Anonymous
08/07/2025 09:01
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31492/w31492.pdf
In a paper on college admissions, Harvard professors define Ivy-Plus college as Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, Duke, and Chicago. They say that Ivy-Plus colleges are distinctive in this respect: a far smaller share of individuals in these leadership positions attended other highly selective colleges (e.g., public state flagship universities or other highly-ranked private colleges) despite the fact that those institutions enroll many more students.
That paper was written in a certain moment in time. Much has changed since then, not least that the best students today often apply ED. Meaning, your Harvard person is likely a Duke or Northwestern reject from the ED round. Game Theory is a much more useful paradigm to explain why top students make the choices they do.
With the possible exception of CalTech and MIT, there is no significant difference academically among students at the top 20 or so colleges. Some colleges, like Harvard, are all about the hooks for those still remaining in the RD round. And others really value how you play the game - like Chicago. But qualitatively, these are all the same students who simply choose different strategies.
The very top students don't ED, they do SCEA and want to see all options in the end including factoring in any full-ride offers. I do not think they are rejects.
Incorrect as there is no one application strategy for "top students".
Also, incorrect regarding "full-ride offers" as the most elite universities do not offer merit scholarships, but do offer generous need-based financial aid.
Anonymous
08/06/2025 17:47
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31492/w31492.pdf
In a paper on college admissions, Harvard professors define Ivy-Plus college as Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, Duke, and Chicago. They say that Ivy-Plus colleges are distinctive in this respect: a far smaller share of individuals in these leadership positions attended other highly selective colleges (e.g., public state flagship universities or other highly-ranked private colleges) despite the fact that those institutions enroll many more students.
That paper was written in a certain moment in time. Much has changed since then, not least that the best students today often apply ED. Meaning, your Harvard person is likely a Duke or Northwestern reject from the ED round. Game Theory is a much more useful paradigm to explain why top students make the choices they do.
With the possible exception of CalTech and MIT, there is no significant difference academically among students at the top 20 or so colleges. Some colleges, like Harvard, are all about the hooks for those still remaining in the RD round. And others really value how you play the game - like Chicago. But qualitatively, these are all the same students who simply choose different strategies.
The very top students don't ED, they do SCEA and want to see all options in the end including factoring in any full-ride offers. I do not think they are rejects.
Anonymous
08/06/2025 17:44
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
Anonymous wrote:Ivies are just a sports league. Northwestern is already a Big Ten which is arguably better sports league.
Northwestern is a fine school regardless of athletics.
Who on earth would argue that the Ivy is a better athletic conference than the Big Ten?
Anonymous
08/06/2025 17:42
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
Anonymous wrote:https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31492/w31492.pdf
In a paper on college admissions, Harvard professors define Ivy-Plus college as Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, Duke, and Chicago. They say that Ivy-Plus colleges are distinctive in this respect: a far smaller share of individuals in these leadership positions attended other highly selective colleges (e.g., public state flagship universities or other highly-ranked private colleges) despite the fact that those institutions enroll many more students.
That paper was written in a certain moment in time. Much has changed since then, not least that the best students today often apply ED. Meaning, your Harvard person is likely a Duke or Northwestern reject from the ED round. Game Theory is a much more useful paradigm to explain why top students make the choices they do.
With the possible exception of CalTech and MIT, there is no significant difference academically among students at the top 20 or so colleges. Some colleges, like Harvard, are all about the hooks for those still remaining in the RD round. And others really value how you play the game - like Chicago. But qualitatively, these are all the same students who simply choose different strategies.
Anonymous
08/06/2025 17:12
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
Anonymous wrote:https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31492/w31492.pdf
In a paper on college admissions, Harvard professors define Ivy-Plus college as Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, Duke, and Chicago. They say that Ivy-Plus colleges are distinctive in this respect: a far smaller share of individuals in these leadership positions attended other highly selective colleges (e.g., public state flagship universities or other highly-ranked private colleges) despite the fact that those institutions enroll many more students.
+1
Anonymous
08/06/2025 13:22
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
Anonymous wrote:I am pretty sure Northwestern is an Ivy+ among the internet dorkery who care about such things.
+1. I’ve always heard it in that category.
Anonymous
08/06/2025 13:16
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
What a bizarre question, OP.
/these kind of posts are just nonsensical.
/these kind of posts are just nonsensical.
Anonymous
08/06/2025 13:09
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Ivys are coasting on their reputations-the cat is now out of the bag with all of the recent bad press and reputations with employers. Many kids would pick NU over all Ivys except HYP. They deserve their high rankings on USNWR.
This is just not true. My kid isn’t even considering applying to NW. it isn’t as desirable for a backup reach.
Your kid probably wouldn’t get in. Also, lots of kids do stupid things. Don’t tell us about your kid unless they were already accepted and are making a decision.
He probably would get in. It doesn’t matter. He has no interest in going to the Midwest.
Nobody's kid "probably gets in" unless they are recruited athletes or have the money to "name a building". You kid is likely lacking on both of those vectors so they aren't getting in.
The top 20isj students at the magnet schools "probably get in" to at least one of these tippy top tier schools, by any reasonable interpretation of the words
Over 10% of the class, attends one of these schools.
But these kids are known contenders because they are recognized for national level extracurricular academic awards. (Some of them blur into curricular electives)
Anonymous
08/06/2025 12:57
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Ivys are coasting on their reputations-the cat is now out of the bag with all of the recent bad press and reputations with employers. Many kids would pick NU over all Ivys except HYP. They deserve their high rankings on USNWR.
This is just not true. My kid isn’t even considering applying to NW. it isn’t as desirable for a backup reach.
Your kid probably wouldn’t get in. Also, lots of kids do stupid things. Don’t tell us about your kid unless they were already accepted and are making a decision.
He probably would get in. It doesn’t matter. He has no interest in going to the Midwest.
It’s just as well. His monocle would get broken the first time he got smacked around in a bar fight.
Pp here. I just asked my kid about Chicago for U Chicago, not Northwestern and he is not interested. He said he would rather go to NYU or BU than Chicago.
Anonymous
08/06/2025 12:06
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Ivys are coasting on their reputations-the cat is now out of the bag with all of the recent bad press and reputations with employers. Many kids would pick NU over all Ivys except HYP. They deserve their high rankings on USNWR.
This is just not true. My kid isn’t even considering applying to NW. it isn’t as desirable for a backup reach.
Your kid probably wouldn’t get in. Also, lots of kids do stupid things. Don’t tell us about your kid unless they were already accepted and are making a decision.
He probably would get in. It doesn’t matter. He has no interest in going to the Midwest.
It’s just as well. His monocle would get broken the first time he got smacked around in a bar fight.
Anonymous
08/06/2025 11:14
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31492/w31492.pdf
In a paper on college admissions, Harvard professors define Ivy-Plus college as Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, Duke, and Chicago. They say that Ivy-Plus colleges are distinctive in this respect: a far smaller share of individuals in these leadership positions attended other highly selective colleges (e.g., public state flagship universities or other highly-ranked private colleges) despite the fact that those institutions enroll many more students.
In a paper on college admissions, Harvard professors define Ivy-Plus college as Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, Duke, and Chicago. They say that Ivy-Plus colleges are distinctive in this respect: a far smaller share of individuals in these leadership positions attended other highly selective colleges (e.g., public state flagship universities or other highly-ranked private colleges) despite the fact that those institutions enroll many more students.
Anonymous
08/06/2025 10:09
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
Too good at sports. And that is not me being clever.
Anonymous
08/06/2025 09:41
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
Anonymous wrote:Only dumb, non Ivy ppl say that it is just an athletic conference. It’s certainly more than that in terms of social significance.
Totally. People on DCUM who went to no-names keep saying that Ivies mean nothing. I went to a no-name and know that Ivies will always have cache with employers. The dumb people who say" my best intern went to dummy u". are idiots.
Anonymous
08/06/2025 09:31
Subject: Re:Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:But this argument is disingenuous. The “Ivy League” is seen as the definitive stamp of academic excellence/pedigree. Clearly “Ivy Plus” is just an attempt to add other institutions to that list. It’s not an unreasonable attempt. Economists such as Raj Chetty coined the term in the course of research on education. The question remains why Northwestern was not seen to have the same pedigree.
Meh, there’s a shift with the rise of STEM education. Nowadays, a lot of people wouldn’t classify Dartmouth or Brown at the same level as Harvard or Princeton.
You actually mean Engineering and CS not classical STEM. Because engineers and CS majors are mostly trained rather than educated your hypothesis is wildly incorrect.
Dumbest statement of the week. Congratulations.
Actually many people agree. Engineering is a vocational degree. CS looks the same as well.
That is training. Not a classical education.
So I had to wake up to this stupid post this morning? I think I will take a break from the board today.
Anonymous
08/06/2025 09:30
Subject: Why do you think Northwestern is not in the “ivy plus“ bracket?
I DGAF because I’m not a shallow, insecure striver.