ARE elite colleges worth all the stress and striving and scandal?

[Anonymous]

I feel like maybe they are for low income and maybe middle class people but what about everyone else?

Studies show the best indicator of a child’s future socioeconomic status is their parents own economic class.

So why are all these rich people risking jail time and public humiliation and shaming for something that won’t even help their kids that much?

And beyond those people, why are “regular” UMC types who can’t afford to bribe or donate their way in putting so much pressure on their kids to jump through the hoops and get the best grades, test scores, extracurriculars, etc. for a less than 10% chance of getting in and making it feel “worth it”?

[Anonymous]

Because people need status and things that signal that status. As well as a common denominator to make friends, meet spouses and signal to employers that they are of the right "type" for whatever profession.
Yes truly smart, intelligent people will probably make it anywhere. As will lucky and personable people. But it's much much easier to get that first break after going to a top-whatvwr school and have the hiring manager/etc say "hey we have a lot of kids dorm that school here and they have done well".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like maybe they are for low income and maybe middle class people but what about everyone else?

Studies show the best indicator of a child’s future socioeconomic status is their parents own economic class.

So why are all these rich people risking jail time and public humiliation and shaming for something that won’t even help their kids that much?

And beyond those people, why are “regular” UMC types who can’t afford to bribe or donate their way in putting so much pressure on their kids to jump through the hoops and get the best grades, test scores, extracurriculars, etc. for a less than 10% chance of getting in and making it feel “worth it”?

Are graduate school admissions better from the prestigious schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because people need status and things that signal that status. As well as a common denominator to make friends, meet spouses and signal to employers that they are of the right "type" for whatever profession.
Yes truly smart, intelligent people will probably make it anywhere. As will lucky and personable people. But it's much much easier to get that first break after going to a top-whatvwr school and have the hiring manager/etc say "hey we have a lot of kids dorm that school here and they have done well".

I get that but I feel like it’s only worth it if your kid just needs a slight nudge. I.e. their aptitude is such that they’ll get A-s with no effort and As with a little/medium effort.

If you need to put a ton of pressure on them, enroll them in a high pressure cooker school, make them study all the time/never have time just to goof off, risk depression and anxiety, etc. it’s SO not worth it.

And ^ that is very normal for the public high schools in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like maybe they are for low income and maybe middle class people but what about everyone else?

Studies show the best indicator of a child’s future socioeconomic status is their parents own economic class.

So why are all these rich people risking jail time and public humiliation and shaming for something that won’t even help their kids that much?

And beyond those people, why are “regular” UMC types who can’t afford to bribe or donate their way in putting so much pressure on their kids to jump through the hoops and get the best grades, test scores, extracurriculars, etc. for a less than 10% chance of getting in and making it feel “worth it”?

Because the parents need to be able to brag about where their kids go to college. They will feel ashamed to tell their Big Law/CEO/Hollywood friends that their kids are going to a school that it not perceived as one of the best. It's 100% parent ego.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like maybe they are for low income and maybe middle class people but what about everyone else?

Studies show the best indicator of a child’s future socioeconomic status is their parents own economic class.

So why are all these rich people risking jail time and public humiliation and shaming for something that won’t even help their kids that much?

And beyond those people, why are “regular” UMC types who can’t afford to bribe or donate their way in putting so much pressure on their kids to jump through the hoops and get the best grades, test scores, extracurriculars, etc. for a less than 10% chance of getting in and making it feel “worth it”?

Because the parents need to be able to brag about where their kids go to college. They will feel ashamed to tell their Big Law/CEO/Hollywood friends that their kids are going to a school that it not perceived as one of the best. It's 100% parent ego.

+100 and shallow parents breed shallow kids and the cycle continues. Just look at the vapidness of the offsprings instagrams

[Anonymous]

Elite colleges have gotten a black eye this past week or so, but it basically confirms what many people already assumed: Money talks. Also, the recruited athlete hook is rife with abuse as these schools give coaches way too little oversight on the types of students they recruit, i.e., many aren't very good students at all. Coupled with the fact that many parents buy their childrens' way in through legal means (being full pay, big donations, being a VIP, etc.) make these "elite" schools less desirable, at least in my eyes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like maybe they are for low income and maybe middle class people but what about everyone else?

Studies show the best indicator of a child’s future socioeconomic status is their parents own economic class.

So why are all these rich people risking jail time and public humiliation and shaming for something that won’t even help their kids that much?

And beyond those people, why are “regular” UMC types who can’t afford to bribe or donate their way in putting so much pressure on their kids to jump through the hoops and get the best grades, test scores, extracurriculars, etc. for a less than 10% chance of getting in and making it feel “worth it”?

Because it's getting harder to get into the state flagship school as well and that's the more affordable option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like maybe they are for low income and maybe middle class people but what about everyone else?

Studies show the best indicator of a child’s future socioeconomic status is their parents own economic class.

So why are all these rich people risking jail time and public humiliation and shaming for something that won’t even help their kids that much?

And beyond those people, why are “regular” UMC types who can’t afford to bribe or donate their way in putting so much pressure on their kids to jump through the hoops and get the best grades, test scores, extracurriculars, etc. for a less than 10% chance of getting in and making it feel “worth it”?

Are graduate school admissions better from the prestigious schools?

Yes and no.

My DC is very focused on grad school and searched for schools that had the best record of students going on to MA and PhD programs overall and in their expected major (which may change).

The elite colleges do a good job getting students into strong grad schools, but there are some lesser elite privates that do as well (Wooster, Juniata, Beloit, Kalamazoo, for example) and many offer good merit aid to strong students, bringing the cost pretty close to in-state tuition at a state flagship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like maybe they are for low income and maybe middle class people but what about everyone else?

Studies show the best indicator of a child’s future socioeconomic status is their parents own economic class.

So why are all these rich people risking jail time and public humiliation and shaming for something that won’t even help their kids that much?

And beyond those people, why are “regular” UMC types who can’t afford to bribe or donate their way in putting so much pressure on their kids to jump through the hoops and get the best grades, test scores, extracurriculars, etc. for a less than 10% chance of getting in and making it feel “worth it”?

In this new Gilded Age of ever-rising income inequality, people feel desperate to do everything they can to give their kids access to upper middle class opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like maybe they are for low income and maybe middle class people but what about everyone else?

Studies show the best indicator of a child’s future socioeconomic status is their parents own economic class.

So why are all these rich people risking jail time and public humiliation and shaming for something that won’t even help their kids that much?

And beyond those people, why are “regular” UMC types who can’t afford to bribe or donate their way in putting so much pressure on their kids to jump through the hoops and get the best grades, test scores, extracurriculars, etc. for a less than 10% chance of getting in and making it feel “worth it”?

Are graduate school admissions better from the prestigious schools?

Yes and no.

My DC is very focused on grad school and searched for schools that had the best record of students going on to MA and PhD programs overall and in their expected major (which may change).

The elite colleges do a good job getting students into strong grad schools, but there are some lesser elite privates that do as well (Wooster, Juniata, Beloit, Kalamazoo, for example) and many offer good merit aid to strong students, bringing the cost pretty close to in-state tuition at a state flagship.

This. The highlighted are all excellent choices for smart kids who aren't hung up on prestige.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like maybe they are for low income and maybe middle class people but what about everyone else?

Studies show the best indicator of a child’s future socioeconomic status is their parents own economic class.

So why are all these rich people risking jail time and public humiliation and shaming for something that won’t even help their kids that much?

And beyond those people, why are “regular” UMC types who can’t afford to bribe or donate their way in putting so much pressure on their kids to jump through the hoops and get the best grades, test scores, extracurriculars, etc. for a less than 10% chance of getting in and making it feel “worth it”?

In this new Gilded Age of ever-rising income inequality, people feel desperate to do everything they can to give their kids access to upper middle class opportunities.

But we’re talking about people who already have money and connections.

UMC and up.

[Anonymous]

Save your money and buy a franchise for your DC. Unless you already have connections, your DC won’t be included in the wealthy group of kids.

[Anonymous]

No they’re not.

My workplace is filled with people who went to all sorts of colleges. Everywhere from Harvard and Yale to Baylor to Albion College. We all got to the same place, doing the same job.

I’m not saying going to a community college is the same as going to MIT, but freaking out if you don’t get into an Ivy League school is absolutely asinine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No they’re not.

My workplace is filled with people who went to all sorts of colleges. Everywhere from Harvard and Yale to Baylor to Albion College. We all got to the same place, doing the same job.

I’m not saying going to a community college is the same as going to MIT, but freaking out if you don’t get into an Ivy League school is absolutely asinine.

Yep. I remember starting at my workplace and saying to my husband how intimidated I was by all of the people that went to Ivies. He noted that we worked side by side and if I came from. a lesser school, that says a lot about my motivation, skills, etc. because they did not hire me for my school name. I think it can be a harder from a school that is not elite, but as time goes on, I think school names will be less and less important.