What’s So Great About The Ivy League Anyway?
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Everything. And nothing.
Everything. In my humble or elitist opinion (take your pick), a good education is both very costly and utterly priceless. Maybe I am an odd bird, but I loved school. I loved Dalton. (And, yes, it is part of the Ivy Preparatory School League in athletics; why would I make that up?) And I loved Yale. And I loved Columbia. Yes, these happen to be Ivy League schools, but any good school (and there are so many) will do. Some of the smartest, best people I know did not go to an Ivy (hello, Dear Husband). And some of the most maladjusted, lost, and sad people I know did go to an Ivy (not dumb, will not name names).
If you are lucky, an Ivy might teach you:
1. How to write.
2. How to read.
3. How to think.
4. How to tailgate.
5. How to craft a resume.
6. How to schmooze.
7. How to BS artfully.
8. How to drink coffee.
9. How to drink beer.
10. How to hide your deepest insecurities.
Nothing. It is a myth that an elite education is the ticket to utopia, to happiness. There are things for which no league can prepare you. Important things. One such thing? Life.
No school will teach you:
1. How to take a risk or take a compliment.
2. How to laugh loudly or love deeply.
3. How to find truth or a good man.
4. How to have a happy birthday or a happy marriage.
5. How to birth a baby or a book.
6. How to survive a bad breakup or a brutal hangover.
7. How to toilet train a toddler or train the toddler within.
8. How to let a child separate or watch a parent die.
9. How to handle vicious criticism in life or on a blog.
10. How to stop lying and start living.
Hi there. Found you via Gretchen Rubin’s blog. Wrote about some of this myself, a while back, and thought you might find it interesting. (The link to my post about Ivy League schools at my old blog, Stay of Execution, should work if I did things right.) I’ve enjoyed the poking around your blog that I’ve been doing.
(I’m an ex-lawyer too, and am pleased to have a conference to bring me back to New Haven the week after next.)
Attending an Ivy (in most cases) says more about the student's parents than it does about the students. What 5 year old says "Screw the cartoons; I want piano lessons". And that's ok..except when it comes to compensation in the business world. I just don't see the connection between playing piano when you are 5 or getting good grades because your parents will beat you if you don't and the ability to make a lot of money for a company.
That’s a blatant misconception. From what basis do you conclude “most cases”? I went to an Ivy and can think of only one person I met there whose admission had anything to do with her parents. True, if you are “legacy”, you are likely to be admitted (If your parents went, it’s more likely that you will attend without financial aid- so it economically makes the most sense to admit “legacy” students)- that being said, these students are at least as good as and usually better than non-legacy students; an admission spot would not be given to a lesser-quality student purely because of their parents’ attendance status.
Every school has an issue of letting students in (who otherwise would not be) due to financial “incentive” from their parents in the form of a donation. This is by no means exclusive to elite schools. I knew one girl who got in because her parents gave a fat 1.3 million to the school; and she was dumb enough to tell everyone this. It becomes very clear to students of good schools who “deserves” to be there and who doesn’t. Right now, she is back at home at her parents house – she failed to conquer the down economy in our graduation year of 2009. She has no job, no friends, and as far as I’m aware, probably still doesn’t know how to do her own laundry. So, if that is hostility and resentment I detect towards these “undeserving” students, if this girl is any representation of the larger population (and I believe she is), don’t worry – they get what’s in store.
I do think that in most cases, people either have a drive to succeed, or they do not. I come from a blue-collar family. None of my relatives have attended an elite school; in fact, most have not attended college at all. As long as I can remember, I have had a fierce drive to succeed, to learn, to win, and to maximize every waking moment to it’s fullest potential. I worked my ass off in high school. I worked my ass off again in college. And now I am working my ass off on Park Avenue, and just stumbled across this, and have to get back to work.
I will stand up for my belief that an ivy league school absolutely does represent the character of a person. Yes, some people go there undeservingly, but for the most part, the ivies admit students who are of good moral character (based on community involvement and service), smart, and hard-working- inherent qualities that we can either choose to show or hide based on our drive to succeed.
Ivy Leaguer said:
That’s a blatant misconception. From what basis do you conclude “most cases”? I went to an Ivy and can think of only one person I met there whose admission had anything to do with her parents.
Me: If you truly believe that, you’re an utter fool.
Ivy Leaguer said: True, if you are “legacy”, you are likely to be admitted (If your parents went, it’s more likely that you will attend without financial aid- so it economically makes the most sense to admit “legacy” students)- that being said, these students are at least as good as and usually better than non-legacy students; an admission spot would not be given to a lesser-quality student purely because of their parents’ attendance status.
Me: First, the issue is not necessarily legacies or even outright buy-ins—both of which, incidentally, occur far more often than you claim. The real issue is the extent to which a student’s socioeconomic environment (parents) predisposes him to getting the test scores necessary to win admission the “legitimate” (Ha!) way. Pray tell, how many Ivy league kids come from working-class families? The answer: virtually none. According to statistics, 85 percent of the Harvard student body comes from the richest 7.7 percent of American households. Further, a recent Princeton study found that the bottom economic quartile accounts for three percent(!) of the student body at 146 selective colleges and universities featured in the study.
Ivy Leaguer said:
Every school has an issue of letting students in (who otherwise would not be) due to financial “incentive” from their parents in the form of a donation. This is by no means exclusive to elite schools.
Me: This is utterly asinine. Here’s a bulletin: no one is going to pay anything to get their kid into a non-elite school. Do you really think that someone is going to offer a bribe to get their kid into Rutgers? The overwhelming majority of buy-ins occur at the elite schools.
Ivy Leaguer:
I do think that in most cases, people either have a drive to succeed, or they do not. I come from a blue-collar family. None of my relatives have attended an elite school; in fact, most have not attended college at all. As long as I can remember, I have had a fierce drive to succeed, to learn, to win, and to maximize every waking moment to it’s fullest potential.
Me: How can you type these things about yourself without laughing? Do you have any idea what a tool you sound like? And I’d love to see where you grew up, and where your parents went to school. It wouldn’t be nearly as blue-collar as you claim, methinks.
Ivy Leaguer said:I will stand up for my belief that an ivy league school absolutely does represent the character of a person.
Me: And I will stand up for my belief that you are a tool. Well, I guess that the rich just happen to have more “character” than everyone else, seeing as how they prevail in the Ivy league at such a scandalous rate. Oh, and I guess your so-called blue-collar family must be of a very low character, seeing as how none of them went to Ivy League schools.
Congratulations. You’re a typical Ivy tool.
My dear James,
Your response serves only to show how irrelevant the “Ivy league” has become, methinks (”methinks” – will you get real). I pursued and received a well earned post-grad degree in a science discipline, at one of the four oldest schools in the league (our regular nemesis are the orange men).
Surrounding me were extremely bright people, with unbridled interests in their areas of study, and strong work ethics. None were there because mommy and daddy had deep pockets.
Indeed, I will give you that there are many kids fortunate enough to have come from well heeled families; however time and time again they never appreciate the opportunity “laid before them”, no – fat bank accounts, cotillions, and golf social networks are what opened the door for them. None earned the right to be there through hard diligent work and persistence.
There was a time when getting into the ancient eight meant years of blood, sweat and tears, and then more blood and tears, and sometimes even rejection on the first go around…….but no more, as you have demonstrated.
Something else of interest for you; due to proximity, I’ve come to know a few Rutgers U. graduates. Pound for pound Rutgers produces more hard working, well grounded and HUMBLE graduates than I have seen come out of any Ivy. They are well known doctors, lawyers, CEO’s, scientists, surgeons, politicians, and so on.
Am I extremely proud to have been educated in the Ivy league? Hell yes; I worked my ass of before getting in, and it has opened doors for me that otherwise would not have been opened. However, even after I received my acceptance letter those long years ago; I thought to myself -“this is just some old dusty school that’s been around a long time – something about founded in the seventeen hundreds or whatever – I may as well have a go at it”..…and I thought nothing more of it until graduation.
My simple advice to you, “Ivy to Ivy”? Be humble and self depreciating…and be most sure to bring your “A” game, should you sit across from a Rutgers U graduate. In many cases the name on your sheepskin will only mean you have to prove more.
Hello William,
As a Rutgers U student, I support your knock on what it means to go to an Elite University,I have realized that my time here has been intellectually stimulating as well as demanding. Unlike the typical Ivy league, Rutgers is for the middle class that can’t afford to dish out a 1 million dollar paycheck to the college. So to all that believe that an ivy league is a waste of money,why don’t you go to Rutgers to prove that you can handle the rigor of an ivy league that you can afford.
Can I tell you something? this is the first blog that I have seen that doesn’t frown on other school’s because it isn’t any ivy. I like this about this blog, you seem very humble and real!