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Competitive, but not most Competitive
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Anonymous
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On the issue of labels (whether it's "Ivy" or "top 25" or something else), I doubt you'll find many people insisting that their children must attend some particular subset of schools without regard to each child's choice, attitude, or abilities. I'm sure most people would rather have a happy/successful child at Vanderbilt than a miserable child at Yale. (I suspect lots of people would opt for a happy child at Yale!)
I think many people on DCUM (and elsewhere) focus on those "Ivy" labels simply because they're an easy way to categorize the colleges and the high schools that feed into those colleges. There aren't many objective indicators of school quality available, so links to Ivy schools are one of the few pieces of relatively objective info available. I agree it's an imperfect measure, and I agree that the Ivy league schools are not all necessarily the best schools in the country (either in an absolute sense or for particular kids). But the imperfect stereotype is often the best info people have available. Just because people cite Ivy admissions data does not mean that people are obsessed with Ivy admissions -- it often just means that's the only data available. Not to go too far off on a tangent, but the same issues arise with many other measures. Some people cite to SAT scores to compare students/schools, but others point out that the scores are biased and not always accurate. Some people reference the "Big 3," and others note that the admissions pools are skewed and that other schools are just as strong. Some people list winners of math contests, and others point out that the contestant pool is skewed in favor of certain programs. All of these measures are flawed in some way or other (often in many ways), but they're often the only objective measures we have available to evaluate and describe different programs. |
Anonymous
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Truth be told, some of the most professionally successful people never went to or graduated from college - Bill Gates, Thomas Edison, etc. In this day and age, being professionally successful means being an entrepreneur. Colleges don't teach that - those are qualities you are born with for the most part. I am reading stories of the most successful high-tech people coming straight out of high school.
Don't agree with 10:04 - each decade has posed new challenges. I graduated during the last big recession and jobs were hard to come by. We also lived through downturns and layoffs. No such thing as a guilded age - it all cycles through the years. |
Anonymous
Sure, there are many stories of very successful people that skipped college, and if you think your child is the next Bill Gates, then Mazel Tov to you. But there are countless studies showing that in most cases, the more education you get, the more successful you'll be. (Here's one: http://www.earnmydegree.com/online-education/learning-center/education-value.html) Can't we agree that a lot more of the people who stopped education at high school are burger flippers than CEOs? |
Anonymous
| If my child truly enjoyed his experience at the private school, I would in no way consider it a "waste" - regardless of where he went to college. That being said, if he could have gotten the same quality education at a public school (and enjoyed it just the same), I could see myself thinking that 30K a year tuition at a local private school for 12 years (over $300,000 when it is all said and done) was just not worth it. I admit, and freely admit, that I would be thrilled to have a child go to Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, or Yale. These places open doors. These schools graduate more than their fair share of presidents, judges, business leaders, and nonprofit leaders. |
Anonymous
Can't you be secure in your knowledge that more education is better without putting down millions of people just trying to make a living? Be glad your child has you as a parent to guide them and give them every chance possible to succeed. And lets not forget the many that are sold this college bill of goods and graduate only to find themselves waiting tables or taking anything they can get because the jobs aren't there. I have so many friends with college degrees that have been unable to do anything with them. Or they have to go right back to school all over again because there's just not a lot of kids that know what they what they want to do with the rest of their lives at the age of 18. |
Anonymous
None of those examples are rarely, if ever women! Women have to do the hard work to get ahead and can't afford the necessary step of going to college! |
Anonymous
What makes you think I was putting anyone down? That interpretation maybe says more about you than me. Ironically, I've flipped a ton of burgers in my time, and 15 years ago, I was one of those kids waiting tables after college because I didn't have a better job. It was more education that allowed me to become successful, which is why I was bothered by someone suggesting that less education might be a better path to success. |
Anonymous
| 10:38 again -- I meant women can't afford not to go to college to get ahead. They have to go unlike some of the crazy examples often cited of famous men who skipped or dropped out of college. |
Anonymous
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Reality check-- if 25% of my DC's childhood friends are going to Ivies, no matter where she ends up she already benefits from the #1 reason to go to an Ivy in the first place--- connections.
No matter where she ends up undergrad, she will have well placed friends, and friends of friends to help her out in the professional world for many years to come. I went to public high school and a top public university, where my freshman roomate was a poor performing "big 3" grad. My relationship with her (and her friends, and her friends parents throughout the country) has helped me and my DH professionally more than anything else. In fact, how do you think we got DD into that same big 3 school? Yup! |
Anonymous
| This is hard to swallow. DD must have had lots going for her. The college roommate's recommendation no doubt helped. But if DD didn't cut it, the school would have waitlisted her (the gentlest form of rejection). Give DD and yourself a little credit here. |
Anonymous
| 12:39 here. No doubt, DD is brilliant, beautiful and likable, too. My point though is that our connections to generous alum helped DD stand out. She's not unqualified, but there were other equally qualified kids too, and everyone could not get accepted. |
Anonymous
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I am 10:11 and my post was unfortunately very misread. I was responding to those who believe that college is the sole factor in turning out successful professionals. It is not. There has to be something there in the person first of all and then college can be one of only several catalysts that will help make that happen.
If there's no spark or motivation in a person, it doesn't matter what college they've gone to... We've all known lots of people who were great students and loved to learn but couldn't put it together once out of school. |
Anonymous
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12:39/12:58
12:55 here. I am sure your college roommate and whatever alum you know socially helped. Other factors worked in your favor. DD fit the mix of the class, there wasn’t a glut of like applicants who were legacy, sibling, connected to faculty. You wrote the above (12:39) as if your college roommate was the reason DD got in! That connection is but a piece of the acceptance puzzle. I would hate for people to put too much weight on an alum social connections. This is a multivariate affair! |
Anonymous
Yuck!! But I guess you've got no reason to lie to us about it, since it reflects poorly on you, your husband, and your DC.... |
Anonymous
| That is so mean above. The woman was just trying to be honest and humble or so I would bet. You're mean. |