<p>I’ve interviewed 35 year olds for corporate jobs who when asked, “What is it about our company that interests you” respond, 'Your generous maternity leave policy". I’ve interviewed 50 year olds who when asked, “why do you think this role is a good fit for your interests” respond, “Well I usually don’t get along very well with my co-workers, so I’m hoping your telecommute arrangements will work to my advantage”.</p>
<p>So yes, I believe that 17 and 18 year olds make stupid comments during an interview.</p>
<p>I knew some people who were very unhappy they sent their child to Yale. He was an early computer science major, graduating in 1974, and has had a great career and a great life in Silicon Valley. But he has spent his entire adult life from college on in an unconventional family arrangement – not an even number of adults, lack of clarity as to which man fathered which child, etc. – and his parents, who were small-town businesspeople in Nebraska, blamed Yale for that. They forbade their second child to apply to college anywhere in the Northeast; she went to Duke and came home married to a foreign-born communist. Child #3 was sent to the University of Nebraska. (That didn’t work, either.)</p>
<p>Someone who is more internet search savvy than I- somewhere not that long ago I read that the two U’s in the US with the greatest percentage of communists “back in the day” were CUNY and Berkeley (both public U’s btw). Please can’t we see a “where can I send my kid so he won’t marry a communist” thread???</p>
<p>And if we’re posting experiences of people who went to college back in the 60’s and 70’s, when will some post a screed on the Weathermen and SDS???</p>
<p>The percentage of communists true enough to practice what they preach on a personal level was still very small. The housing information sheets from the Berkeley housing office a few decades ago mentioned that <1% of the students lived on communes. (Note: not the same as the cooperative houses, which, then and now, attracted students of all political leanings.)</p>
<p>I should make clear that the man in question (a good friend of mine, as is the woman) is not (and has never been) an actual member of any known Communist Party, other than the Democratic Party. He would fit comfortably into the Socialist Party of Britain or France. From the standpoint of his in-laws, however, that was a distinction without a difference. They did, nonetheless, appreciate that there was an equal number of men and women in this particular marriage, and that the number was one of each, so their resentment level toward Duke did not begin to approach their anger at Yale.</p>
<p>The Socialist Party in France has been a large mainstream party for decades. But the parties with “Socialist” in their names in the UK appear to be very small ones.</p>
<p>Of course, some people in the US consider the Democratic Party (or other large mainstream parties that are slightly left of center of their countries) to be a “communist” party.</p>
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<p>Somehow, it is hard to believe that Yale would influence someone to enter a polyandrous or polygynandrous marriage.</p>
<p>Back to the original question. Has anyone regretted sending their kids to an Ivy? I’d say by anecdotal information here, the answer is a resounding yes. But why make the question exclusive to Ivies? I’m pretty sure there’s not a school out there where some parents didn’t regret sending their kid. Again, what’s with the delineation? People make mistakes, whether it’s an Ivy or other expensive school. Why wasn’t the question, “Has anyone regretted sending their kids to an expensive school?”</p>
<p>I presume, teriwtt, that because they have this won-the-golden-ring aura to so many people, the question arises whether going to one is always the big “win” that it’s supposed to be. I’m not saying that the aura is justified, but it would be disingenuous to ignore that it exists. Thus they attract this kind of question.</p>
<p>And there are plenty of expensive schools that are not at all good values. At least the ivys provide the window sticker bragging rights for the parents.</p>
<p>^^^ So I wonder if those sticker-bragging parents remove their stickers when little Johnny or Sue drops out or fails out and/or they find out it’s not a good match?</p>
<p>When D1 was applying to colleges, we met a couple at a party who went to Princeton UG. As D1 was interested in applying there we asked the couple about their experience at Princeton. This couple were in their late 30s without kids. I remember them telling us (D1 wasn’t there) that they wished they would have gone to a different school. Both of them thought P was very difficult academically and warned us that D1 could lose confidence if she couldn’t keep up.</p>
<p>My H, who is from NJ originally now living in CA, refused to consider Princeton for our kids. He objected to the senior thesis, said UG students should be there for a broad education and didn’t think they should be spending so much time on a narrow subject. He also didn’t think P should be charging tuition for the time the students were writing thesis.</p>
<p>Have not read Gladwell’s article that the OP is referring to. However, it sounds like a repetition of his theme in much of his work. He tends to come up with a basic idea, find some research to support it, and promote it. </p>
<p>His ideas seem to promote an anti-intellectual attitude. Just like he emphasized hard work vs. innate abilities in Outliers, he is suggesting that bright, talented students go to a less challenging school to optimize their chances at grades, or to minimize possible low self-esteem. Really?! </p>
<p>While some students would certainly feel overwhelmed in an overly competitive environment, and do not belong at such a school, most students benefit from an environment that supports enriched learning with similarly engaged peers.</p>
<p>This is definitely a YMMV deal. The Princeton alums I knew from older HS classmates, friends, and cousin-in-law, had no issues with academics even though they were challenged at times. </p>
<p>The ones who had positive experiences enjoyed it immensely. The ones who had negative experiences/issues with Princeton were exclusively on the social side and took place before Princeton changed it’s admissions policies to be more inclusive on the SES front by admitting more public school kids*. </p>
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<li>According to Jonri’s post on another thread and later, confirmed by a HS friend who is a Princeton alum who had a positive experience himself, but knew of other classmates who ran into those social/SES snobbery issues during his earlier years there.</li>
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