What would anyone work so hard to get into a top college if it doesn’t lead to a better career?

[Anonymous]

It’s to get “better friends” not better jobs.

[Anonymous]

Because the top private colleges are less expensive than our in state flagship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I keep reading that where you go to college doesn’t matter for jobs. If that’s the case why would anyone bend over backwards to get into a good college?

Some don’t have to work so hard. Some are naturally very intelligent. My kids had top scores and top grades and didn’t struggle. They were this way from the beginning. We never had to do test prep or ever had to be on them to do homework.

They got in unhooked and crushing it.
Ivy

Same! DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I keep reading that where you go to college doesn’t matter for jobs. If that’s the case why would anyone bend over backwards to get into a good college?

Simple, privilege.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I keep reading that where you go to college doesn’t matter for jobs. If that’s the case why would anyone bend over backwards to get into a good college?

Some kids don't bend over backwards to get into a top college. Some just do what they do and naturally do well and get into good colleges, not because that's what they're tyring to do or building a resume for college, but because they are truly super smart and into whatever passion EC they have and they would do these things even if there were no such thing as college.

And college isn't just a stepping stone to life. College is life too. Some kids want to be around other highly motivated and smart and involved kids/professors/etc. That's where they thrive. Some kids actually really enjoy learning tons of stuff and doing tons of stuff.

If you feel you have to "bend over backwards" to get into a good college, then find another college that is a better fit. I would work hard but not kill yourself just to get to the next step.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One reason to aim for T20 is that some kids feed off of the motivation/energy of the kids around them.

DD went T20 and is surrounded by bright, motivated kids like her who study hard but also enjoy their lives outside of their studies. This was the vibe we were hoping for, and she is really happy.

I hope you realize that you can get that same vibe at many schools in the 25-50/60 range as well. My kid is at one ranked ~40 (used to be low 30s for decades before class sizes didn't matter anymore). Of their group of 20+ friends, EVERYONE was WL/Spring Start/Fall Soph start at a minimum of 2 T25 schools. Same goes for over 40-50% of the students they are in classes with (and engineering kids are already very smart). They are surrounded by bright, motivated kids, but they just were part of the 90-95% who don't get admitted to T25 schools. Same goes for my kid's 2nd choice. Both schools are literally known for this---it's a running joke, and there are articles every year in the school newspapers/etc about this. You don't have to attend a T25 to be surrounded by bright, motivated kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I keep reading that where you go to college doesn’t matter for jobs. If that’s the case why would anyone bend over backwards to get into a good college?

For the peer challenge, for one reason.

Second, for the ivy+ schools (ivies stanford MIT Duke Chicago) it has been shown that attending increases the chances for the top levels of certain career paths, ie topmost med schools, top law, top consulting, quantitative finance.

The next set of schools were not studied specifically but likely provide a next-best boost (WAS, JHU, Northwestern, WashU, Rice, UCB, CMU, 4-5 more)

It matters.

This you go a top school, do well, get great test results so you can go on to the next level of education should your student wants it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I attended a flagship state university. Some classes were large or low-quality. Fortunately I found small high-quality STEM honors courses. A provost temporarily blocked some transfer credits to stop me from graduating early, so I switched majors in my third and last year.

Some state university friends went on to business school and Wall Street. Others bounced around before finding direction. I went to a good private graduate school and worked with Nobel prize winners. In graduate school I learned from the galley proofs of the first textbooks in my area.

You take around 40 3-credit semester courses in college. There are standard courses like freshman composition or microeconomics. But one or two professors will make a memorable and potentially life-changing impression. A good school has more of those. Great art and science movements are concentrated in small communities. That is what you want.

Expensive schools also have students with connections. They will be doing internships on Wall Street or Silicon Valley. Their friends know about resumes, cover letters, and job networks. Remember when Lori Loughlin's daughter Olivia Jade was busted as a fake athlete accepted to USC? Olivia Jade had vacationed on the yacht of the Chairman of USC's Board of Trustees! Those are the type of connections I want my kid's friends to have.

Do these work for Asian Americans or International students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended a flagship state university. Some classes were large or low-quality. Fortunately I found small high-quality STEM honors courses. A provost temporarily blocked some transfer credits to stop me from graduating early, so I switched majors in my third and last year.

Some state university friends went on to business school and Wall Street. Others bounced around before finding direction. I went to a good private graduate school and worked with Nobel prize winners. In graduate school I learned from the galley proofs of the first textbooks in my area.

You take around 40 3-credit semester courses in college. There are standard courses like freshman composition or microeconomics. But one or two professors will make a memorable and potentially life-changing impression. A good school has more of those. Great art and science movements are concentrated in small communities. That is what you want.

Expensive schools also have students with connections. They will be doing internships on Wall Street or Silicon Valley. Their friends know about resumes, cover letters, and job networks. Remember when Lori Loughlin's daughter Olivia Jade was busted as a fake athlete accepted to USC? Olivia Jade had vacationed on the yacht of the Chairman of USC's Board of Trustees! Those are the type of connections I want my kid's friends to have.

Do these work for Asian Americans or International students?

Huh? Wall Street and Silicon Valley jobs especially for Asian Americans! How else can they get those jobs in this country? They have to have much better credentials and pedigree in order to have an equal chance with the white people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended a flagship state university. Some classes were large or low-quality. Fortunately I found small high-quality STEM honors courses. A provost temporarily blocked some transfer credits to stop me from graduating early, so I switched majors in my third and last year.

Some state university friends went on to business school and Wall Street. Others bounced around before finding direction. I went to a good private graduate school and worked with Nobel prize winners. In graduate school I learned from the galley proofs of the first textbooks in my area.

You take around 40 3-credit semester courses in college. There are standard courses like freshman composition or microeconomics. But one or two professors will make a memorable and potentially life-changing impression. A good school has more of those. Great art and science movements are concentrated in small communities. That is what you want.

Expensive schools also have students with connections. They will be doing internships on Wall Street or Silicon Valley. Their friends know about resumes, cover letters, and job networks. Remember when Lori Loughlin's daughter Olivia Jade was busted as a fake athlete accepted to USC? Olivia Jade had vacationed on the yacht of the Chairman of USC's Board of Trustees! Those are the type of connections I want my kid's friends to have.

Do these work for Asian Americans or International students?

Huh? Wall Street and Silicon Valley jobs especially for Asian Americans! How else can they get those jobs in this country? They have to have much better credentials and pedigree in order to have an equal chance with the white people.

Ok. If everyone in these schools is just bootlicking, why do Asians alone get labeled as the infamous strivers and social climbers?

[Anonymous]

DCUM is such a joke

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended a flagship state university. Some classes were large or low-quality. Fortunately I found small high-quality STEM honors courses. A provost temporarily blocked some transfer credits to stop me from graduating early, so I switched majors in my third and last year.

Some state university friends went on to business school and Wall Street. Others bounced around before finding direction. I went to a good private graduate school and worked with Nobel prize winners. In graduate school I learned from the galley proofs of the first textbooks in my area.

You take around 40 3-credit semester courses in college. There are standard courses like freshman composition or microeconomics. But one or two professors will make a memorable and potentially life-changing impression. A good school has more of those. Great art and science movements are concentrated in small communities. That is what you want.

Expensive schools also have students with connections. They will be doing internships on Wall Street or Silicon Valley. Their friends know about resumes, cover letters, and job networks. Remember when Lori Loughlin's daughter Olivia Jade was busted as a fake athlete accepted to USC? Olivia Jade had vacationed on the yacht of the Chairman of USC's Board of Trustees! Those are the type of connections I want my kid's friends to have.

Do these work for Asian Americans or International students?

Huh? Wall Street and Silicon Valley jobs especially for Asian Americans! How else can they get those jobs in this country? They have to have much better credentials and pedigree in order to have an equal chance with the white people.

Ok. If everyone in these schools is just bootlicking, why do Asians alone get labeled as the infamous strivers and social climbers?

Because this is how this country treats (or mistreats) Asians. Every time and everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I attended a flagship state university. Some classes were large or low-quality. Fortunately I found small high-quality STEM honors courses. A provost temporarily blocked some transfer credits to stop me from graduating early, so I switched majors in my third and last year.

Some state university friends went on to business school and Wall Street. Others bounced around before finding direction. I went to a good private graduate school and worked with Nobel prize winners. In graduate school I learned from the galley proofs of the first textbooks in my area.

You take around 40 3-credit semester courses in college. There are standard courses like freshman composition or microeconomics. But one or two professors will make a memorable and potentially life-changing impression. A good school has more of those. Great art and science movements are concentrated in small communities. That is what you want.

Expensive schools also have students with connections. They will be doing internships on Wall Street or Silicon Valley. Their friends know about resumes, cover letters, and job networks. Remember when Lori Loughlin's daughter Olivia Jade was busted as a fake athlete accepted to USC? Olivia Jade had vacationed on the yacht of the Chairman of USC's Board of Trustees! Those are the type of connections I want my kid's friends to have.

She pimped her daughter out to get into USC?? Disgusting woman!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One reason to aim for T20 is that some kids feed off of the motivation/energy of the kids around them.

DD went T20 and is surrounded by bright, motivated kids like her who study hard but also enjoy their lives outside of their studies. This was the vibe we were hoping for, and she is really happy.

I hope you realize that you can get that same vibe at many schools in the 25-50/60 range as well. My kid is at one ranked ~40 (used to be low 30s for decades before class sizes didn't matter anymore). Of their group of 20+ friends, EVERYONE was WL/Spring Start/Fall Soph start at a minimum of 2 T25 schools. Same goes for over 40-50% of the students they are in classes with (and engineering kids are already very smart). They are surrounded by bright, motivated kids, but they just were part of the 90-95% who don't get admitted to T25 schools. Same goes for my kid's 2nd choice. Both schools are literally known for this---it's a running joke, and there are articles every year in the school newspapers/etc about this. You don't have to attend a T25 to be surrounded by bright, motivated kids.

That sounds great!

It would help many of us to know the names of the schools you're describing. NOT to quibble or argue with you in any way about those schools, though I recognize that some others might do that. But because many of us are trying to expand our knowledge and thinking beyond the T20 schools that are way over-represented in discussions on this board.

[Anonymous]

Wonderful Wall Street or Silicon Valley jobs, right?


Morgan Stanley lays off 2,500 employees across divisions

https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/morgan-stanley-lays-off-2500-employees-across-all-divisions-wsj-reports-2026-03-04/



So, don't assume anything!