanford vs. Princeton.

IF this is OP's choice then it does not matter, go with fit.

[Anonymous]

i mean mit, stanford are non ivies and better than most ivies

[Anonymous]

It's not crazy if the non-ivy is still a good school with good outcomes and:
- you'll save a lot of money
- it costs less you couldn't help with grad school costs without paying less for undergrad
- the kid aims to go to competitive grad school and needs to stay on top of undergrad and the non-ivy environment makes that easier or more pleasant
- the fit feels better

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they were choosing who to marry, would you recommend their first choice and better fit, or the prestigious option?

The wealthy one. Lol

My grandmother used to say: it’s just as easy to marry rich as it is to marry poor.

P.s. I married poor. We made it together. 28 years later.

My grandmother said this too. I have enough distance to laugh at it but my mother (her daughter) turned out very bitter about and obsessed with money.

[Anonymous]

Not all Ivies are created equal, and many are below T10 plus schools. Go with fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the schools? Fit is important.

Stanford vs. Princeton.

I would pick Princeton for their unique undergraduate experience unless your kid wants to go into tech. Even then I would probably pick Princeton

[Anonymous]

I think if you want a career in finance or consulting then some Ivies are better than other non-Ivy, non- Stanford/MIT schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not 1950. There are lots of schools that are as good and often better than the Ivy schools. Job and grad school outcomes are the same. But more important is fit. Both of my kids chose T20 non-Ivy colleges because they were better schools for them and their interests.

These days tons of students choose MIT, Stanford, Vanderbilt, CalTech, Duke, Rice, Williams, Chicago, Pomona, Northwestern, and Notre Dame over Ivy schools. And if they are STEM you can add Georgia Tech, Berkeley, Harvey Mudd, and Michigan to the list. These are all very rational alternatives to the Ivy schools.

That is a lot of copium. There are multiple studies that show ivy+ about 5 other schools do much better for the most elite outcomes than schools not in that group. Half on your list are ivy level and the others are simply not. They are not targets of top companies nor do they place as well into T5 law and med.
Some students chase the very top outcomes and there is nothing wrong with that.
In 2025 and even 2024, a distinct shift toward school name happened, first with CS and now with the rest. Hiring slowed at lower ranked schools first. It will continue. Down economies always lead to a hiring preference from the best schools.

[Anonymous]

Not crazy. At all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they were choosing who to marry, would you recommend their first choice and better fit, or the prestigious option?

The wealthy one. Lol

My grandmother used to say: it’s just as easy to marry rich as it is to marry poor.

P.s. I married poor. We made it together. 28 years later.

Really? My grandmother used to say: People who marry for money earn every penny of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid picked UVA over an Ivy.

Ivies have weird vibes these days. My older child is at one. They are often an exceedingly random mix of kids---super academic grinders, underprepared FGLI kids from middle America, ultra wealthy who stick to themselves. It's a odd mix.

My daughter did as well. Happy as a clam at UVA with every resource and opportunity available at her fingertips. Met a great group of brilliant, fun and supportive friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Choose based on fit. It will be better for everyone except the parents when talking to their friends.

This. I can't believe you even typed out that question for public consumption. You sound like a complete twit. Let your kid go where they feel they will fit best and stuff your enormous ego up your a@@.

[Anonymous]

Depends on which Ivy. In most circles except maybe among first-gen immigrants, there are at least 10 non-Ivy colleges more prestigious than Cornell and Dartmouth. East coast old money prefers Williams to almost all Ivies except HYP. West coast elites and Silicon Valley prefers Pomona, Harvey Mudd over at least 3-4 Ivies, and Stanford any day over all Ivies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not 1950. There are lots of schools that are as good and often better than the Ivy schools. Job and grad school outcomes are the same. But more important is fit. Both of my kids chose T20 non-Ivy colleges because they were better schools for them and their interests.

These days tons of students choose MIT, Stanford, Vanderbilt, CalTech, Duke, Rice, Williams, Chicago, Pomona, Northwestern, and Notre Dame over Ivy schools. And if they are STEM you can add Georgia Tech, Berkeley, Harvey Mudd, and Michigan to the list. These are all very rational alternatives to the Ivy schools.

That is a lot of copium. There are multiple studies that show ivy+ about 5 other schools do much better for the most elite outcomes than schools not in that group. Half on your list are ivy level and the others are simply not. They are not targets of top companies nor do they place as well into T5 law and med.
Some students chase the very top outcomes and there is nothing wrong with that.
In 2025 and even 2024, a distinct shift toward school name happened, first with CS and now with the rest. Hiring slowed at lower ranked schools first. It will continue. Down economies always lead to a hiring preference from the best schools.

I know this will blow your mind or you won't allow yourself to believe it, but there are many people who don't want to be part of the elite world. You'll give some blah blah blah answer about jealousy, because you are so emotionally and ethically limited and you just can't conceive that many people value other things. The people in the "elite" world are almost all complete a-holes. And now we know, they're all pedos, too.