Welcome to College Confidential!
The leading college-bound community on the web
Sign Up For Free
Join for FREE, and start talking with other members, weighing in on community discussions, and more.
Also, by registering and logging in you'll see fewer ads and pesky welcome messages (like this one!)
As a CC member, you can:
- Reply to threads, and start your own.
- Post reviews of your campus visits.
- Find hundreds of pages of informative articles.
- Search from over 3 million scholarships.
Quick Links
Find A College
Articles: Expert Advice
Top Forums
Elite Prep Schools - Value of Alumni Network
MtnTrailX
Registered User Posts: 38 Junior Member
Putting academic considerations aside, which school alumni network do you consider more important - one of GLADCHEMMS, or one of HYPSM (or other famous university)?
When I lived in NYC and worked on Wall Street I was always amazed to observe how many alums of elite Prep Schools would don their school sweatshirts, play Football or Ultimate or Lacrosse on weekends or evenings in Central Park, and then grab a bite afterward. Or go out for drinks. Or tailgate. Or just hang out. Their social interactions seemed far more prevalent than those of undergrads from HYPSM (although in truth, the Princeton alums did seem to hang out together as well). One of my roommates was a HADES grad and he and his classmates were extremely tight.
I am a grad of a non-famous college who subsequently went on to HYP and Northwestern/UofC (cloaking my identity) for grad school degrees, and it has always struck me how incredibly close Prep School classmates and alums are. The products of Hotchkiss, Deerfield and PA I hung out with made me a little envious how they seemed to try and help and pull for one another, whereas my grad school peers always seemed to be a little competitive, often comparing their trajectories. My grad school alums sure weren't eagerly feeding us any info that would help us get ahead.
One of the biggest reasons I want my kids to go to a top Prep School: for the future ties that bind.
Plus, as @ChoatieMom correctly points out, "BOARDING SCHOOLS PROVIDE AN OUTSTANDING HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION. THEY ARE NOT SELLING ADMISSION TO ANY PARTICULAR COLLEGES. THEY PREPARE STUDENTS TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING AT WHICHEVER COLLEGES THEY ATTEND."
When I lived in NYC and worked on Wall Street I was always amazed to observe how many alums of elite Prep Schools would don their school sweatshirts, play Football or Ultimate or Lacrosse on weekends or evenings in Central Park, and then grab a bite afterward. Or go out for drinks. Or tailgate. Or just hang out. Their social interactions seemed far more prevalent than those of undergrads from HYPSM (although in truth, the Princeton alums did seem to hang out together as well). One of my roommates was a HADES grad and he and his classmates were extremely tight.
I am a grad of a non-famous college who subsequently went on to HYP and Northwestern/UofC (cloaking my identity) for grad school degrees, and it has always struck me how incredibly close Prep School classmates and alums are. The products of Hotchkiss, Deerfield and PA I hung out with made me a little envious how they seemed to try and help and pull for one another, whereas my grad school peers always seemed to be a little competitive, often comparing their trajectories. My grad school alums sure weren't eagerly feeding us any info that would help us get ahead.
One of the biggest reasons I want my kids to go to a top Prep School: for the future ties that bind.
Plus, as @ChoatieMom correctly points out, "BOARDING SCHOOLS PROVIDE AN OUTSTANDING HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION. THEY ARE NOT SELLING ADMISSION TO ANY PARTICULAR COLLEGES. THEY PREPARE STUDENTS TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING AT WHICHEVER COLLEGES THEY ATTEND."
Replies to: Elite Prep Schools - Value of Alumni Network
Plenty of folks that fit any combo of those. Consider your identity cloaked. ;)
IMO, elite prep school networking, for those who find it beneficial in life, is as much to do with an outgrowth of their social circles as it does with their having attended an elite prep school. I 'd be surprised if all grads of elite prep schools feel like they benefit in the same ways from a network of alumni.
In a boarding environment, the students live together 24/7 which definitely adds to both the ease-of-making and depth of those bonds, so the unique structure of boarding (any BS) during an impressionable period of life can cement ties in a strong and permanent way. This is a by-product of living together (like family) rather than something unique to any acronym.
And, like @doschicos stated, any individual student’s mileage may vary.
Remember that a BS class is not that big, even at the larger schools, so a bond with BS friends is easily characterized as a bond with the school.
And BS do have reunions and events to keep alumni connected (and donating). That makes it easy to stay connected or to reconnect with old friends.
I'd say you might get a closer look but I would say easier entry might be a stretch unless you are connected in other ways as well (friend of connected parent, for example).
\
Still, when I was in New Orleans a fews years back, I was impressed when a big bus pulled up at Brennan's brunch and a couple dozen octogenarian's got out wearing their Andover sweat shirts. I sat there in awe wishing this kind of camaraderie for my children at the end of their hopefully well lived lives. Still, boarding school shouldn't be a club of sorts. Anything that divides us into haves and have nots is destructive in my opinion.
I'll say again, sure we had celebrity daughters and sons and even a Kennedy at BS, but the value wasn't in networking so much as a good introduction as to the value of diversity. Having our students in a community of scholars who were setting out to gain knowledge to make the world a better place, and in a setting where it is encouraged to to help one another, recognizing that smartness knows no particular race or religion or SES, was really the benefit our students gained, not networking.
Regarding the post above wondering about why may some older men may be nostalgic, have comraderie and wear their sweaters....I can only speak for my “Pops”. His group of boys lost several former classmates in WWII. I think this experience of having gone to war and lost classmates made them feel a closeness that led to yearly reunions- he said they helped each other out after the war to get jobs. Pops went to the funerals of his buddies @ but he was the last to go.
As for jobs, a connection definitely can get you in the door, but then, you're on your own...