Elite universities, Ivy Plus/Equivalents...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC did not apply to any Ivies, though encouraged to do so by the college counselor. The reasoning was that she didn’t want to be pre-judged by where she went to school. People have associations in their minds as well as stereotypes of elitists. Haaaahvahd in a snooty accent is what people think. The connections could help within that elitist group, but that’s not where she wants to be. The constant competition and need to prove one’s self at Ivies seems toxic.

Said with all the insight of someone on the outside looking in. The atmosphere at most Ivies is far less competitive than at some of the other schools mentioned in this thread.

In any event, being encouraged to apply to an Ivy and getting into one are two different things.

Never said that I thought she could get in. Clearly we are outsiders to the Ivy world, along with 99% of the country and that’s fine with us. Having toured a few Ivies pre-Covid, none of the tours ever said it was not competitive. Quite the opposite, as some of the tour guides listed off the accomplishments of their roommates and friends and talked about the pressure they were under. All the schools at the top are competitive, but we saw a lot of ugly behavior in high school with people stepping on each other to get a leg up in the race to Ivies and want another environment.

That may say more about your secondary school than it does about the Ivies. You seem to be conflating selectivity and accomplishments with a cut-throat environment at the schools. At many of the Ivies, getting in is the hardest part, but the environment for students at the schools is quite collegial.

“Quite collegial” is a nice way of saying “easy as hell.” Everyone knows Harvard engages in massive grade inflation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC did not apply to any Ivies, though encouraged to do so by the college counselor. The reasoning was that she didn’t want to be pre-judged by where she went to school. People have associations in their minds as well as stereotypes of elitists. Haaaahvahd in a snooty accent is what people think. The connections could help within that elitist group, but that’s not where she wants to be. The constant competition and need to prove one’s self at Ivies seems toxic.

Said with all the insight of someone on the outside looking in. The atmosphere at most Ivies is far less competitive than at some of the other schools mentioned in this thread.

In any event, being encouraged to apply to an Ivy and getting into one are two different things.

Never said that I thought she could get in. Clearly we are outsiders to the Ivy world, along with 99% of the country and that’s fine with us. Having toured a few Ivies pre-Covid, none of the tours ever said it was not competitive. Quite the opposite, as some of the tour guides listed off the accomplishments of their roommates and friends and talked about the pressure they were under. All the schools at the top are competitive, but we saw a lot of ugly behavior in high school with people stepping on each other to get a leg up in the race to Ivies and want another environment.

That may say more about your secondary school than it does about the Ivies. You seem to be conflating selectivity and accomplishments with a cut-throat environment at the schools. At many of the Ivies, getting in is the hardest part, but the environment for students at the schools is quite collegial.

“Quite collegial” is a nice way of saying “easy as hell.” Everyone knows Harvard engages in massive grade inflation.

Really? Please tell us how "everyone" knows that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC did not apply to any Ivies, though encouraged to do so by the college counselor. The reasoning was that she didn’t want to be pre-judged by where she went to school. People have associations in their minds as well as stereotypes of elitists. Haaaahvahd in a snooty accent is what people think. The connections could help within that elitist group, but that’s not where she wants to be. The constant competition and need to prove one’s self at Ivies seems toxic.

Said with all the insight of someone on the outside looking in. The atmosphere at most Ivies is far less competitive than at some of the other schools mentioned in this thread.

In any event, being encouraged to apply to an Ivy and getting into one are two different things.

Never said that I thought she could get in. Clearly we are outsiders to the Ivy world, along with 99% of the country and that’s fine with us. Having toured a few Ivies pre-Covid, none of the tours ever said it was not competitive. Quite the opposite, as some of the tour guides listed off the accomplishments of their roommates and friends and talked about the pressure they were under. All the schools at the top are competitive, but we saw a lot of ugly behavior in high school with people stepping on each other to get a leg up in the race to Ivies and want another environment.

That may say more about your secondary school than it does about the Ivies. You seem to be conflating selectivity and accomplishments with a cut-throat environment at the schools. At many of the Ivies, getting in is the hardest part, but the environment for students at the schools is quite collegial.

“Quite collegial” is a nice way of saying “easy as hell.” Everyone knows Harvard engages in massive grade inflation.

Really? Please tell us how "everyone" knows that.

Here you go: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/12/20/why-grade-inflation-even-at-harvard-is-a-big-problem/

And if you want a more recent article, here’s one from 2020: https://harvardpolitics.com/make-harvard-grade-again/

The biggest question I have is: How did you not know?

[Anonymous]

H grad passing by here, I would easily consider all of these schools peers, and I can tell just by the tenor of their responses that those who are saying otherwise are complete outsiders. They’re prestigious in the circles I run in, and I’d probably add a couple more, too. Rice, for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d easily choose Stanford over Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia.

I’d easily choose Chicago over Penn.

I’d easily choose Duke, Northwestern or Hopkins over Cornell, Brown or Dartmouth.

I don’t mention MIT or CIT because I’m not an engineer but those are also easy choices over any of the Ivies for their respective fields.

Louder for the people in the back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC did not apply to any Ivies, though encouraged to do so by the college counselor. The reasoning was that she didn’t want to be pre-judged by where she went to school. People have associations in their minds as well as stereotypes of elitists. Haaaahvahd in a snooty accent is what people think. The connections could help within that elitist group, but that’s not where she wants to be. The constant competition and need to prove one’s self at Ivies seems toxic.

Said with all the insight of someone on the outside looking in. The atmosphere at most Ivies is far less competitive than at some of the other schools mentioned in this thread.

In any event, being encouraged to apply to an Ivy and getting into one are two different things.

Never said that I thought she could get in. Clearly we are outsiders to the Ivy world, along with 99% of the country and that’s fine with us. Having toured a few Ivies pre-Covid, none of the tours ever said it was not competitive. Quite the opposite, as some of the tour guides listed off the accomplishments of their roommates and friends and talked about the pressure they were under. All the schools at the top are competitive, but we saw a lot of ugly behavior in high school with people stepping on each other to get a leg up in the race to Ivies and want another environment.

That may say more about your secondary school than it does about the Ivies. You seem to be conflating selectivity and accomplishments with a cut-throat environment at the schools. At many of the Ivies, getting in is the hardest part, but the environment for students at the schools is quite collegial.

“Quite collegial” is a nice way of saying “easy as hell.” Everyone knows Harvard engages in massive grade inflation.

Really? Please tell us how "everyone" knows that.

Here you go: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/12/20/why-grade-inflation-even-at-harvard-is-a-big-problem/

And if you want a more recent article, here’s one from 2020: https://harvardpolitics.com/make-harvard-grade-again/

The biggest question I have is: How did you not know?

So you are saying that the college that likely has the smartest and hardest working students in the country, which distributes grades essentially at the same distribution as every other college, equates Harvard being "easy as hell"?

(Citation: http://www.tcrecord.org/content.asp?contentid=16473 - link is from the very article YOU quoted that said "Harvard isn’t the only school that hands out a lot of A’s, though.")

No that is not how statistics work. Same grades + smarter cohort /= "easy as hell". I guess you'd have to define "easy as hell" first, and if it meant "the same or possibly a bit harder than most colleges" then yes, you'd be right.

You wanted to take a shot at Harvard - that's fine I have no dog in that race. I recommend you try not to insult people who question your conclusion when you don't have data that supports it.

[Anonymous]

This thread is like arguing whose husband is the most attractive. Intelligence, looks, kindness, salary, upbringing, personality, athleticism, etc. all may factor in to your decision but ultimately it’s a personal choice and you have to fall in love.

They’re all great schools and the comparisons are unnecessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is like arguing whose husband is the most attractive. Intelligence, looks, kindness, salary, upbringing, personality, athleticism, etc. all may factor in to your decision but ultimately it’s a personal choice and you have to fall in love.

They’re all great schools and the comparisons are unnecessary.

Yep, like nearly every thread here. I really need to kick this habit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Coming across the JHU thread and it’s clear there are some people unfamiliar with American colleges who think Ivy League = the best. It is worth repeating that there are just as many universities NOT in the Ivy League that are just as good and just as prestigious as the Ivies.

Stanford, MIT, Chicago, Cal Tech, JHU, Northwestern, Duke

If we expand to LACS, add Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore and Pomona.

If these schools were to just start their own separate academic “league,” they would rival the Ivy League, easily.

They might be as "good", but they are certainly not as prestigious.

Even a "Ivy" like Dartmouth, which is in reality is an above-average LAC, would be more prestigious in the minds of the wealthy and powerful than say, JHU or Chicago. Entirely due to its association with the Ivy League and schools like Harvard and Princeton. Sure, upper-middle-class educated folks might think otherwise, but they are middle-managers, not board room members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coming across the JHU thread and it’s clear there are some people unfamiliar with American colleges who think Ivy League = the best. It is worth repeating that there are just as many universities NOT in the Ivy League that are just as good and just as prestigious as the Ivies.

Stanford, MIT, Chicago, Cal Tech, JHU, Northwestern, Duke

If we expand to LACS, add Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore and Pomona.

If these schools were to just start their own separate academic “league,” they would rival the Ivy League, easily.

They might be as "good", but they are certainly not as prestigious.

Even a "Ivy" like Dartmouth, which is in reality is an above-average LAC, would be more prestigious in the minds of the wealthy and powerful than say, JHU or Chicago. Entirely due to its association with the Ivy League and schools like Harvard and Princeton. Sure, upper-middle-class educated folks might think otherwise, but they are middle-managers, not board room members.

No one thinks that way except Dartmouth grads, lmao.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can I be the person who asks how Duke made it onto OP’s list?

I’d leave Duke but I was side-eying Northwestern. Only to tiger moms who obsess over US news is Northwestern undergrad in any way that impressive.

What? I don’t know a single soul who wouldn’t consider Duke or Northwestern prestigious.

Nobody gives a sh-t about Northwestern undergrad in real life. It's just psycho tiger moms posting about NU over and over and over online because of US News.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can I be the person who asks how Duke made it onto OP’s list?

I’d leave Duke but I was side-eying Northwestern. Only to tiger moms who obsess over US news is Northwestern undergrad in any way that impressive.

What? I don’t know a single soul who wouldn’t consider Duke or Northwestern prestigious.

Nobody gives a sh-t about Northwestern undergrad in real life. It's just psycho tiger moms posting about NU over and over and over online because of US News.

You’re literally the one person ranting about Northwestern on this forum with the same, tired one-liner about tiger moms and US News. We get it, your kid didn’t get into Northwestern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d easily choose Stanford over Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia.

I’d easily choose Chicago over Penn.

I’d easily choose Duke, Northwestern or Hopkins over Cornell, Brown or Dartmouth.

I don’t mention MIT or CIT because I’m not an engineer but those are also easy choices over any of the Ivies for their respective fields.

Louder for the people in the back.

Are you a thirsty troll or enjoy boasting about how transparently ignorant you are? I bet you haven't visited even two of these colleges but you're an internet expert. Nobody turns down Harvard in real life (except maybe California kids). Chicago loses all of its cross-admit battles with all of the Ivies, MIT and Duke. And obviously nobody is choosing Northwestern and Hopkins over any Ivy. Pretty obvious everyone on here has never spent any time at an Ivy or even talked to anyone who has - there is no parallel to the history, traditions and overall vibe of the Ivies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coming across the JHU thread and it’s clear there are some people unfamiliar with American colleges who think Ivy League = the best. It is worth repeating that there are just as many universities NOT in the Ivy League that are just as good and just as prestigious as the Ivies.

Stanford, MIT, Chicago, Cal Tech, JHU, Northwestern, Duke

If we expand to LACS, add Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore and Pomona.

If these schools were to just start their own separate academic “league,” they would rival the Ivy League, easily.

They might be as "good", but they are certainly not as prestigious.

Even a "Ivy" like Dartmouth, which is in reality is an above-average LAC, would be more prestigious in the minds of the wealthy and powerful than say, JHU or Chicago. Entirely due to its association with the Ivy League and schools like Harvard and Princeton. Sure, upper-middle-class educated folks might think otherwise, but they are middle-managers, not board room members.

The minds of the wealthy and powerful, you say? Ah, yes, it would totally stand to reason that the wealthy and powerful would look down on... themselves?

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/931379.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can I be the person who asks how Duke made it onto OP’s list?

I’d leave Duke but I was side-eying Northwestern. Only to tiger moms who obsess over US news is Northwestern undergrad in any way that impressive.

What? I don’t know a single soul who wouldn’t consider Duke or Northwestern prestigious.

Nobody gives a sh-t about Northwestern undergrad in real life. It's just psycho tiger moms posting about NU over and over and over online because of US News.

You’re literally the one person ranting about Northwestern on this forum with the same, tired one-liner about tiger moms and US News. We get it, your kid didn’t get into Northwestern.

None of my kids wanted to go to college in the Rust Belt suburbs of northern Cook County, a half hour N of Chicago. Nobody with better options does.