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.

Not everyone else, but a very large percentage of everyone else. Face it; the kids who go to Ivy schools are by and large extremely smart and driven. Will there be kids from other schools equally as smart and driven? Sure, but not in the same proportions. I went to a mediocre state school and easily 50% of the kids there were simply going through the motions. The other half ranged from semi-serious to driven, but there were very few "Ivy" caliber kids.

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.

Omg, so sorry for all the typos. Typing in a little screen. All brains are not equal. Don't even read the rest!

I agree about access but Palin is a dope and it has nothing to do with her education. Obama is not (not politics just smarts). All rains are also not create equal. Which leads me to the fact that not all kids are equally smart. Veryone seems to think hat hey are these days and that if you just work hard enough everyone can get As and get into an ivy. Jut isn't going to happen.

I agree with PP -- Let's not hide the fact that Ivy does not guarantee success. Let's also agree that it does provide access and opportunity. Do you seriously think the Barrack Obama would have reached the presidency without his Columbia and Harvard Law degrees? Not likely! What if he had gone to the University of Hawaii and UC-Davis Law. First, he would not have had the access to the Ivy League network. Second, he would not have had the brand or credibility that comes with a top Ivy League degree. Let's be honest, some of his comments during 2008 were just as outrageous as those made by Sarah Palin but he got a pass because of his Ivy League degrees and Sarah Palin did not because she went to a state school. You could make another argument using President Bush.

Top Ivy made me laugh.

To the PP right above, I am impressed. You worked hard. (Not being snarky, which I have to write in this forum!)

OMG PP ... Your DC is at a TOP Ivy. Not one of those lesser Ivies. You must be SO SO SO PROUD. This is all about you after all. Please take a bow. We are so honored to have you here on this forum as a knowledgable parent of a DC at a TOP Ivy. As compared to one of those lesser Ivies. Just FYI, your DC will learn soon that TOP Ivy is no guarantee. I came through Montgomery College - working my way through, yes, $25 per credit hour was a lot for me to pay back then - I needed $3000 in student loans each year to get by. Then went to UMUC, graduated summa. On to grad school - a TOP one in the field. I had straight As, graduated summa, #1 in the class. No one from a TOP Ivy came close.

Learning for the sake of learning pays off in the long run. The STEM worker bees need supervision and vision.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^Nothing new under the sun except being a snowflake with straight As isn't a sure thing anymore.

It is not a sure thing, perhaps, if the Ivy college you are admitted to is your only goal. It is still a great accomplishment if you still aspire to learn for the sake of learning.

You can "learn for the sake of learning" at hundreds of great colleges around the country. I say this as the parent of a kid who is now at a top Ivy.

Anonymous wrote:^^^Nothing new under the sun except being a snowflake with straight As isn't a sure thing anymore.

It is not a sure thing, perhaps, if the Ivy college you are admitted to is your only goal. It is still a great accomplishment if you still aspire to learn for the sake of learning.

^^^Nothing new under the sun except being a snowflake with straight As isn't a sure thing anymore.

Anonymous wrote:Why are you posting an almost two year old article?

Maybe because nothing has changed in almost two years?

Why are you posting an almost two year old article?

That was a wasted article. She can do better.

More than 90% of these high GPA and high test scoring kids did not make the cut.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jd-rothman/ivy-league-admissions_b_1398145.html