How many of you went to a top college or university or ????

[Anonymous]

I went to Penn.

Go Quakers!

Drink a high ball...at nightfall..be good fellows while you may....for tomorrow may bring sorrow...so tonight let's all be gay...

Loved that school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I went to Harvard College and would like our children to go to Harvard College. Our children want to go there, too.

hope you live in Nebraska, have given tons of money and have perfect children!

No, I live in the DC area. DH and I do give a lot of money to the college, but more importantly we are actively involved with the college in fundraising and in interviewing applicants.

Also my children are perfect (sarcasm, with eye-roll).

How do you define a lot of money? Unless you are talking about millions, Harvard isn't going to bat an eye. So many alumni donate to them, that unless you are talking donations for multi-million dollar capital projects, it's a drop in the bucket.

Applicants whose parent or parents garduated from the college are considered legacies in the admissions process regardless of the amount of money donated (or not!). People don't want to believe that, but it is true.

[Anonymous]

I think some of the earlier posts about doing a lower ranked undergrad and then a more competitive grad school are spot on. I went to a top ten undergrad program, where I did fine but not outstanding. Because of my GPA, I ended up at a decent but not great law school (top 20 at the time, top 25 now). It would have been much easier to be at the top of my class at a less prestigous undergrad, which would have better positioned me for grad school. It seems to me that many of the people who end up at the top, top grad schools went to mediocre undergrad programs where they were able to be at the top of the heap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think some of the earlier posts about doing a lower ranked undergrad and then a more competitive grad school are spot on. I went to a top ten undergrad program, where I did fine but not outstanding. Because of my GPA, I ended up at a decent but not great law school (top 20 at the time, top 25 now). It would have been much easier to be at the top of my class at a less prestigous undergrad, which would have better positioned me for grad school. It seems to me that many of the people who end up at the top, top grad schools went to mediocre undergrad programs where they were able to be at the top of the heap.

I bet the people who went to a less selective college but went on to a selective grad school would not have chosen that undergrad route if they had had a choice. Of the few from less selective colleges who make it to Harvard Law, think of the MANY at the tope of their class at less selective colleges who apply to Harvard Law and don't get in. Harvard College sends more students to Harvard Law than any other college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think some of the earlier posts about doing a lower ranked undergrad and then a more competitive grad school are spot on. I went to a top ten undergrad program, where I did fine but not outstanding. Because of my GPA, I ended up at a decent but not great law school (top 20 at the time, top 25 now). It would have been much easier to be at the top of my class at a less prestigous undergrad, which would have better positioned me for grad school. It seems to me that many of the people who end up at the top, top grad schools went to mediocre undergrad programs where they were able to be at the top of the heap.

I bet the people who went to a less selective college but went on to a selective grad school would not have chosen that undergrad route if they had had a choice. Of the few from less selective colleges who make it to Harvard Law, think of the MANY at the tope of their class at less selective colleges who apply to Harvard Law and don't get in. Harvard College sends more students to Harvard Law than any other college.

This is true. The other thing I noticed at my law school (top 10) is that the most successful students tended to be from the better undergrad schools. There were a few stars who didn't fit that mold, but for the most part the 4.0's from the small, regional liberal arts schools and big state schools seemed overwhelmed by the challenges of law school. Especially the first year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10:21 here again. I agree with 19:41 - the degree from a top school helps. If you want to go on to a good grad school, or get that job you really want, having a "top name" degree opens doors. It's often been one of the first things interviewers have asked me about.

I don't think you'll necessarily get better teachers or a better education at a "top name" school. So I don't care if my DCs go to a "top name" school. Although I do care about the quality of education at whatever school they're at.

Didn't help you enough to know that you should never complete a sentence with "at", did it?

[Anonymous]

They didn't go to a top name school pp and don't care if their kids do either.

[Anonymous]

Don't you people get it? That strategy won't work for 98% of people. Most people who go to a "lower ranked undergrad" schools will never get within spitting distance of an Ivy League grad school. Why? Because most Ivy grad schools recruit from Ivy undergrad schools. Most colleges (assuming they are private) cost about the same anyway, so you might as well go for the best on that you can.

Anonymous wrote:I think some of the earlier posts about doing a lower ranked undergrad and then a more competitive grad school are spot on. I went to a top ten undergrad program, where I did fine but not outstanding. Because of my GPA, I ended up at a decent but not great law school (top 20 at the time, top 25 now). It would have been much easier to be at the top of my class at a less prestigous undergrad, which would have better positioned me for grad school. It seems to me that many of the people who end up at the top, top grad schools went to mediocre undergrad programs where they were able to be at the top of the heap.

[Anonymous]

Was ranked third in the class at one of the schools so highly-touted on these boards, but refused to apply to Ivy League colleges simply to spite my mother, because she pushed me so hard on that point. Ah, teenage rebellion. Went to a "public Ivy" and have been professionally successful. Meh. Who knows. I'm too old and mellow to care now. (Miss you, Mom.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was ranked third in the class at one of the schools so highly-touted on these boards, but refused to apply to Ivy League colleges simply to spite my mother, because she pushed me so hard on that point. Ah, teenage rebellion. Went to a "public Ivy" and have been professionally successful. Meh. Who knows. I'm too old and mellow to care now. (Miss you, Mom.)

I think the "lesson" you taught your mom is one that a fair few DCUMers are going to learn once their toddlers hit adolescence! People are fooling themselves if they think they're going to be able to control what their teenagers want and do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't you people get it? That strategy won't work for 98% of people. Most people who go to a "lower ranked undergrad" schools will never get within spitting distance of an Ivy League grad school. Why? Because most Ivy grad schools recruit from Ivy undergrad schools. Most colleges (assuming they are private) cost about the same anyway, so you might as well go for the best on that you can.

This wasn't my experience at an Ivy League grad school. In my graduate program there was one guy who came from the same Ivy as an undergrad, and I also came from a "name" college although not Ivy. The rest of the graduate students in my program came from non-Ivy, non-name schools. Before you assume that this must have been a "second tier" grad program in some useless subject, at a "second-tier" Ivy, let me say that you're wrong, without giving my identity away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't you people get it? That strategy won't work for 98% of people. Most people who go to a "lower ranked undergrad" schools will never get within spitting distance of an Ivy League grad school. Why? Because most Ivy grad schools recruit from Ivy undergrad schools. Most colleges (assuming they are private) cost about the same anyway, so you might as well go for the best on that you can.

This wasn't my experience at an Ivy League grad school. In my graduate program there was one guy who came from the same Ivy as an undergrad, and I also came from a "name" college although not Ivy. The rest of the graduate students in my program came from non-Ivy, non-name schools. Before you assume that this must have been a "second tier" grad program in some useless subject, at a "second-tier" Ivy, let me say that you're wrong, without giving my identity away.

Same here - I went to a top ranked Ivy b-school and the class was from a broad range of schools. Yes many ivies, but many other schools as well. I went to a highly ranked liberal arts school and did very well there, as did many of my peers from non-ivy schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't you people get it? That strategy won't work for 98% of people. Most people who go to a "lower ranked undergrad" schools will never get within spitting distance of an Ivy League grad school. Why? Because most Ivy grad schools recruit from Ivy undergrad schools. Most colleges (assuming they are private) cost about the same anyway, so you might as well go for the best on that you can.

This wasn't my experience at an Ivy League grad school. In my graduate program there was one guy who came from the same Ivy as an undergrad, and I also came from a "name" college although not Ivy. The rest of the graduate students in my program came from non-Ivy, non-name schools. Before you assume that this must have been a "second tier" grad program in some useless subject, at a "second-tier" Ivy, let me say that you're wrong, without giving my identity away.

Same here - I went to a top ranked Ivy b-school and the class was from a broad range of schools. Yes many ivies, but many other schools as well. I went to a highly ranked liberal arts school and did very well there, as did many of my peers from non-ivy schools.

You all are still not taking into account what a very small percentage of applicants from no-name schools make it into the top Ivy grad schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You all are still not taking into account what a very small percentage of applicants from no-name schools make it into the top Ivy grad schools.

Where do you get this idea? Do you have admission stats from all the top Ivy grad schools?

I went to an Ivy, and so did most of my friends. We're all in low paying professions (by choice), and we're happy with that. I don't care where my kids go to school as long as they are happy. DH went to a no name school and has done far better financially than me or my friends. I'm raising my children to do their best in school because the world is a competitive place. But their best might be a state school, not Harvard. Or maybe it will be Harvard, I don't know, and I don't care. I simply want them to do their best, wherever that may lead.

[Anonymous]

Correct pp ... and these people are talking about 20 or 30 years ago...times have changed and admission standards have gotten so much tougher everywhere...including what used to be sure bet state schools.