Does it really matter?

Parents Forum
1

<p>Dear Parents,</p>

<p>My parents think that a lot of the successful politicians, businessmen, and justices have attended Ivy League schools (or any well-known institutions) during their college and graduate years. Do you agree with that statement? Also, do you think it really matters where a student attends for his or her undergraduate studies? Opinions and thoughts are appreciated! Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Your parents are technically right, but asking the wrong question. Let’s face it. A lot of ivy attendees started out life with every advantage. Those advantages continue on through college and into the working world. As the old saying goes, “what’s the easiest way to make a million? Start with a million.”</p>

<p>Now you, dear OP, are asking the right question - whether it matters. There are many opinions on this of course, but the best academic research shows either no effect for most folks (Dale and Krueger) or a statistically measurable but practically meaningless effect (Hoxby).</p>

<p>The dispute, IMHO, arises because folks tend only to look at the output from elite colleges, not the input. You take the most gifted, most advantaged kids in the land. They should do better than average.</p>

3

<p>Loren Pope’s book “Looking beyond the Ivy League” talks about research data in this area. Bottom line: there are more successes (as defined conventionally) among Ivy grads. But, if you compare Ivy grads to sudents admitted to Ivy schiools, but chose to go elsewhere for various reasons (like finance), there is little difference. In other words, you start with gold, you make more gold!</p>

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<p>Thanks for the input, newmassdad nd neverthere. :slight_smile: Anyone else?</p>

5

<p>Today’s NY Times Education Life supplement has as their ending piece an article that you might find interesting - and possibly your parents might, too… It’s called “When The Best Is Not Good Enough” by Paula Marantz Cohen:

to read more click on this link: <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/education/edlife/NOTEBOOK.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/education/edlife/NOTEBOOK.html&lt;/a&gt; I tend to agree with her quite a bit - maybe that’s why I like the article so much. ;)</p>