People can be so wealthy and well connected that it doesn’t matter where they go to college, and they know it.
It’s kind of like money. It’s mostly a big deal to people who don’t have it.
“You’re saying there’s no tables available now?”
“That’s right Mr. Bush. The line’s right there.”
“But my grandfather was head of the CIA, Vice President and President of the United States! My dad was Governor of Florida! Even my uncle was President of the United States!”
“You heard me bub, get back in line!”
“But I went to Brown!”
“Oh! Why didn’t you say so! Right this way, SIR!”
The Bush families could almost send their kids to any decent college.
But their children did not have strong interest in tippy top college.
Do we know that Jeb’s kids actually applied to any Ivies and/or top ranked schools and were rejected? Or did they just decide not to apply for whatever reason (reasons likely varied by kid). To the extent there is value in the network/people you meet, I don’t think Jeb’s kids will be hurting in that regard no matter where they went to school.
The political part of the equation is all the more reason for kids to go to school within the state where one has political aspirations.
"I was looking at Jeb Bush’s bio and one of his kid went to Rice (that’s the only good school any sibling got into) and then got a law degree from UT, other only got a BA from UT and daughter went to community college and then FSU.
I was wondering that we hear so much about legacy hooks so why his family hooks weren’t powerful enough to get them into top colleges? It’s not like they couldn’t afford tuition."
I don’t think you understand. The Bushes and other families at that level of wealth and influence don’t “need” their kids to tick off any Ivy League school boxes to impress others. They are the ones who need to be impressed, not the ones who need to do the impressing. Rich families can send their kids wherever they want to go because they’re already set. Some of them like / value elite schools; others don’t.
As for political dynasties, going to college in the state is often more powerful than an Ivy League degree would bel. Don’t make the provincial mistake that everyone bows to Ivies everywhere you go.
If you look at bios of wealthy or overachieving folks, most sent their kids to top schools. Clintons, Obama, Trump, Steve Jobs, etc etc. Ones who don’t, usually send them to liberal arts colleges, not community colleges.
The Clintons, Obamas and Jobs are first generation wealth. Trump is second generation wealth. The Bush family is third generation wealth. Huge difference in how you view the need to establish connections. Bush family business at this point is essentially politics which also changes the dynamics (Texas and Florida are home bases).
From what I have seen Noelle went to Tallahassee Community College and then to Florida State about the time her dad was governor of Florida and living in Tallahassee. She had drug problems. Family may well have thought it best to keep her near home (I doubt her drug arrest was her first run-in with drug problems). Its also the case that some kids aren’t meant for 4 year colleges (though we push many of there anyway) right after high school or in some cases ever.
Jeb’s kids seem to be doing fine. Working in the family business (politics or otherwise). Sure they will be fine. At some point someone may give one of them a book deal to talk about being part of a political family dynasty.
“If you look at bios of wealthy or overachieving folks, most sent their kids to top schools. Clintons, Obama, Trump, Steve Jobs, etc etc. Ones who don’t, usually send them to liberal arts colleges, not community colleges.”
Honey. There are a lot of truly wealthy people in this country who are not public enough to have “bios” that you will ever be reading. They own or are leaders in private companies where compensation isn’t public record, or have their wealth other ways that aren’t as visible as politics or high-visibility tech. They prefer to stay under the radar, will never be known to you or me or anyone else, and they will send their kids wherever the heck they want to and not care about ticking any Ivy boxes unless they so desire. Your fantasy is just that, a fantasy.
Btw, riddle me this. Does it cost more to build, say, a dorm or a theater at an elite school versus a non-elite one? How do you think such buildings get built at “lesser” schools? It doesn’t occur to you that the family giving $5 million to build the building at “lesser” schools has just as much money as the family giving $5 million to build the building at an elite school - they just supported a different cause?