Elite colleges matter less that you think

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Folks, don't bash the elitist. They will take offense. It's always the "you are insecure and jealous" replies. I know, they will say, "well, you are insecure and jealous." They cannot fathom that not all people care about the same things they care about.

Go ahead...bash. It's pretty standard here.

Don't act like you're insecure and jealous, and then nobody will accuse you of it. Case in point, don't make up a fake job. Duh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks, don't bash the elitist. They will take offense. It's always the "you are insecure and jealous" replies. I know, they will say, "well, you are insecure and jealous." They cannot fathom that not all people care about the same things they care about.

Go ahead...bash. It's pretty standard here.

Don't act like you're insecure and jealous, and then nobody will accuse you of it. Case in point, don't make up a fake job. Duh.

PP here. I am not the poster you think I am. I'm NP. Duh. Predictable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks, don't bash the elitist. They will take offense. It's always the "you are insecure and jealous" replies. I know, they will say, "well, you are insecure and jealous." They cannot fathom that not all people care about the same things they care about.

Go ahead...bash. It's pretty standard here.

Don't act like you're insecure and jealous, and then nobody will accuse you of it. Case in point, don't make up a fake job. Duh.

PP here. I am not the poster you think I am. I'm NP. Duh. Predictable.

You sure write like that jackass. And you sure took some generic advice (about not behaving like you're insecure and jealous) personally....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Folks, don't bash the elitist. They will take offense. It's always the "you are insecure and jealous" replies. I know, they will say, "well, you are insecure and jealous." They cannot fathom that not all people care about the same things they care about.

Go ahead...bash. It's pretty standard here.

'Elitist'? Oh you mean those with prestigious credentials?

Name calling for no other reason than they have something you do not=jealous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous[b wrote:]I’m not sure what you think I think, but I think anyone who thinks an Ivy League degree is a free pass through life is incredibly naïve. An Ivy League degree will open doors right after college/grad school for that first job. [/b] After 5 years or so in a career, the value of the degree approaches meaningless. If you haven’t demonstrated excellence, your mediocrity will reinforce the belief expressed frequently here that Ivy League credentials don’t mean much.

From the long term perspective, the value of an Ivy League degree should be that you receive an extraordinary education and develop important connections, which should help throughout life. But if you fail to nurture those connections and acquire the academic credential at the expense of becoming well rounded you’ll be facing headwinds throughout your career. We’ve all met our share of disgruntled Ivy League grads who just can’t understand why things aren’t working out as they are “supposed to” for Ivy League grads. This frustration is even more common among the CalTech/MIT types who toil under the direction of more charismatic bosses from “lesser” schools. There is a reason that businesses put such a premium on the rare Ivy League grads who played team sports. Evidence of normalcy coupled with academic excellence is a rare commodity.

An ivy degree does give you a pass. An ivy on a resume will get you the job interview. Then when you sit down for the interview, you're given a presumption of intellect. Sure if your sure if a former employer details an embezzlement scheme you pulled at their company, a criminal background check uncovers a bloody trail of bodies in your background, or you drool and slur your words during the interview, an ivy won't matter much. But those things being absent, you're golden.

I know we'd all love to believe our resumes are on equal footing with an ivy grads, but I've seen it time and time again. Ivy has won out over experience and resumes with higher GPAs.

If ivies did not give you a pass or certain je ne sais quoi, they would bother so many people.

This is not true in my experience. My H works in finance and does a small amount of hiring into the group he manages. He is looking for particular qualities (genuine interest in picking stocks, a certain amount of hunger, etc.) and has passed over more than a few ivy grads in the process.

[Anonymous]

^ Also in finance, once you get passed a certain point, it's all a numbers game. How successful you are = how much money you make on your picks or trades. No one cares where you went to school after you're 5 years out. If you can't pull in the numbers they're looking for, you're out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous[b wrote:]I’m not sure what you think I think, but I think anyone who thinks an Ivy League degree is a free pass through life is incredibly naïve. An Ivy League degree will open doors right after college/grad school for that first job. [/b] After 5 years or so in a career, the value of the degree approaches meaningless. If you haven’t demonstrated excellence, your mediocrity will reinforce the belief expressed frequently here that Ivy League credentials don’t mean much.

From the long term perspective, the value of an Ivy League degree should be that you receive an extraordinary education and develop important connections, which should help throughout life. But if you fail to nurture those connections and acquire the academic credential at the expense of becoming well rounded you’ll be facing headwinds throughout your career. We’ve all met our share of disgruntled Ivy League grads who just can’t understand why things aren’t working out as they are “supposed to” for Ivy League grads. This frustration is even more common among the CalTech/MIT types who toil under the direction of more charismatic bosses from “lesser” schools. There is a reason that businesses put such a premium on the rare Ivy League grads who played team sports. Evidence of normalcy coupled with academic excellence is a rare commodity.

An ivy degree does give you a pass. An ivy on a resume will get you the job interview. Then when you sit down for the interview, you're given a presumption of intellect. Sure if your sure if a former employer details an embezzlement scheme you pulled at their company, a criminal background check uncovers a bloody trail of bodies in your background, or you drool and slur your words during the interview, an ivy won't matter much. But those things being absent, you're golden.

I know we'd all love to believe our resumes are on equal footing with an ivy grads, but I've seen it time and time again. Ivy has won out over experience and resumes with higher GPAs.

If ivies did not give you a pass or certain je ne sais quoi, they would bother so many people.

This is not true in my experience. My H works in finance and does a small amount of hiring into the group he manages. He is looking for particular qualities (genuine interest in picking stocks, a certain amount of hunger, etc.) and has passed over more than a few ivy grads in the process.

Ummm...okay, but I'm certain those ivy grads are getting interviews and end up doing just fine.

You have your 2nd hand experience based on what your husband may have told you and I have mine based on what I've actually seen time and time again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ Also in finance, once you get passed a certain point, it's all a numbers game. How successful you are = how much money you make on your picks or trades. No one cares where you went to school after you're 5 years out. If you can't pull in the numbers they're looking for, you're out.

This is so old.

Bottom line is that an ivy degree is more impressive and suggests a higher level of intellect.

And those with ivy degrees fare better than those without.

Sorry but true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous[b wrote:]I’m not sure what you think I think, but I think anyone who thinks an Ivy League degree is a free pass through life is incredibly naïve. An Ivy League degree will open doors right after college/grad school for that first job. [/b] After 5 years or so in a career, the value of the degree approaches meaningless. If you haven’t demonstrated excellence, your mediocrity will reinforce the belief expressed frequently here that Ivy League credentials don’t mean much.

From the long term perspective, the value of an Ivy League degree should be that you receive an extraordinary education and develop important connections, which should help throughout life. But if you fail to nurture those connections and acquire the academic credential at the expense of becoming well rounded you’ll be facing headwinds throughout your career. We’ve all met our share of disgruntled Ivy League grads who just can’t understand why things aren’t working out as they are “supposed to” for Ivy League grads. This frustration is even more common among the CalTech/MIT types who toil under the direction of more charismatic bosses from “lesser” schools. There is a reason that businesses put such a premium on the rare Ivy League grads who played team sports. Evidence of normalcy coupled with academic excellence is a rare commodity.

An ivy degree does give you a pass. An ivy on a resume will get you the job interview. Then when you sit down for the interview, you're given a presumption of intellect. Sure if your sure if a former employer details an embezzlement scheme you pulled at their company, a criminal background check uncovers a bloody trail of bodies in your background, or you drool and slur your words during the interview, an ivy won't matter much. But those things being absent, you're golden.

I know we'd all love to believe our resumes are on equal footing with an ivy grads, but I've seen it time and time again. Ivy has won out over experience and resumes with higher GPAs.

If ivies did not give you a pass or certain je ne sais quoi, they would bother so many people.

This is not true in my experience. My H works in finance and does a small amount of hiring into the group he manages. He is looking for particular qualities (genuine interest in picking stocks, a certain amount of hunger, etc.) and has passed over more than a few ivy grads in the process.

Ummm...okay, but I'm certain those ivy grads are getting interviews and end up doing just fine.

You have your 2nd hand experience based on what your husband may have told you and I have mine based on what I've actually seen time and time again.

I'm just saying it's not always going to be a slam dunk just because you went to a "better" school. Other things matter too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Also in finance, once you get passed a certain point, it's all a numbers game. How successful you are = how much money you make on your picks or trades. No one cares where you went to school after you're 5 years out. If you can't pull in the numbers they're looking for, you're out.

This is so old.

Bottom line is that an ivy degree is more impressive and suggests a higher level of intellect.

And those with ivy degrees fare better than those without.

Sorry but true.

Maybe they tend to but you can't argue with the fact that many, many people without ivy credentials do very well financially. After a certain point, it doesn't matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ Also in finance, once you get passed a certain point, it's all a numbers game. How successful you are = how much money you make on your picks or trades. No one cares where you went to school after you're 5 years out. If you can't pull in the numbers they're looking for, you're out.

Agree!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is not true in my experience. My H works in finance and does a small amount of hiring into the group he manages. He is looking for particular qualities (genuine interest in picking stocks, a certain amount of hunger, etc.) and has passed over more than a few ivy grads in the process.

Ummm...okay, but I'm certain those ivy grads are getting interviews and end up doing just fine.

You have your 2nd hand experience based on what your husband may have told you and I have mine based on what I've actually seen time and time again.

NP here. I went to a top Ivy business school. For getting that first job on Wall Street, an Ivy degree is pretty much golden. This is a fact. However, I agree with the posters who say that 10 years out, all that matters is whether you can pick the stocks or close the deal.

Your husband may be looking at Ivy grads who are 10 years out of school with so-so track records. Or at Ivy grads with literature degrees who suddenly realized they need to do something practical. Then again, your husbands' group may be very different from a typical Wall Street operation in terms of the personnel it needs (not that that's a bad thing).

[Anonymous]

College career directors do not hire for "high powered jobs" DUH!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks, don't bash the elitist. They will take offense. It's always the "you are insecure and jealous" replies. I know, they will say, "well, you are insecure and jealous." They cannot fathom that not all people care about the same things they care about.

Go ahead...bash. It's pretty standard here.

Don't act like you're insecure and jealous, and then nobody will accuse you of it. Case in point, don't make up a fake job. Duh.

PP here. I am not the poster you think I am. I'm NP. Duh. Predictable.

ZING!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is not true in my experience. My H works in finance and does a small amount of hiring into the group he manages. He is looking for particular qualities (genuine interest in picking stocks, a certain amount of hunger, etc.) and has passed over more than a few ivy grads in the process.

Ummm...okay, but I'm certain those ivy grads are getting interviews and end up doing just fine.

You have your 2nd hand experience based on what your husband may have told you and I have mine based on what I've actually seen time and time again.

NP here. I went to a top Ivy business school. For getting that first job on Wall Street, an Ivy degree is pretty much golden. This is a fact. However, I agree with the posters who say that 10 years out, all that matters is whether you can pick the stocks or close the deal.

Your husband may be looking at Ivy grads who are 10 years out of school with so-so track records. Or at Ivy grads with literature degrees who suddenly realized they need to do something practical. Then again, your husbands' group may be very different from a typical Wall Street operation in terms of the personnel it needs (not that that's a bad thing).

Here we have the reasonable voice of an Ivy grad who has been successful and puts their educational credential in perspective. Contrast, the frustrated underachiever stuck in a dead end "college career director" position finding "high powered" jobs for college grads. Some are so pathetic they deserve our pity, not our scorn.

Happy Mother's Day!