Seattle Times: Should Learning Be its Own Reward?

bethievt
Wed, 22 Nov 2006 10:42:50 +0000

BurnThis

I didn’t mean to be harsh. Of course it’s fine for your son to aspire to any school he wants. And it sounds like he has a shot at Yale. But unless you’ve bought Yale a building lately or he’s a rock star or you’re the POTUS, you and he can’t count on it. My son is a great student also, but he knows he can’t count on the most selective schools on his list. And they may not even be the best match for him. I truly don’t believe that higher selectivity necessarily equals better school.

And I don’t think it is ignorant (you didn’t say this, but someone else did) to say that an Ivy undergrad degree is not necessary for success. There may be some tiny fraction of jobs where it could be important, but not for most. I’m not saying the schools are over-rated; I’m saying the need to attend them is.