Role of "Ivy Connections" in Grad School

Applying to College
1

Hello,

I have some questions regarding the prestige and other prominent features of Ivy League schools as they relate to grad school. But, before I begin, let me preface this discussion.

As far as I understand, one of the most distinguishing features of an Ivy League education are the connections one forms with other students. Of course, many will argue that superior academics, an increased amount of diversity, and exposure to new/different ideas comprise a large component of the Ivy League appeal. However, as far as I’m concerned, it could just as easily be argued that these factors (academics, diversity, etc.) are no more special than they are at other schools (I’m speaking of highly regarded state schools, and even most “mid-tier” schools). That leaves students connections as the sole, distinguishing aspect of an Ivy League education, or any elite education (Stanford, MIT, etc) for that matter.

My concern is twofold: First, what exactly is the role of such connections, and second, is this aspect of an elite (Ivy or otherwise) education still relevant for grad students?

I understand that I might be somewhat ambiguous as to what I mean by “Ivy Connection”, but it is a term I’ve heard used before to describe a prominent appeal of an elite education. Perhaps other may not have heard the term used prior to this post.

Anyways, if anyone could enlighten me on the relevance of such “connections” for grad students, I’d be very grateful.

By the way, I am NOT a prospective grad student, I am actually a high school senior who is curious about the various appeals for an Ivy League education, and how relevant such appeals are for grad school. Also, I will NOT be attending an Ivy League school as an undergrad either; I applied to a few, but was rejected.

EDIT: Here is an excerpt from a 2011 Investopedia article that may better explain what I’m talking about:

Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0811/the-value-of-an-ivy-league-education.aspx#ixzz3WfGQK5B2

2

Depends a lot on the industry.

3

@PurpleTitan‌ How about for the engineering/Computer Science industry.

4

AFAIK Ivies aren’t necessarily the strongest in engineering/CS fields. Stanford, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Purdue, UMich, etc. are places where you can get a lot of CS/Engineering connections.

5

Right. Or rather, some Ivies and some non-Ivies.

I would refer to these lists:
https://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/edu/rankings/us/undergraduate-software-engineering
https://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/edu/rankings/us/graduate-software-engineering-small

However, CS and engineering are fields where your own skills matter most.

6

While the information provided above is helpful, it does not quite address my concerns. I’m wondering, whether or not the connections that one forms at an elite school are still attainable as a grad student. For instance, most students that attend an Ivy League (or similar school) as an undergrad claim that one one the chief benefits of attending that school is not the academics or the professors, but rather the connections they made with their peers. My question then is, are these connections still possible to form as a grad student, even though grad students are typically not involved in many of the same activities that undergrad students are.

7

As a grad student, you will not be hanging out with the undergrads, so no, you will not become part of the networks formed by those undergrads. Instead you will become part of the professional networks formed by working intensively with the faculty members and other grad students in your department. These are two very different kinds of networks, and give their members different kinds of benefits in life.

Even though there is a lot of talk here at CC about how special the peer connections at certain institutions can be, the truth is that not everyone is good at forming those connections, or at taking advantage of any connections that they do form. A lot of what appears to outsiders to be special “I graduated from an Ivy” advantages in life actually are more along the lines of “My family is rich and my relatives have been going to Ivies forever” advantages, and do not necessarily accrue to people whose families did not already move in those circles before the student enrolled at that college or university.

8

They could. Stanford grad students have started a ton of companies with each other. In fact, I believe that most of the more successful companies started by Stanford alums were actually started by its grad students, not undergrads.

9

@b3jh24 The notion of true diversity at an Ivy Leage school is laughable. While a certain degree of (controlled) racial, religious and geographical diversity is certainly present, economic diversity is not a strong point. Enough charity cases are admitted to mitigate the guilty feelings of the privileged admittees, but the Honors Colleges at most state flagships and the privates truly commited to diversity as a core value blow the Ivy League out of the water on this front. That said, many top LACs are even worse; same if your public option is in Utah or Nebraska. There are a lot of reasons to attend an Ivy, but the warped sense of diversity they provide should not be listed amongst them IMHO.

10

If you plan to go to grad school, your connections there will be more important than any undergrad connections. For most fields, grad school is what matters.

11

@sltxdad‌ My thoughts exactly. I know it’s been said that Ivy’s are among the most diverse, but I’ve always argued that they’re more homogenous than most state schools.

Everyone else,

thank you for your responses, and insightful comments. I was curious about how connections made as an undergrad, vs connections made as a grad student differed, and what was more important.