HYPSM/Elite School Alums - What has been the downside of your degree?

[Anonymous]

The unearned obsequiousness and contempt.

-Y

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do people in DC want to talk about where you went to school so often? I have a pretty interesting job and do things outside of work but it still pops up a lot in conversation. Talking about my education in my 30s feels weird, regardless of how "elite" it is.

They don't now that Google and LinkedIn are a thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HYP grad here. I almost always reject HYP grads when they apply to my company - we tend to hire 1-3 years out of undergrad and that cadre from HYP tend to expect much higher comp and more comp increases along the way. In short, they are more of an HR pain in the arse.

Our best hires always are the striving kids, top 10-20% of their classes from T60-T300 schools.

Yes I realize the irony of this....entirely

Ironic but spot on - in addition to expecting more comp and more comp increases, there is also management of entitlement. That comes through in how they work, what kind work they are willing to 100% effort into (especially newly minted undergrads), and expectations to be rewarded with promotions (or meatier work).

[Anonymous]

At these super elite schools I think it’s more about the personalities of each kid who attends. I had two very smart nephews who went to Harvard and Duke for their undergrad. But personality-wise they were quite different - the one who went to Harvard struggled to adjust there and while he hasn’t had a bad career by any means, it seems like he’s holding back on his own potential. My nephew who went to Duke however, was better at adjusting to the rigor and expectations that came with being a Duke student and graduate, and is now extremely successful for his age (and any age for that matter). Unfortunately it’s very hard to predict how any kid will do in an elite school environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Several Princeton alums I know were legacies and got in principally for that reason. They would not have gotten in otherwise. They graduated bottom third of the class in the humanities/social sciences. The best part about Princeton for them was getting in. Going to Princeton and graduating from Princeton was deflating. All of them went on to mediocre careers and bounced around from job to job. In hindsight, Princeton legacy was a millstone around their necks. All three would have been better off charting their own paths. I have seen this with Harvard legacies but know them less well. I have come to the conclusion that bring legacies at these schools is a bit of a curse, with MIT being an exception because they don’t favor legacies in admission and MIT grads are the real deal. The downside of these schools is the weight of expectation for future greatness and more than half of the graduating class will lead unextraordinary lives. Frankly, many Princeton, Harvard, Yale grads are underwhelming and it must be painful to be on the receiving end of that. This is the downside of these schools. People broadly think the degree confers more talent, aptitude and drive than it actually does.

We know a Princeton legacy admit currently on this path...I've always wondered how that kid feels. Sure, it's great to have that Princeton label, but they are not a high caliber student. Their parents are thrilled of course. My guess is they are connected enough that the kid will still get help getting some lucrative job. Maybe (like their parents), they just don't care about the stigma or lower performance (because, so far, they haven't ever had need to perform at a high level to achieve).

Our Princeton tour guide dropped many notches when they divulged being a double legacy at the chapel. I'm not sure why anyone with any real world grounding would wear this sort of privilege with such pride.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do find myself mumbling in social settings about having gone to school "in the Boston area"--a verbal tick that seems common with other Harvard graduates.

Ridiculous. Just say it. Why are you trying to draw more attention to this tiny little fact?
-Harvard graduate

If asked - say where you went to school. Otherwise, why would you even bring it up in the first place?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Graduate schools esp. law & medical schools boast how many different colleges their students come from. Harvard Medical School loves saying how their students come from 200 different colleges. It’s a geographic, religious, ethnic & economy diversity thing.

If you’re at a HYPSM undergrad expect to have to find somewhere else to go for grad school.

Um, not true. I didn't go to Yale Law but had a friend who did and I used to attend parties there. It seemed like most of her classmates went to top schools' (she went to Princeton). The people who went to UMich and the like really felt out of place and were always making comments about it. It's hard to go to parties in your 20s and be one of the few who didn't go to an Ivy or Stanford.

Really? Geez - get over yourselves. THIS is why people don't like Ivy grads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HYP alum here - attending one of these schools can put a target on your back.

At one of the places I worked, if I ever made a mistake one of my co-workers would make comments such as "How come you didn't know that, you went to HYP!" or "You guys are not so smart after all, are you?!" He'd take any opportunity he could get to take me down a notch.

It was a very irritating, unhelpful work dynamic at the time.

+1 I am double-Ivy, and in one work environment when I sought help in understanding more from product specialists I got this same response. Also, I never discussed my educational background, but someone internally seemed to spread the word, almost encouraging my peers to test me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HYP grad here. I almost always reject HYP grads when they apply to my company - we tend to hire 1-3 years out of undergrad and that cadre from HYP tend to expect much higher comp and more comp increases along the way. In short, they are more of an HR pain in the arse.

Our best hires always are the striving kids, top 10-20% of their classes from T60-T300 schools.

Yes I realize the irony of this....entirely

So you discriminate. Nice.

College name is not a protected class.

Sure, I'm not talking legally--more on an ethical basis. You've got a lot of biases in my opinion--I think it's better to treat people as individuals and judge them on their own merits not my own personal biased history.

Who said this person chucked the application before interviewing them and discovering they were not a good fit? They said that almost all HYP applicants get rejected - not that they were never considered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None

Absolutely none. Harvard + Yale degrees here. Sorry I know you want to hear something different.

Has been a boon in each job change (I'm a lawyer). But I've been in cities and fields where no one would think this is a bad thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HYP grad here. I almost always reject HYP grads when they apply to my company - we tend to hire 1-3 years out of undergrad and that cadre from HYP tend to expect much higher comp and more comp increases along the way. In short, they are more of an HR pain in the arse.

Our best hires always are the striving kids, top 10-20% of their classes from T60-T300 schools.

Yes I realize the irony of this....entirely

So you discriminate. Nice.

Interesting. I happen to think it’s discrimination when employers refuse to interview applicants who didn’t attend colleges ranked T50. Somehow I bet you don’t think that’s discrimination, though. Or when employers have drop down boxes on their websites with certain colleges & universities listed, but not others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None

Absolutely none. Harvard + Yale degrees here. Sorry I know you want to hear something different.

Has been a boon in each job change (I'm a lawyer). But I've been in cities and fields where no one would think this is a bad thing.

Insufferable

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None

Absolutely none. Harvard + Yale degrees here. Sorry I know you want to hear something different.

Has been a boon in each job change (I'm a lawyer). But I've been in cities and fields where no one would think this is a bad thing.

Insufferable

I might agree...if it were not that this entire thread is posted once per week in one fashion or another. Seems like a lot of DCUM are bitter about getting rejected or never having the stats to even bother applying to HYPSM.

Then the comments pile on about "how I know someone that won't hire HYPSM"...or "I know someone that attended HYPSM and didn't turn out great"...etc.

People seem awfully obsessed with constantly creating these threads just to "convince" people that these schools are a waste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None

Absolutely none. Harvard + Yale degrees here. Sorry I know you want to hear something different.

Has been a boon in each job change (I'm a lawyer). But I've been in cities and fields where no one would think this is a bad thing.

Insufferable

I might agree...if it were not that this entire thread is posted once per week in one fashion or another. Seems like a lot of DCUM are bitter about getting rejected or never having the stats to even bother applying to HYPSM.

Then the comments pile on about "how I know someone that won't hire HYPSM"...or "I know someone that attended HYPSM and didn't turn out great"...etc.

People seem awfully obsessed with constantly creating these threads just to "convince" people that these schools are a waste.

Absolutely this. I am the PP above. The question is clearly looking for a one-sided response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there is a ton of discussion on this and other forums about all the benefits that a degree from HYPSM or other elite schools confers. However, I have not seen much discussion about the potential downsides or costs of attending such a school.

When I say costs or downsides, I am not referring to debt you had to take on or the high stress level during undergrad. I am referring to costs and downsides you have experienced once you graduated, it can be related to your career or life overall. I have recently been working with a bright Princeton graduate. I noticed that she did not list Princeton on her LI. We were having a casual convo once and the topic of LI came up. I asked her how come she doesn't list her alma mater on there, and she said that she hates the assumptions people make about her only because of where she went to school, such as being entitled and privileged, when in fact she was first gen and came from a working class family.

This is really the encounter that made me think about what are some of the negative sides of attending one of these schools, especially once you leave, that are not discussed enough, yet I feel is important to talk about given the ongoing obsession with these places.

Downside as a parent is if your child flames out of an elite college, it is acutely mortifying. Meanwhile, friends and neighbors' children who went to less prestigious are making big bucks in tech and at prestigious law, medical, and dental school. Some of them are beginning to buy luxury condos and houses. Even lower and middle of the pack high school classmates who went to nursing school are making great money; lots of engagements, just seem to be progressing well through adulthood. I would think if your child flames out of a local regional university, nobody notices or frankly cares because the expectations are lower and they have much lower graduation rates.

(Full disclosure we have a child who flamed out of an Ivy.)

I sincerely believe elite college is pretty meaningless. I won't call it a waste of money, but if your child is driven and sharp coming out of high school, they will do great no matter where they go.