Obsession with HYPS, why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, pretty much HYSP are hard to get into but not so demanding once you're in. According to the Princeton Review these are the most academically demanding schools in the US:

Georgia Tech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States Coast Guard Academy, California Institute of Technology, Rice University, Carnegie Mellon University, United States Naval Academy, Swarthmore College, Grinnell College and Amherst College.

“HYSP”.

[Anonymous]

Based on US News rankings it would be PHYS, skipping over UChicago, Columbia and MIT.

Perhaps it should be called the Phys Ed group?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, pretty much HYSP are hard to get into but not so demanding once you're in. According to the Princeton Review these are the most academically demanding schools in the US:

Georgia Tech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States Coast Guard Academy, California Institute of Technology, Rice University, Carnegie Mellon University, United States Naval Academy, Swarthmore College, Grinnell College and Amherst College.

Not surprising really, the bolded are schools with a primarily STEM focus. Most of the Harvard types I know would not perform well at these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, pretty much HYSP are hard to get into but not so demanding once you're in. According to the Princeton Review these are the most academically demanding schools in the US:

Georgia Tech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States Coast Guard Academy, California Institute of Technology, Rice University, Carnegie Mellon University, United States Naval Academy, Swarthmore College, Grinnell College and Amherst College.

“HYSP”.

Well if the order of the letters reflected the current pecking order between the four then it would be HSYP or SHYP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on US News rankings it would be PHYS, skipping over UChicago, Columbia and MIT.

Perhaps it should be called the Phys Ed group?

No one cares about USNews at this level. If they did, Princeton would be THE dream school stealing most of the cross-admits from Harvard or Stanford, while the opposite is actually true.

The real top 2 is Harvard /Stanford and the real top 5 is HYPSM. Everyone knows that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on US News rankings it would be PHYS, skipping over UChicago, Columbia and MIT.

Perhaps it should be called the Phys Ed group?

No one cares about USNews at this level. If they did, Princeton would be THE dream school stealing most of the cross-admits from Harvard or Stanford, while the opposite is actually true.

The real top 2 is Harvard /Stanford and the real top 5 is HYPSM. Everyone knows that.

If Princeton isn't #1 for undergrad, how do they have a $2.7M endowment PER STUDENT? Literally $1M more PER STUDENT than HYS. Insane! Princeton is tops for undergrad and it's not close. Unless you're a current student or recent grad you really can't comment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on US News rankings it would be PHYS, skipping over UChicago, Columbia and MIT.

Perhaps it should be called the Phys Ed group?

No one cares about USNews at this level. If they did, Princeton would be THE dream school stealing most of the cross-admits from Harvard or Stanford, while the opposite is actually true.

The real top 2 is Harvard /Stanford and the real top 5 is HYPSM. Everyone knows that.

If Princeton isn't #1 for undergrad, how do they have a $2.7M endowment PER STUDENT? Literally $1M more PER STUDENT than HYS. Insane! Princeton is tops for undergrad and it's not close. Unless you're a current student or recent grad you really can't comment.

Princeton is amazing for undergrad but it is not THE most desirable school for top students. Students who have both a Princeton and a Harvard or Stanford acceptance overwhelmingly choose Harvard. Harvard and Stanford have over 80% yields while Princeton has a 66% yield. It has to do more with the brands of the schools and less with actual quality but this is how it is.

[Anonymous]

Just because students pick Harvard and Stanford overwhelmingly doesn't make them the best undergraduate experience. That would be Princeton, as PP said. Harvard and Stanford get picked because their students aren't concerned with the best undergraduate education/residential experiences but rather the glamour/opportunities at place at those two. Princeton's graduate school is tiny and it's not in a particularly exciting location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just because students pick Harvard and Stanford overwhelmingly doesn't make them the best undergraduate experience. That would be Princeton, as PP said. Harvard and Stanford get picked because their students aren't concerned with the best undergraduate education/residential experiences but rather the glamour/opportunities at place at those two. Princeton's graduate school is tiny and it's not in a particularly exciting location.

Best undergraduate experience is hard to measure. What college wins when it comes to cross admits or which college has the biggest brand is easier to measure. Most students competitive enough to get into the ivies do not make their decision based on college experience. They are largely prestige-driven. Hence why Harvard and Stanford are the ultimate dream schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe for one second that the education one receives at an Ivy League school is superior to all other institutions. It is merely the facade of prestige. The only reason they're so hard to get into is because everyone is trying to get in.

My kids to to school with several whose parents are paying $25k plus for hired Ivy League admissions consultants. Will they get in? Probably. But who would want to go to college with all the spoiled brats whose mommies paved their way in?

Is about connections and ultimately making gobs of money

Because no one else in the world makes gobs of money?