You can respond without name calling. The reality of the job market is that it’s shifting toward skills-based hiring, outsourcing to low cost locations and automation. I haven’t seen companies hire someone—or resumes open doors—based solely on a college name. |
| I know I’m late to the party but as a graduate of Rice and Harvard, I have never gotten a job based on my Rice undergrad. My first job after getting my doctorate from Harvard, yes Harvard opened that door. But since then, my success has been based on my work, not my network. My network has been through conferences and work events. All in all, I went to these schools for prestige, not fit. It filled a desire in me. I also have paid a total of $8000 for all my schooling. If your kid gets in, great; if not, that’s okay too. |
Pretty sad mythology if you end up with spouses who can't agree on when they first met. Or a spouse who thinks Earl Grey "tastes like cockroaches" (does this spouse have experience snacking on roaches?) and just says "okay" to a proposal of marriage. Skippable. Very skippable. Like the dirty vegan restaurant I ate in just outside the gates of Harvard when I visited to see what the fuss was about. |
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I went to Harvard on a scholarship as an international student from West Africa. If you weren’t exposed to elite circles growing up, an Ivy League college can feel very lonely. The education is excellent, but beyond that, the experience can be isolating if you don’t come from a privileged background. Fitting in isn’t easy.
That said, these institutions do open doors that might otherwise have remained closed, regardless of the connections you make while you’re there. I’m back home now after a short stint at the IMF. Would I send my child to an Ivy League school? Probably not. My twin brother went to UT and built more meaningful, lifelong connections than I did. I do miss Virginia though. |
Then you clearly do not have an ivy student. Top companies actively recruit on campus. Ivies and 5-6 other elite schools are the only schools targeted by the very top companies. The same group of schools is overrepresented at T5 law and T5 med and T5 phDs in all fields. The shift in the job market is making the school attended more important not less. |
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Parent of current Ivy student (unhooked RD admit to 2 of them). It is exceeding all expectations. DC is developing real intellectual interests that will serve him for a lifetime, absolutely excited for the challenges and growth, amazed by the constant opportunities, the stream of people who speak and present at these schools is inspiring. Also has made a great group of friends from all over the world.
And yes, there are lots of internship and job posting and a very supportive career center. Couldn't be happier |
Options. |
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Connections/networking/powerful alumni
Selective industry jobs/internships that lead to big $$$$ salaries Bragging rights / name dropping Mrs degree / marry a rich guy |
The real attraction is the aid. For students from moderately broke families, the Ivy League schools and some other T30 schools may be cheaper than going to the local community college. |
Wut |
+1 from an Ivy grad who is also tired of haters saying ppl are just in it for the prestige. That wasn't my experience at all. Easy to hate when you're jealous and claim you're not interested when you didn't get in. Just look at the post about where parents would go if they could go anywhere. Look how many would pick an Ivy! |
nope you have no connection to an Ivy |
Echoing this post as someone with both kids at an Ivy+ school. Undergrad school matters a lot if you want a job immediately post bachelor’s degree. An Ivy+ education will not only give students exclusive job opportunities but will also teach them how to approach problems and information with intellectual rigor, which will matter throughout the rest of their lives. |
| I have one kid who just graduated from the top ivy and another one who is in a very nice ( but not wildly selective) state school. As parents we love both schools/experiences kids having. Both kids ended up at just the right spot for them. The Ivy my kid went to was like an academic Disneyland for her, such amazing learning opportunities and the resources were incredible. We also got fairly generous aid for a doughnut hole type family so it was affordable. She is not going down a career path is particularly lucrative but the offer opportunity to learn and grow was amazing and her post- grad opportunities were surely related to all she did in undergrad. The kid at the state School will almost certainly be making more money in his first years out of school and he’s having a great time, getting a solid education, having exactly the college experience he was looking for. |