LOL! If you want to study Near Eastern Studies, will you go to Dartmouth? No, you’ll head to Michigan where the <em>undergrad</em> classes are taught by a <em>professor</em> in classes of 5-25 people. If you want to study Celtic Studies, will you go to Dartmouth? No, you’ll head to UC Berkeley (even Harvard lacks an undergrad major in this field). If you want to major in botany, will you go to Dartmouth? Probably not. You’ll head somewhere like Cornell or Michigan. If you want to study International Relations, will you go to Dartmouth? No, you’ll head for Tufts. For that matter, I don’t see what all the fuss about grad students is about. Personally, the grad students I’ve had as TA’s were very informed and up-to-date with research in the field; I’m not sure you can say that about professors who received tenure a while ago. </p>
<p>Supposedly picking a school based on a major is a bad idea. I agree; I have changed my mind repeatedly about what I plan to study. However, there is no denying the fact that Michigan, as a large university, offers resources that Dartmouth cannot hope to match. I’m not bashing Dartmouth- I like it, and my cousin teaches in the German department there. I just don’t see how you can say how one is undeniably “better” than the other.</p>
<p>Lesson number one: first of all, Switzerland IS NOT EVEN A MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. Yeah, it’s probably a big surprise to you and many Americans, but it’s true. Look it up. They are independent. Period.</p>
<p>Switzerland’s medical system is amongst the best in the world. Have you ever lived or even been there? Do you have personal experience with the medical system there or are you just talking out of your butt? I have lived and worked in Switzerland. How does it compare to the US? Let’s put it this way, if I was seriously ill and had to choose between a random US hospital and a random Swiss hospital, I’ll take the Swiss one 7 days out of the week and twice on Sunday. Sure at the very highest levels, the US medical system is the best in the world, but let’s be real for a second - not everyone can waltz into Mass General in Boston or the Mayo Clinic - in fact, the “average” hospital in the US would pale in comparison to the “average” Swiss hospital.</p>
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<p>TOTALLY WRONG. </p>
<p>Switzerland’s personal tax rates are amongst THE lowest not only in Europe but vs. most developed countries - LOWER THAN THE US.</p>
<p>Even at the highest income brackets, personal income taxes rarely exceed 30%. Corporate taxes? Also amongst the lowest in Europe. Again, they aren’t a member of the EU. Why do you think so many rich people end up retiring there? </p>
<p>Why do you think so many rich people put their assets in Swiss Banks? It’s simple. There’s no safer place in the world to put your money. Period.</p>
<p>Further, I love how you don’t address any of the main points and positives I pointed out - things like **NO CRIME, NO TERRORISM, NO WAR<a href=“the%20last%20official%20war%20involving%20the%20Swiss%20was%20about%20150%20years%20ago”>/b</a>.</p>
<p>Basically, there are some things that the Swiss got right.</p>
<p>Listen, here’s some friendly advice, when you have absolutely NO IDEA what you are talking about except for some random snippets you heard about on the Jay Leno show or some random facts you read on the back of some matchbook - best to keep it to yourself. That way, you don’t risk looking like a complete jackass. Save yourself any further embarrassment.</p>
<p>For the great majority of students Dartmouth is clearly better. </p>
<p>There are three exceptions:
“Vocational” areas like Engineering, Nursing, Film, Art, Music, etc where you learn specific skills. No Liberal Arts focused school, even Harvard can compete in these areas with the leading research institutions in the specific areas. NYU film is better than Harvard film.
Heavy science/ Research - if you are THE top of your class and end up working with a nobel prize winner Michigan might be a better bet. Not for med school, but to be a researcher in the long-term. Not many students fit this role.
If you really want to focus in something random, like Punjabi asd opposed to Hindi, Michigan will give you more options.</p>
<p>For everyone else, the Ivies win by a longshot.</p>
<p>Jags, only Scandinavian countries have taxes that exceed 50%, and their welfare states are actually not in danger of collapsing anytime soon. Germany and France have taxes that run at about 45%, compared to 37% in the US. Not exactly that much of a difference.</p>
<p>Slipper, I majored in Economics at Michigan. I graduated with a 3.45 GPA, had offers from Goldman Sachs, Lazard and Lehman Brothers and I was admitted into Columbia’s graduate Econ program. I was concidered an “average” student at Michigan. My close group of friends, which numbered at about 20 or so (we still keep in touch on a very regular basis until this day), all had similar options when they graduated…and they majored in all sorts of fields, ranging from English and Political Science to Engineering and Math. As an alum of both an Ivy and Michigan, I can say with a great deal of certainty and confidence that most of the Ivies do not beat Michigan in any way…and certainly not by a “longshot”.</p>
<p>“the “average” hospital in the US would pale in comparison to the “average” Swiss hospital.”</p>
<p>Haha, i highly doubt this to be fact. However, the Swiss do have an amazing country, and it is run without question at a higher, more effective level, in my oppinion, than most countries in Europe.</p>
<p>It is also so strange comparing Dartmouth and Michigan. To wonderfull universities, whose strengths lay in such different areas. An ivy, prestigious and focused on undergraduate. One of the best undergraduate educations you can find anywhere. My family has had ties to Dartmouth since its origin. Michigan, however, is one of the top Doctoral research institutions in the nation. It has so countless of its programs ranked in the top ten, and a very respected and prestigious name across the U.S. and world. These two universities are both so different, with strengths in such different areas and focuses, its difficult to call one universally better than the other.</p>
<p>Alexandre, with all due respect, I think you are being a bit too “humble” - landing those kind of post-graduate options is hardly “average” for any senior be it at HYPSM or Michigan.</p>
<p>There are slackers at Harvard and there are slackers at Michigan. You’re obviously a high achiever - definitely not the “norm”.</p>
<p>I mean let’s be real. Are you suggesting that all of those bulge bracket i-banking jobs just landed in your lap largely due to the fact that you were an “average” Michigan student, or did you do your research, nail your interviews and successfully present your case as a high achiever?</p>
<p>Alex, you have to “measure” some of your comments with a little bit of reality.</p>
<p>You were obviously highly motivated, well prepared and and even a bit lucky (not a knock on you but the wall st. job process can be very random - as both you and i know well having been through the process)</p>
<p>Basically, my issue with your posts is that you are giving the false impression that:</p>
<ul>
<li>You can go to Michigan</li>
<li>Be an “average” 3.4 GPA student</li>
<li>And then walk away at the end with multiple Wall St. job offers and Ivy grad opportunities</li>
</ul>
<p>That’s simply not a fair representation of reality.</p>
<p>You need to BUST YOUR ASS no matter where you graduate from, you need to DO YOUR HOMEWORK, you need to IMPRESS THE HELL out of your potential i-banker, you need to be WELL PREPARED, you need to have a GREAT SELLING angle, you need to be CONVINCING and HIGHLY MOTIVATED - and then MAYBE if you’re lucky can you walk away with multiple Wall St. job offers and Ivy grad options.</p>
<p>i’ll give you society… but no reality will ever justify the pedastal you and your buddies have placed beneath a few (granted quite good) universities</p>
<p>Society? Many members think MIT, Stanford, maybe Caltech are in the Ivy league. Many people don’t know what it is, can’t name all eight or sometimes even more than one school, and know little about it, besides that it’s “'spose tah be good.”</p>
<p>They Ivy League is a sports conference consisting of 8 members all in the northeast of the united states. Pro Ivy, anti-Ivy. There’s a whole section devoted to each school on the main page, and many brainwashed people striving for “Ivy or bust!” Is being anti-Ivy saying that there are other schools of the same caliber and quality?</p>
You’re attacking a straw man. I as a consumer in the US, I can get medical treatment that I can’t get in switzerland. There’s also more innovation in the US, so I get newer experimental treatments that help fight things like AIDS, Cancer, etc…</p>
<p>
You know what else? If the Swiss government spends money, without taking it from the people, you get debt. Switzerland’s national debt is 3-4 times its GDP. Even the US’s national debt, despite the bipartisan complaints about it, is only 0.75 of our GDP.</p>
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This has NOTHING to do with A) Healthcare, B) Taxes</p>
<p>
They also didn’t help anyone out against Hitler or Mussolini in World War II. Switzerland came close to being invaded, and never even moved to help other nations during WWII. Basically, the reason the Swiss are neutral is because, from the international perspective, they are unprincipled. They prefer unjust peace to just war. And now, they’re not significant enough on the international stage to warrant attention from terrorist groups.</p>
<p>Assuming you are actually covered. Tell that to the MILLIONS of people who don’t have basic healthcare coverage in the US. Your gonna sit there and tell me some guy earning minimum wage busing tables is gonna walk into a general hospital and get covered for triple by-pass heart surgery? You’ve been watching too much ER my friend. The Healthcare Crisis in America is one of the biggest calamaties for the so-called world’s greatest superpower it’s downright embarrassing.</p>
<p>A Swiss national can walk into any Swiss hospital get treatment. Period.</p>
<p>WHY DOESN’T ANYONE HAVE THE BALLS TO ADDRESS THE PINK ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM?</p>
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<p>No they aren’t getting attacked by terrorist groups because they don’t meddle in other nations affairs. Basically, they keep to themselves.</p>
<p>Who funded and provided weapons to Saddam Hussein in the Iran Iraq War? The US</p>
<p>Who funded and provided weapons to Osama Bin Laden in the Afghan resistance against the Soviets? The US</p>
<p>How does America’s pro-Israeli / anti-Palestinian stance play a major role in fueling anti-American sentiment throughout the Muslim world? </p>
<p>What about present day Iraq? Do you think the US would give two hoots about Iraq if there wasn’t massive oil reserves there? The only difference between Saddam and Iraq vs. some banana republic despot sitting 90 miles away from Florida (i.e. Cuba) is that Iraq has OIL.</p>
<p>A lot of the pre-9/11 and post-9/11 hostilities are a DIRECT result of flawed US foreign policy - chickens are coming home to roost for the US.</p>
<p>So don’t give this song and dance about America being such an altruist. That may have been true 50 years ago during the height of the “greatest generation” but the world is totally different now and America has to take equal responsibility and blame for the situation it currently faces.</p>
<p>Yeah, if you are in a major car accident or some random guy stabs you in the heart - they have no choice. That’s hardly what we are talking about. That hardly qualifies for a “health plan”.</p>
<p>If you want to have any type of major ELECTIVE surgery / operation without coverage - you are sh_t out of luck my friend.</p>