Why Your Brilliant Child Didn't Get Into The Ivies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I only[i][u] went o MD but I feel soooo happy when I read how crazy you peeps are.

Peeps? Yeah, okay.

Lighten up ivy bitch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP and everyone else who refuses to accept that the Ivy League is tiered is one, a moron, and two, never attended an Ivy League school. Those who did know where they and their respective schools are in the pecking order. Read quote below from Ted Cruz and then go back and view clips from Family Guy and the Simpsons, which were written by Ivy League graduates.

"As a law student at Harvard, he refused to study with anyone who hadn’t been an undergrad at Harvard, Princeton, or Yale. Says Damon Watson, one of Cruz’s law-school roommates: “He said he didn’t want anybody from ‘minor Ivies’ like Penn or Brown.”"

The writers from the comedy shows are humorist. Mr. Cruz is a blowhard making such a pretentious statement about the intellect of other students. I don't think any reasonable person would acknowledge them as a source for educational planning for college.

Ha. I remember not being invited to those study groups as a non-Ivy grad. I still made law review and got the clerkships that the study group guys (and they were mostly guys) coveted. So there.

I don't think the argument is that one can't succeed if one attends a non-Ivy or lower-Ivy. We all know that one can. The argument is that the perception exists that the Ivy Leagues is tiered. Certain schools fall into the top tier, others into a middle tier and others into a bottom tier. The perception exists in the minds of those affiliated with an Ivy League institution and the media, which is supported by a few examples above. I am sure that if you look at hard data, such as yield rates, or ask the admissions officers at each school who their direct competition is, you could probably find support for the above argument. In the end, it is all mute. The large majority of kids (99%) would jump at the opportunity to attend any Ivy League school.

I think there's a lot of projecting going on here. Competitive parents who assume everyone else is fixated on name alone for college choice. My DD absolutely had the credentials to apply to an ivy, including the so-called top ivies, but she chose a school that is top tier for her particular academic interest. The name won't wow people but I am proud of her for focusing on what actually matters and there's no doubt in my mind that she will get the best possible education for what she wants to do.

Don't miss the overall point, the Ivy League schools are not all equal but a kid with a 4.0 gpa and a strong SAT who is heading to a state school might jump at the chance to go attend a school like Brown or Cornell. Obviously, if your kid can attend another top school that is not in the Ivy League because that school is a better fit, then it would make sense to do so. Now if you are telling me that a kid who can afford to attend HYP but is turning down admissions to those schools to attend a state school, Brown or Cornell, some would ask why.

My point was that her choice isn't considered a "top school" by many, except for those who are familiar with her particular focus. Not a state school but I also know that there are state schools with top notch programs in particular disciplines. So you're just being a name snob when you sniff at state schools.

This is what you get at HYP (and I know because I attended one of them):the name, nationally known professors with whom you are unlikely to have much contact, classmates who succeeded at the game (which cuts both ways -- they are no doubt bright but also very competitive), a school rolling in resources. What you can get at others schools that are a good match: a close relationship with professors and therefore more academic and intellectual guidance, more attention to all undergraduates, and all their needs, classmates who are there to learn and are probably less competitive and more pleasant/fun to be with, less pressure to stay on the train and therefore more room for general intellectual exploration. Stereotypes, I know, but having gone to one HYP and seeing the much broader range of schools DC has looked at, I think she'll have something over me in terms of her college education.

You sound like a great Mom and an incredibly well adjusted person!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Columbia a top ivy??? What about Stanford?????

My goodness you sound worked up!!!!!!!!! Please try to calm down. Deep breaths....

I NEED TO KNOW IF I WENT TO A TOP IVY!!!!!!!!

Some of you seem wildly insecure. You're trying to disguise it with super-lame snark, but your insecurity is blatant and pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Columbia a top ivy??? What about Stanford?????

My goodness you sound worked up!!!!!!!!! Please try to calm down. Deep breaths....

I NEED TO KNOW IF I WENT TO A TOP IVY!!!!!!!!

Some of you seem wildly insecure. You're trying to disguise it with super-lame snark, but your insecurity is blatant and pathetic.

Are you the peeps poster? Stop ranting and calm down!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Columbia a top ivy??? What about Stanford?????

My goodness you sound worked up!!!!!!!!! Please try to calm down. Deep breaths....

I NEED TO KNOW IF I WENT TO A TOP IVY!!!!!!!!

Some of you seem wildly insecure. You're trying to disguise it with super-lame snark, but your insecurity is blatant and pathetic.

Look, I paid a *lot* for my Ivy degree. I think it is perfectly reasonable to want to know where it ranks. You may see insecurity; I see ROI.

[Anonymous]

^^^Good grief! If you want to know where your school ranks, then just look it up and be done with it!

I also think this may be sarcasm. Nobody who attended an ivy says I paid a lot of money and wants to know where it ranks. You already know the stature of your school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This discussion is exactly why this site should be for DC residents. These people "of the farm" don't have a clue. HYP with MIT and S are in a league of their own. Columbia Dartmouth and UPenn are argubly the next tier. Brown is at the bottom and if it possible to be lower than Brown, Cornell wins the prize.

Even satire shows like Family Guy and the Simpson get it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF0k18ahjlY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc5vN2XReWs
http://download.lardlad.com/sounds/season10/getana11.mp3

Including all those residents of the "real DC" east of the River and East of the park. You do realize that there is much more to DC than your own little quadrant of Upper NW. You're an ass!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, there must be something wrong with me. When my dd talks about Ivies, I steer the conversation back to UVA and William & Mary. You can get an excellent education any number of places, and this notion that it is Ivy or Bust is pure stupidity.

FWIW, both my DH and I are graduates of state schools. Both of us went to Top 5 graduate schools (still not Ivies) and did better than most of the Ivy grads. The people at Ivy League schools are not smarter than everyone else, nor are they automatically more successful.

Wasn't it quite a few of these Ivy-types who brought down the world economy in 2008? See Frontline "Money, Power and Wall Street." I bet you would be hard pressed to find a non-Ivy grad among the fuckups who screwed the rest of us. And don't get me started on the likes of Doug Feith and other "chicken hawk" Ivy grads who gave us the mess in Iraq and Afghanistan. I include you Ms. Rice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^Good grief! If you want to know where your school ranks, then just look it up and be done with it!

I also think this may be sarcasm. Nobody who attended an ivy says I paid a lot of money and wants to know where it ranks. You already know the stature of your school.

It's asshattery for the sake of asshattery. It's too sophomoric to merit the word "sarcasm."

There are asshats on both sides of this ridiculous tussle. Sometimes DCUM makes me want to puke. I'm outta here for the rest of the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, there must be something wrong with me. When my dd talks about Ivies, I steer the conversation back to UVA and William & Mary. You can get an excellent education any number of places, and this notion that it is Ivy or Bust is pure stupidity.

FWIW, both my DH and I are graduates of state schools. Both of us went to Top 5 graduate schools (still not Ivies) and did better than most of the Ivy grads. The people at Ivy League schools are not smarter than everyone else, nor are they automatically more successful.

Wasn't it quite a few of these Ivy-types who brought down the world economy in 2008? See Frontline "Money, Power and Wall Street." I bet you would be hard pressed to find a non-Ivy grad among the fuckups who screwed the rest of us. And don't get me started on the likes of Doug Feith and other "chicken hawk" Ivy grads who gave us the mess in Iraq and Afghanistan. I include you Ms. Rice.

9:16 again. I get your anger at Wall Street. But I can't leave without a small correction. Do you remember all the articles in the aftermath of 9-11 about how the traders at places like Cantor Fitzgerald (near the top of the WTC) were blue collar, not white shoe? And these guys are rising to the top, too - it's not all Ivies at the top. Times have changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^Good grief! If you want to know where your school ranks, then just look it up and be done with it!

I also think this may be sarcasm. Nobody who attended an ivy says I paid a lot of money and wants to know where it ranks. You already know the stature of your school.

It's asshattery for the sake of asshattery. It's too sophomoric to merit the word "sarcasm."

There are asshats on both sides of this ridiculous tussle. Sometimes DCUM makes me want to puke. I'm outta here for the rest of the day.

Good you're taking a leave for the rest of the day as you're just as excited as those you reference. Relax, relate, release.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^Good grief! If you want to know where your school ranks, then just look it up and be done with it!

I also think this may be sarcasm. Nobody who attended an ivy says I paid a lot of money and wants to know where it ranks. You already know the stature of your school.

It's asshattery for the sake of asshattery. It's too sophomoric to merit the word "sarcasm."

There are asshats on both sides of this ridiculous tussle. Sometimes DCUM makes me want to puke. I'm outta here for the rest of the day.

Good you're taking a leave for the rest of the day as you're just as excited as those you reference. Relax, relate, release.

And if anybody was still in doubt as to whether the trolls have taken over this thread... I give you PP.

Move along, folks. Nothing to see here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^Good grief! If you want to know where your school ranks, then just look it up and be done with it!

I also think this may be sarcasm. Nobody who attended an ivy says I paid a lot of money and wants to know where it ranks. You already know the stature of your school.

It's asshattery for the sake of asshattery. It's too sophomoric to merit the word "sarcasm."

There are asshats on both sides of this ridiculous tussle. Sometimes DCUM makes me want to puke. I'm outta here for the rest of the day.

Good you're taking a leave for the rest of the day as you're just as excited as those you reference. Relax, relate, release.

And if anybody was still in doubt as to whether the trolls have taken over this thread... I give you PP.

Move along, folks. Nothing to see here.

Maybe you should move along too. Enough already.

[Anonymous]

Admission into any Ivy school is a crap shoot when you're competing with applicants who are just as competitive academically and with test scores and extracurriculars that are similar.

Admissions will look for that one essay, EC, particular AP course, etc, that sets your DC apart and above from the crowd.

[Anonymous]

I went to Brown in the 90's from a public school. I performed a bunch of community service projects while in high school, and that seemed to resonate and make a difference during the admissions process. The admissions office is looking to build a diverse community, and unorthodox interests can help a student differentiate from the crowd.

It hurts to read the comments on the forum. Success in college, career, or marriage depends on the personality fit. All I can say is that my time at a "lesser" ivy was far healthier than my experiences at more prestigious institutions.