My child attends an elite college. It is overrated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

ROI alone is not the main goal for many of us. The most challenging curriculum coupled with the most intelligent and creative peer group /faculty is the goal. The educational environment of an elite private U or LAC is vastly different than all but about 5 state schools, and moderately different from those 5. If it were not worth it these schools would not continue to have application increases year over year

It’s called brand marketing. My high stats daughter was flooded with personalized letters, brochures, you name it from the Ivies including Harvard and Yale (and many Ivy+). She chose not to apply. Is very happy at a top public with interesting and challenging courses, engaging and accessible professors, and intelligent and fun peers. The resources and opportunities at her in-state public are endless. Many state publics know how to do it well.

DP.
There is not a single public out there that offers the small classes even in most stem, as well as close to or over 75% of class in the 1500 range pre-TO, and the high ratio of paid on campus research and paid summer programs to #of undergrad student. Only about 15 unis and 4 LACs provide all of these.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

The economy is ****. There are very few entry level jobs in desirable fields.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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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.

I work at a non-profit, and both the CEO and CIO graduated from Harvard (BS from Harvard, MS from Oxford, and JD from Harvard), and the CIO graduated from University of Chicago with an MBA from University of Chicago Booth school. The Chief Legal Officer attended Bowdoin and JD from Harvard. The CFO attended Harvard with an MBA also from Harvard. All of them make over 2M/year. I guess you can see there is a pattern here.

That salary? At a nonprofit? Is the pattern "grifting"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

ROI alone is not the main goal for many of us. The most challenging curriculum coupled with the most intelligent and creative peer group /faculty is the goal. The educational environment of an elite private U or LAC is vastly different than all but about 5 state schools, and moderately different from those 5. If it were not worth it these schools would not continue to have application increases year over year

It’s called brand marketing. My high stats daughter was flooded with personalized letters, brochures, you name it from the Ivies including Harvard and Yale (and many Ivy+). She chose not to apply. Is very happy at a top public with interesting and challenging courses, engaging and accessible professors, and intelligent and fun peers. The resources and opportunities at her in-state public are endless. Many state publics know how to do it well.

DP.
There is not a single public out there that offers the small classes even in most stem, as well as close to or over 75% of class in the 1500 range pre-TO, and the high ratio of paid on campus research and paid summer programs to #of undergrad student. Only about 15 unis and 4 LACs provide all of these.

Maybe they live in Washington, Texas, California, or Illinois

[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.

Mine are at different ivies and that was a main goal. Both have said for the first time they have a large group of friends who like learning and want to discuss what books they read for fun, what research they do with professors, and interesting classes. Elite social circles has never come up. I only read about that on DCUM but it does not exist irl at ivies. Competition in clubs happens with some, but that is at Gtown, WM, UVa...everywhere. Sure they complain about tough professors sometimes but they also respect the tough yet good professors. They each had only 2-3 students who "got" them in HS. Those others went off to elite/ivy or top LAC or W&M which overlaps a lot with the intellectual vibe of ivies. Ivies are highly intellectual and yet also down to earth kids. There is far more socioeconomic diversity than their DMV private which had no poor kids. Racial diversity too which is great.

I so want this for my kids who love to discuss current events, books, anything and everything. They found that the move from private MS/HS to public HS has helped them find more of their kind, which surprised me. We feel so fortunate to have found a high performing public school system with diversity and grounded families. I'm crossing my fingers that the admissions process still works and that kids who love learning are getting into the top schools.

Nope. Most reasonable outcome is your state flagship, which will likely have the same vibe as the high performing public. Honors programs will be even better

[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.

Mine are at different ivies and that was a main goal. Both have said for the first time they have a large group of friends who like learning and want to discuss what books they read for fun, what research they do with professors, and interesting classes. Elite social circles has never come up. I only read about that on DCUM but it does not exist irl at ivies. Competition in clubs happens with some, but that is at Gtown, WM, UVa...everywhere. Sure they complain about tough professors sometimes but they also respect the tough yet good professors. They each had only 2-3 students who "got" them in HS. Those others went off to elite/ivy or top LAC or W&M which overlaps a lot with the intellectual vibe of ivies. Ivies are highly intellectual and yet also down to earth kids. There is far more socioeconomic diversity than their DMV private which had no poor kids. Racial diversity too which is great.

I so want this for my kids who love to discuss current events, books, anything and everything. They found that the move from private MS/HS to public HS has helped them find more of their kind, which surprised me. We feel so fortunate to have found a high performing public school system with diversity and grounded families. I'm crossing my fingers that the admissions process still works and that kids who love learning are getting into the top schools.

Nope. Most reasonable outcome is your state flagship, which will likely have the same vibe as the high performing public. Honors programs will be even better

I was responding to the PP who said " Ivies are highly intellectual and yet also down to earth kids. There is far more socioeconomic diversity than their DMV private which had no poor kids. Racial diversity too which is great." Sounds more like a highly performing public school with diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be so interesting to be in the same room as the rest of the posters here for just one night…

It would be miserable. A room filled with tiger and helicopter parents whose entire personality is where their kids go to school and who are desperate for you to be impressed by it. No thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

ROI alone is not the main goal for many of us. The most challenging curriculum coupled with the most intelligent and creative peer group /faculty is the goal. The educational environment of an elite private U or LAC is vastly different than all but about 5 state schools, and moderately different from those 5. If it were not worth it these schools would not continue to have application increases year over year

It’s called brand marketing. My high stats daughter was flooded with personalized letters, brochures, you name it from the Ivies including Harvard and Yale (and many Ivy+). She chose not to apply. Is very happy at a top public with interesting and challenging courses, engaging and accessible professors, and intelligent and fun peers. The resources and opportunities at her in-state public are endless. Many state publics know how to do it well.

DP.
There is not a single public out there that offers the small classes even in most stem, as well as close to or over 75% of class in the 1500 range pre-TO, and the high ratio of paid on campus research and paid summer programs to #of undergrad student. Only about 15 unis and 4 LACs provide all of these.

Honors classes and programs at the good large publics all offer this to those kids.

[Anonymous]

Keep smoking the copium. You might not like it, but truly elite schools are worth every penny… for now. They have high ROI for three reasons: peers, reputation, and network. Elite peers drive students to work and achieve (you are in a pool of geniuses and genuinely special people); reputation gets you recruited and on your way; networks make you successful over the long haul. The classes, buildings, professors, etc. are not the reason you go. The current woke / admin state mania sweeping these places has made them targets for ehe right, but my guess is they’ll be smart and backpedal this stuff like mad over the next few years.

[Anonymous]

I am a billionaire, it is overrated. Stay poor guys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep smoking the copium. You might not like it, but truly elite schools are worth every penny… for now. They have high ROI for three reasons: peers, reputation, and network. Elite peers drive students to work and achieve (you are in a pool of geniuses and genuinely special people); reputation gets you recruited and on your way; networks make you successful over the long haul. The classes, buildings, professors, etc. are not the reason you go. The current woke / admin state mania sweeping these places has made them targets for ehe right, but my guess is they’ll be smart and backpedal this stuff like mad over the next few years.

The only copium is from the people who have to tell themselves that the kids at these schools are “elite,” “geniuses,” and “genuinely special people.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a billionaire, it is overrated. Stay poor guys.

Okay, Russ Hanneman. Okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

ROI alone is not the main goal for many of us. The most challenging curriculum coupled with the most intelligent and creative peer group /faculty is the goal. The educational environment of an elite private U or LAC is vastly different than all but about 5 state schools, and moderately different from those 5. If it were not worth it these schools would not continue to have application increases year over year

It’s called brand marketing. My high stats daughter was flooded with personalized letters, brochures, you name it from the Ivies including Harvard and Yale (and many Ivy+). She chose not to apply. Is very happy at a top public with interesting and challenging courses, engaging and accessible professors, and intelligent and fun peers. The resources and opportunities at her in-state public are endless. Many state publics know how to do it well.

DP.
There is not a single public out there that offers the small classes even in most stem, as well as close to or over 75% of class in the 1500 range pre-TO, and the high ratio of paid on campus research and paid summer programs to #of undergrad student. Only about 15 unis and 4 LACs provide all of these.

DP...once you get past the freshman/required courses, the class sizes get small real quick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a billionaire, it is overrated. Stay poor guys.

Okay, Russ Hanneman. Okay.

Love the reference! Tres Commas!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep smoking the copium. You might not like it, but truly elite schools are worth every penny… for now. They have high ROI for three reasons: peers, reputation, and network. Elite peers drive students to work and achieve (you are in a pool of geniuses and genuinely special people); reputation gets you recruited and on your way; networks make you successful over the long haul. The classes, buildings, professors, etc. are not the reason you go. The current woke / admin state mania sweeping these places has made them targets for ehe right, but my guess is they’ll be smart and backpedal this stuff like mad over the next few years.

It’ll be interesting to watch.