The Obsession With Top Schools Is Sad

[Anonymous]

Do you think UMC/rich people look down on big state flagship football schools? They are popular and have low acceptance rates- is this looked down upon?

[Anonymous]

I was really scared for next year when my dd will start applying. After digging in we shouldn’t fret too much because she isn’t aiming for t20 or even t50. I see people freak out every year and if just isn’t necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is sad - you know why? It's status obsessed parents who can't stand it when Biff and Buffy at the club tell them that Biff Jr. and Mandy are both going to Princeton and you have to tell them your kids only got into Virginia Tech or JMU. They can't possibly stand the disgrace. Let the kid go somewhere in the real world and learn how to grind, not learn how to snobnob with the country club set on their way up the social ladder, making sure they lock down those Goldman jobs on Wall Street by making the right "connections".

Most of the kids of Biff and Buffy at the club are going to SEC schools these days though.

[Anonymous]

Insecurity about status is nouveau riche. HTH

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If college educations weren't so freakishly expensive it wouldn't be such a big deal imo. $100k for USC, why?

Because people pay it.

They have no where else to put what they have in their bloated accounts. I mean it's not like it's UCLA or something

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is sad - you know why? It's status obsessed parents who can't stand it when Biff and Buffy at the club tell them that Biff Jr. and Mandy are both going to Princeton and you have to tell them your kids only got into Virginia Tech or JMU. They can't possibly stand the disgrace. Let the kid go somewhere in the real world and learn how to grind, not learn how to snobnob with the country club set on their way up the social ladder, making sure they lock down those Goldman jobs on Wall Street by making the right "connections".

100% - so afraid that they are missing out on something and their lives will be horrible because of it...its starts with best daycare and pre school right through to playing travel sports and into education - and then we wonder why our kids are stressed...its because we are constanty comparing them to everyone else instead of focusing on the things that make them and us happy..sad is right.

Post of the year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FYI- there are some of us who actually hope our kids don’t get into an Ivy. One DC is a high stats/ high EC students and wants to apply to top 10 schools (and yes, I know DC is not guaranteed a spot). There is so much more to life than living under the pressure of having to constantly over perform.

Oldest is in an Honors program at a SEC school and it is a great fit. Truly don’t care what others think.

This is an interesting take considering you to mention "Honors" program at an SEC school. Why not just mention kid is a student at an SEC school and it's a great fit, if one truly doesn't care what anyone thinks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you think UMC/rich people look down on big state flagship football schools? They are popular and have low acceptance rates- is this looked down upon?

I think there is a certain segment of the population that wants no part of a public university. The negative perception seems to come down to two main factors: size and snobbery.

First, many parents are intimidated by sending their children to large schools where there may be less individualized attention and support from the institution and professors. Second, public universities often have a mission to educate a broader segment of students, which can run counter to elitist and pretentious attitudes.

Think about it: Which sounds more exclusive? "My child is studying engineering at Tufts or Dartmouth" versus "My child is studying engineering at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign." The engineering programs at Tufts or Dartmouth can't touch UIUC's in terms of rankings and reputation, but attending the private institutions sounds more prestigious to many people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI- there are some of us who actually hope our kids don’t get into an Ivy. One DC is a high stats/ high EC students and wants to apply to top 10 schools (and yes, I know DC is not guaranteed a spot). There is so much more to life than living under the pressure of having to constantly over perform.

Oldest is in an Honors program at a SEC school and it is a great fit. Truly don’t care what others think.

This is an interesting take considering you to mention "Honors" program at an SEC school. Why not just mention kid is a student at an SEC school and it's a great fit, if one truly doesn't care what anyone thinks?

Good point. Why not just say calculus instead of AP calculus? People are tying to mine the last bit of status out of everything.

[Anonymous]

Lots of prestige whores who are stuck with the mentality that’s it’s Ivy or bust

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Think about it: Which sounds more exclusive? "My child is studying engineering at Tufts or Dartmouth" versus "My child is studying engineering at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign." The engineering programs at Tufts or Dartmouth can't touch UIUC's in terms of rankings and reputation, but attending the private institutions sounds more prestigious to many people.

wait, Dartmouth and tufts have engineering programs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think UMC/rich people look down on big state flagship football schools? They are popular and have low acceptance rates- is this looked down upon?

The engineering programs at Tufts or Dartmouth can't touch UIUC's in terms of rankings and reputation, but attending the private institutions sounds more prestigious to many people.

Here is the problem.

The obsession is everywhere. For engineering/CS, the snobs go by the CS ranking, in which UIUC is a top 5 school, others in T5 including Cal, Stanford, MIT, CMU. You can't imagine how they look down on Tufts / Dartmouth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think UMC/rich people look down on big state flagship football schools? They are popular and have low acceptance rates- is this looked down upon?

The engineering programs at Tufts or Dartmouth can't touch UIUC's in terms of rankings and reputation, but attending the private institutions sounds more prestigious to many people.

Here is the problem.

The obsession is everywhere. For engineering/CS, the snobs go by the CS ranking, in which UIUC is a top 5 school, others in T5 including Cal, Stanford, MIT, CMU. You can't imagine how they look down on Tufts / Dartmouth.

The CS prestige whores think it's either CS T5 or bust. They don't care about fit. Their kids might thrive at Tufts/Dartmouth engineering, but that doesn't matter.

[Anonymous]

The top CS or bust group is not a good one to be in for undergrad if the school isn't great overall or the fit isn't great. Listen to Zuck and others and get a well-rounded education now (it isn't 2018).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The top CS or bust group is not a good one to be in for undergrad if the school isn't great overall or the fit isn't great. Listen to Zuck and others and get a well-rounded education now (it isn't 2018).

zuck went to harvard....