<p>“Ivy” is no longer just an athletic conference though it started as such. It has now become a shorthand for “top colleges” and typically include schools that are technically non-Ivy, such as Northwestern. The general population doesn’t know which colleges are in fact Ivy and they don’t care. They simply think all elite colleges are Ivy, e.g. all of the top 20. It is indeed annoying that all elite colleges are designated “Ivy,” because that only adds to the superficial meaning that the label has taken on. However, the bottom line is that “Ivy,” as the general public understands it, encompasses all elite national universities. That’s technically incorrect, but the cultural “meme” has already been perpetuated.</p>