My child attends an elite college. It is overrated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I am the odd one, but that wasn't really the point for me going to an elite college, nor my children. The education was the first consideration, and I am certain I could not have received a better one elsewhere after leaving my LAC for grad school and then moving a bit around before becoming a professor. Secondly, the people-they are just overall more interesting and better students than at non-elite colleges.

agree with this.
but that's not the crowd here.
they are all grinder, simply looking for ROI.
state school works best for them - and that's great for all of us!!

For the most part, the ROI is best for top in state schools, not expensive schools, including elite colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do any kids want to go to a top college for an intellectual challenge? That’s what mine is hoping for. If these schools are filled with students who just want to be in elite social circles, this is disappointing.

As long as your child steers clear of the social circle majors like Econ and CS, they will avoid these types. Otherwise, no there really aren’t many going for an intellectual challenge.

? My CS major kid is not into elite social circles. I think you are confused. Many CS majors don't run in those circles.

You are thinking maybe fintech, maybe. CS is not fintech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do any kids want to go to a top college for an intellectual challenge? That’s what mine is hoping for. If these schools are filled with students who just want to be in elite social circles, this is disappointing.

As long as your child steers clear of the social circle majors like Econ and CS, they will avoid these types. Otherwise, no there really aren’t many going for an intellectual challenge.

? My CS major kid is not into elite social circles. I think you are confused. Many CS majors don't run in those circles.

You are thinking maybe fintech, maybe. CS is not fintech.

CS 100% is filled with the lazy kids who just want the money and CS students are the ones leading and getting the jobs in fintech. This is just your child being an exception to the rule.

[Anonymous]

Have things changed since the late 90s? Genuine question. Your experience sounds a lot like mine at an elite ivy undergrad in the late 90s. However — at an elite law school, I WAS handed a 150k job right out of the gate. So I guess in that respect it paid off. My Dh who went to an elite ivy had a different experience in that he did take advantage of a lot of opportunities and really made deep connections (not necessarily wealthy ones) that lasted a lifetime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do any kids want to go to a top college for an intellectual challenge? That’s what mine is hoping for. If these schools are filled with students who just want to be in elite social circles, this is disappointing.

As long as your child steers clear of the social circle majors like Econ and CS, they will avoid these types. Otherwise, no there really aren’t many going for an intellectual challenge.

? My CS major kid is not into elite social circles. I think you are confused. Many CS majors don't run in those circles.

You are thinking maybe fintech, maybe. CS is not fintech.

CS 100% is filled with the lazy kids who just want the money and CS students are the ones leading and getting the jobs in fintech. This is just your child being an exception to the rule.

? the vast majority of CS majors don't go into fintech.

I can tell you have zero clue how hard a CS major is. It's not for the lazy. You just sound ignorant and bitter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have things changed since the late 90s? Genuine question. Your experience sounds a lot like mine at an elite ivy undergrad in the late 90s. However — at an elite law school, I WAS handed a 150k job right out of the gate. So I guess in that respect it paid off. My Dh who went to an elite ivy had a different experience in that he did take advantage of a lot of opportunities and really made deep connections (not necessarily wealthy ones) that lasted a lifetime.

CS/eng majors from top state schools also get six figures right out of college. A lot cheaper than an expensive private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it's too early to tell or maybe she just didn't capitalize on all the opportunities (I suspect very few do) but it most certainly has not changed her life. The thing I do notice is overall a higher percentage of deeply committed pre-med students than my son's peers at the state flagship. Other than that there's this laughable idea that an elite college is a golden ticket to a $150,000 job offer and a rich spouse and that's just not accurate. The plum six-figure job offers are scarce and go to the connected and elbowy overachievers with perfect grades. And generally the rich socialize with the rich. If you want your child in that orbit they need to be in that orbit by 9th grade at some ritzy prep or boarding school.

I have a niece at Cornell who is close with my daughter and she has had a similar experience. At Cornell the rich are in the rich kid sororities and fraternities.

A few years back we were caught up in the admissions frenzy but in retrospect it seems so nutty. I'm [now] far more impressed with a parent who tells me their kid is at a less selective school but just got into medical school than some Ivy League parent who tells me their ubiquitous kid is going into "consulting" for $60,000 a year or some second rate grad program.

I somewhat agree, however some university names are more likely to open doors all throughout your life. Not necessarily for the best-paying jobs! Most people just want "a" job in a field they like, OP. Usually it's hard to get a job! If you've got Harvard on your resume, you know you're not going to be dismissed out of hand. That's what the name is for. Not getting your resume tossed into the rubbish on the first round.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The handful of recent Ivy League, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame grads we know have normal jobs any young person can get with a state school degree.

But. As a DC resident that Ivy League degree was a third of the cost as an OOS state school.

[Anonymous]

Is it this economy or are elite colleges simply preparing kids up for good jobs? Quite a few of my friends' kids, mostly boys, are loafing around after graduating from top 10 and top 25 colleges this past spring. Just unemployed living in their parents' houses 5 or 6 months after graduation. I'll see the 22 or 23 year old boys picking up a younger sibling from school and things like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The handful of recent Ivy League, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame grads we know have normal jobs any young person can get with a state school degree.

Yes but they are sure to win the inevitable workplace college prestige dick-measuring contests.

Really depends on the workplace. In offices dominated by state schoolers, they don't give a flying f*** a random young colleague went to an elite private. Most of them have no idea how challenging it was to get into such a school, so it means nothing to them. It might even bring you scorn and contempt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The handful of recent Ivy League, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame grads we know have normal jobs any young person can get with a state school degree.

Yes but they are sure to win the inevitable workplace college prestige dick-measuring contests.

Really depends on the workplace. In offices dominated by state schoolers, they don't give a flying f*** a random young colleague went to an elite private. Most of them have no idea how challenging it was to get into such a school, so it means nothing to them. It might even bring you scorn and contempt.

Even in offices with people who went to top schools, they usually don’t give a flying f*** because they are grown professionals who stopped caring about the names on diplomas long ago and there is work to be done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The handful of recent Ivy League, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame grads we know have normal jobs any young person can get with a state school degree.

Yes but they are sure to win the inevitable workplace college prestige dick-measuring contests.

Really depends on the workplace. In offices dominated by state schoolers, they don't give a flying f*** a random young colleague went to an elite private. Most of them have no idea how challenging it was to get into such a school, so it means nothing to them. It might even bring you scorn and contempt.

Even in offices with people who went to top schools, they usually don’t give a flying f*** because they are grown professionals who stopped caring about the names on diplomas long ago and there is work to be done.

+1

I only know where my CEO and my boss attended. They both went to state schools.

[Anonymous]

Middle aged grad of highly selective schools (WASP, T-14 law). Have spent most of my working life around bosses and colleagues who went to less selective schools and were all doing the same thing. Some of it is a function of geography (smaller city outside the NE or CA). The workforce for smaller cities draws more heavily from Local/State U. That’s their network.

[Anonymous]

Super old thread. Wonder why it was revived? OP’s kid is no longer there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The handful of recent Ivy League, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame grads we know have normal jobs any young person can get with a state school degree.

But. As a DC resident that Ivy League degree was a third of the cost as an OOS state school.

Due to financial aid?