General Perceptions Of Ivies

akybaky · January 17, 2006, 7:27pm

like in general i know these are sterotypes but who r the ivies for/ what kind of ppl go there for example:
Princeton - preppy, most undergraduate focused Ivy, rather small compared

Columbia - crazy liberal NYCers, most renown “core”, liberal arts amazing

MIT - freezing nerds on a weird lookin’ campus

but what about the others UPENN, Cornell, Dartmouth, Stanford, and Harvard
???..

chocolateluvr88 · January 17, 2006, 7:28pm

MIT and Stanford aren’t Ivy league colleges

Cornell- freezing cold weather, everyone studies a lot, good for engineering

kcirsch · January 17, 2006, 7:52pm

Harvard - melting pot of the Ivies, prolly the least socially adept students, but Boston brings it all back together - has been criticized for graduate school focus

Penn - “The Social Ivy” amazing business school, philly is awesome, very…different architecture but i found it somewhat pretty

_equilibrium · January 17, 2006, 7:52pm

Brown seems to be known as the SLIGHTLY more “eclectic” university, while Princeton is at the preppy end of the spectrum…

311Griff · January 17, 2006, 8:04pm

Depends on who you talk to…I assume that a large amount of people, like the OP for instance, don’t know which schools make up the actual Ivy League (the league of crappy sports competition), but just group schools–known for their academic prowess–into the “ivy” category.

A lot of people I talk to (in Utah) don’t give two ****s about schools like Dartmouth, Cornell, or Penn. They do know/have heard about Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Brown, Stanford, Berkeley, and MIT. Those names, for whatever reason, have a recognition factor. Also, Ivy league athletic programs NEVER make national noise, because their football and basketball programs all suck compared to the big dogs. So, since the “ivy league” is not able to penetrate the common public except by using USNWR, or Hollywood, other schools are mistaken for being “ivy league” in place of actual Ivy League participants.

Personally, I think of the Ivy League like this:

Harvard/Yale–the big dogs of the Ivy League, the Parents, founders, what have you. Basically, they are the standard.

Brown/Penn–schools who can hold their own, and are “legitimate” when it comes to the Ivy standard.

Cornell/Dartmouth–fake ivies. These schools just lucked out that they were in the athletic league with Harvard and Yale back in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s and were able to stay attached to the aforementioneds’ coattails. Students go here just to be able to say, “I went to an Ivy League school.” even though Harvard and Yale were not options.

Columbia–This seems like a school that has commercialized somehow…doesn’t seem to belong in the Ivy League for some reason…I can’t put a finger on it. Maybe it has to do with the Columbia College located in Salt Lake City–no affiliation to Ivy Columbia, but still has the name Columbia.

If I missed any, well that’s because they really don’t count!!!

That’s my perception of the Ivies.

chocolateluvr88 · January 17, 2006, 8:18pm

Um, you missed Princeton, was that on purpose? 311Griff, I must say, I really don’t agree with everything you said…

anyway, I forgot one thing for Cornell- beautiful

311Griff · January 17, 2006, 8:43pm

you don’t have to agree, since it’s just my opinion…usually people’s opinions are not to be agreed with, lest every conversation they have is BORING!!

hopeful4cornell · January 17, 2006, 8:50pm

" A lot of people I talk to (in Utah) don’t give two ****s about schools like Dartmouth, Cornell, or Penn. They do know/have heard about Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Brown, Stanford, Berkeley, and MIT. Those names, for whatever reason, have a recognition factor."

Cornell has more “common man” recognition and “global man” recognition than Brown, Dartmouth, and possibly Penn(often confused with penn state).

warblersrule · January 17, 2006, 9:02pm

Here’s a good post I saved from a while back (not mine).

Brown-Brown students are unique in that they tend to have a flair for everything they do. I can’t really describe it, but it certainly is not the typical image of an ivy league student. You’ll have to see it for yourself. Brown’s major selling point is its lack of an open curriculum, a great aspect if you feel like a core curriculum would hold you down. There are requirements for a degree, but other than those, you can take absolutely anything you want, and you can even take any and all of your classes S/NC (pass/fail). You can add a class during the first 15 days of the semester, after that it costs 15 bucks. You can drop a class up until the last day of classes (if you’re doing really poorly in a class and don’t want it to blemish your record).
The professors are very easy to approach. The people you share your day to day life with come from varied backgrounds but are admitted on the same standards as you; you won’t find too many cookie cutter, valedictorian shut-in types here. Everybody is dynamic, and it makes for a very, very fun and ambitious student body.

Columbia- For people who want a well-rounded education and appreciate a big city environment; on the liberal side; not as preppy as some of the other ivies; philosophical and steeped in the classics.

Cornell-The work is very tough but not meaningless. Cornell is not a walk in the park, but Cornell graduates, especially in some fields (engineering, hotel, AEM, ILR, etc.) are among the most sought after in the country, even above many of the other ivies. Cornell students consistently gain acceptence into the most elite medical, law, and business schools. And employers constantly turn to Cornell because they are looking for motivated, well-trained individuals to lead their companies into the future. Cornell students do work hard, but they play even harder. Don’t think that just because you are going to a reputable school you will be a slave to your classes. Cornell students, even in the most labor-intensive of majors, still find time to do whatever they want. On weekends, Cornell comes alive with an intensity not usually seen outside of state schools. If you think that you will be sacrificing your social life when you come here, you are in for a big surprise. From hockey games to concerts to the massive parties which draw students by the hundreds, they all find a way to blow off steam and have a great time. 

Dartmouth- Most Dartmouth students are incredibly friendly and open, and its easy to communicate with them. There is actually a lot to do, and people seem to enjoy random fun things such as road trips, jumping in the river, fun parties, etc. The place always has something going on. The student body is very tight, and it is amazing how people will go freely between frats and other places as compared to many other schools. The campus is beautiful, especially in the summer and winter. Students take advantage of this by going hiking, skiing, etc. The school also breeds a sense of coziness, and things like drinking hot chocolate with some friends by a fireplace in a dorm on a random night happen all the time. It’s a place that breeds intellectual curious students, many of whom really get to know and appreciate each other. The professors are truly amazing and the opportunities such as grants, study abroad, etc are endless. The only thing I could say negative is that most Dartmouth students are relatively social and outgoing, so there is a tendency for some students to conform vs. other places. Also, some of the frats are jock-dominated, then again there are others that are not. 

Harvard-The school with the name. Out of the students who get into Harvard, the ones who choose to go seem to be highly motivated by the status that the name brings, and they seem to lose motivation once in Cambridge. The friends I have here feel swept under the rug. Although it certainly has many top name professors, many of these professors are teaching at the graduate schools, while the avg. undergrad class size is the largest out of HYP, and its undergrad program is generally considered to be below the other top ivies.

Princeton-Atmosphere is highly intellectual, but students are down to earth. The school supports undergraduates moreso than the other ivies. Because the students mostly seem to have chosen the school based on qualitative, rather than reputational, factors, the student body remains very academically motivated, while at many other similarly prestigious schools, students are known to slack off and rely on the easy grading scales. Opens lots of doors for grad school and research opportunities because the school is known to take an active role in helping to advise/guide/find opportunities for its students. 

Yale-People are very hardworking, and they love to learn. They’re competitive with themselves, if that makes any sense. They challenge themselves, want to improve, etc., but without a cutthroat atmosphere. People generally seemed very happy and friendly. I’m not sure it’s a communal effort; yes they help each other at times, but it’s also very independent.

MIT-A school with genuine, hard-working students with a true passion for the sciences. Contains some of the world’s top math/ sciences geniuses and has won the Putnam math competition many times. You have to be genuinely brillant (scientifically) to get into MIT, because admissions doesn’t put as much weight on non-science extracurriculars, athletics, family fame, etc. Because of the hellish work load, people tend to be less egotistical and more collaborative. Although Princeton and Harvard are competitive in the theoretical sciences, MIT tends to have an edge in engineering and applied science.

slipper1234 · January 17, 2006, 10:11pm

Ummm 311Giff you are totally wrong. Calling Brown/ Penn legitimate yet calling Dartmouth, Cornell and Columbia illegitimate is ridiculous.

311Griff · January 17, 2006, 10:58pm

^^^it’s about perceptions man, the OP asked for perceptions, and I was giving my perceptions based on the little direct experiences I have with the Ivy league schools. I don’t live near any, and don’t respect any of their athletic programs…so my perception is what I gave. Wrong, or not, it’s perception=opinion.

UCLAri · January 17, 2006, 11:04pm

I only have one perception about the whole lot of them:

COLD.

bluebayou · January 17, 2006, 11:55pm

perception: Penn just won a BCS game with JoePa as coach!

system · January 18, 2006, 1:14am

lol I hope the JoePa thing is a joke

HYP are the three best academically in the ivy league and arguably the world

Cornell is the least academically rigorous in terms of admissions but the work is really hard, especially due to its really good and big engineering program

Columbia has NYC, more liberal and New-Yorkish

Dartmouth is a traditional party school and really cold

Brown is liberal and sort of out there

Penn is good all around, most fun probably

slipper1234 · January 18, 2006, 1:32am

I think the list Warbler published is spot on…here is mine for Columbia.

COLUMBIA:

Academically, Columbia is about the core first and foremost. Its a great academic experience (the ‘cocktail party education’ since you seem to study almost all the great western works). It also ends up forming a community since you take the same class with the same 20 students for the entire year. In other academic areas Columbia offers a broad range of classes (like Hindi for example), but in the feeder class areas (such as pre-med and calculus) the classes are huge and the operationis factory-like. For those going into very specific areas and are willing to do part time internships (fashion, music), the NYC advantage is there. For everyone else Columbia recruiting is no better than the other Ivies.

Socially, Columbia is a city school. Most columbia students are a more intense, urban breed who are very willing to trade on campus parties for going out downtown or socializing in smaller groups. The West End is a decent college bar, but its nothing compared to the party scene at the social ivies (Dartmouth, Penn, Princeton, Brown). Columbia is great for an independent student who wants NYC culture and is a little intense. Like any school there is some community - Carman Hall is a first year hall and John Jay is a first year dining hall, but after this the dorms and dining experience is much less social. Columbia students also don’t seem to be out to help everyone, its a much more cliquey scene. Columbia is strict about parties in the dorms and since it students don’t have houses, you miss out on the laid back house parties that are prevelant at almost every school. Its also a big university, so its not like you know everyone. The library is quiet and filled with is unlike the social libraries at the other ivies (it used to be very social until a few years ago). If you are a person seeking community, big festivals, and like to see a bunch of people you know on the weekends all the other Ivies are better options. If you don’t care about the community aspects as much and want to find amazingly talented people in a more intense environment Columbis is the perfect ivy.

Adding to Dartmouth’s synopsis in warbler’s post (which I wrote lol):

DARTMOUTH (extended):
All of the community aspects at Dartmouth end up serving graduates tremendously well. The school’s alumni are ready and willing to help out to extrordinary measures in a variety of fields ranging from entertainment to private equity. Also, graduate placement is outstanding and Dartmouth is one of the best in the world at placing graduates into top programs and jobs.

smokeylarue · January 18, 2006, 8:47am

Perceptions of a common Californian:

Harvard: Geniuses
Yale: Geniuses
Princeton: Geniuses
Brown: Good academic reputation
Columbia: Good reputation
Dartmouth: Most probably never heard of this school, and think the name is horrible.
UPenn: A lot of people are shocked to find out its an Ivy, so not very well known I guess.
Cornell: Good reputation for those that know about it, probably not as well known either

gomestar · January 18, 2006, 10:29am

here’s my general opinion of the other ivies based on questions i’ve asked friends who are at these schools:

Harvard - either very geeky kids with minimal social skills or preppy private school kids who have never worked a day in their lives and have ridden on either the alumni or social prestige of their parents. Even though Harvard may not have some of the best academic program (though many are the best) it’s still Harvard and many kids attend for this very reason.

Columbia - kids who looove the city come here. My choice for grad school (but only because of its location).

UPenn - social ivy. My friends talk of parties.

Cornell - i’m a current student at Cornell. We mock those who don’t consider Cornell a ‘true ivy’ and dare them to take a real Cornell class (since we know it’s not likely they’ll do well). Four seasons of weather, but the winters aren’t as bad as people think, it’s been hanging around the 40’s lately with a high of 60 last week. Most students are highly motivated. Alumni network is extremely strong and job placement rates are phenominal. Cornell also boasts some of the best grad, med, and law school placement rates in the country (the school of industrial and labor relations holds the highest acceptance rate into top law schools beating all other ivies and other top-tier schools). Cornell thrives on unique schools (hotel administration, ilr, the ag school) on whose graduates set the industry standard. Though the work is tough, it’s not cut-throat between students like some believe it is. As a student, my biggest competition is “beating” my professors by getting an A in their class. The majority of students love it here and wouldn’t trade it for any other school (including myself).

also, warblersrule86’s post on Cornell was spot on too.

slipper1234 · January 18, 2006, 10:41am

I’d say overall perception wise for the common person its:

1) Harvard
drop…
2) Yale
drop…
3) Princeton
big drop…

4) Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell

5) Penn

My experience with Dartmouth and Columbia has been “is that one of those ivy league schools.” But I am actually surprised how many people you would think wouldn’t know the Ivies actually do.

For the educated person its:

1) Harvard, Princeton, Yale
2) Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Penn
2.5) Cornell

This has been my experience talking with people.

Flavian · January 18, 2006, 11:16am

Cornell shouldn’t be on the bottom. If you ask a Scientist, Cornell is definately on top of Darthmouth and Brown.

On the other hand, an elitist would probably place Dart and Brown over Cornell.

slipper1234 · January 18, 2006, 11:22am

I agree with you, I was referring to the undergraduate colleges as a whole. Most people in my experience still think of Cornell as the easiest ivy admit, which tends to give it a lower perception. In especially in engineering, Cornell is considered better than many of its peers.

General Perceptions Of Ivies

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