<p>I’m a international student from Japan. I’m here to ask your opinions about college choice. </p>
<p>I have two older brothers and one older sister, 2 of them go to Harvard and 1 of them go to Princeton. Of course, my parents wish that I go to an elite school too like them. However, I just don’t see the point going to those schools: Every undergraduate school teaches the same thing… why do I have to go to those schools? </p>
<p>Well my parents’ answer was they want me to be successful. They forced me to search where all the “famous” people graduated from, and unfortunately, all of them(so far) graduated from Ivy.</p>
<p>Then I sort of thought it all over again. This is what I think now: It’s not the undergraduate schools that made people famous/successful. It’s the people graduates made the school famous/competitive. </p>
<p>I thought it this way: the elite schools only accept the top students with ambition, they are determined to succeed. When the schools have more famous alumni, the school naturally get more applicants. Then it become competitive at last…</p>
<p>I know this sounds weird but I think Ivies really aren’t a good fit for me. I’m not as smart as my brothers and sisters and I know some of you might laugh at my grammar. To sum things up, I don’t deserve a place in Harvard and Princeton, and I don’t want to ruin the chance for someone that might get in…</p>
<p>I’m gonna have another talk with my parents tomorrow morning and try to let them understand that Ivies are not for me… what do you think about my reasons? any good idea??</p>
<p>that is totally true, the only thing about elite schools is that the people you go to school with will be a bit brighter than those at non-elite schools. But in general, it is up to the individual to seek out the level of education that they want</p>
<p>People attend elite universities for the prestige. It may be shallow, but the world is a shallow place. When an employer looks at your resume and sees “Harvard graduate” you’re most likely getting that job. You don’t have to make a decision as to what school you want to attend until you see where you’re accepted, but you should definitely apply to the best schools you have a shot at. There are a lot of prestigious schools besides Harvard and Princeton, and by the tenor of your post it appears as though you have a shot at getting into them.</p>
<p>may I add to godgatherbob’s comment that it will only be helpful to you if you are a “Harvard graduate with an A or B grade” not a “Harvard graduate with a C-/D average”</p>
<p>Your English is quite good and elegant sounding, so I believe that will come through very well in any application you plan on sending.</p>
<p>Not a lot of people, not even here in America, understand the concept of ‘fit’. You however already understand the concept - the most prestigious or highest-ranking university is not necessarily the best university for you in terms of personality, activities, feeling, etc. </p>
<p>The good thing about the US is that there are quite a bit of good-quality and relatively high ranking universities, which could also satisfy your needs, while adding a bit of the “prestige” level. Ivies are not definitely everything. There are many, many schools beyond that group.</p>
<p>the ivy league are definitely not the only top/prestigious schools in the countryv. </p>
<p>you should definitely go to a “fit” school where you actually want to go, otherwise your investment won’t mean much. check out the book “looking beyond the ivy league” by loren pope. I think it’d be enlightening for both you and your parents (assuming they speak english).</p>
<p>“Every undergraduate school teaches the same thing… why do I have to go to those schools?” - WRONG! If the professor is any good, he teaches to the level of the student. So a classroom filled with well prepared students will go through the identical material much faster and with a better understanding.</p>
<p>“‘Every undergraduate school teaches the same thing… why do I have to go to those schools?’ - WRONG! If the professor is any good, he teaches to the level of the student. So a classroom filled with well prepared students will go through the identical material much faster and with a better understanding.”</p>
<p>Actually, not really. Every college classroom – from Harvard to Local State U – has students of differing abilities, and honestly the class can only go as quickly as the slowest student. Now it may be true at Harvard your slowest student may be much faster than your slowest student at Local State U.</p>
<p>The other thing is that you’re assuming that the world-class researchers at the Ivy League are good teachers. Honestly, being known for your research the world over does NOT make you a good professor. At my Ivy League graduate school, I’ve had teachers who simply sat in front of the class and bored the hell out of everyone for an hour and fifteen minutes, and I’ve had professors who’ve engaged you in discussion. At my second-tier undergrad, I had far less of the ‘lecture-and-test’ professors and many more of the discussion-oriented, attentive professors.</p>
<p>However, it is relatively true that every undergraduate program in a specific topic will teach you relative the same thing. A psychology major at Penn State is getting roughly the same program basics as a psychology major at the University of Pennsylvania. A mathematics major at Rutgers is going to learn the same math as the mathematics major at Princeton. The differences between majors/programs/subject learning will be subtle.</p>
<p>Honestly, the largest differences will be alumni/social network, resources (this, to me, is the best reason to go to a more prestigious school – they have RESOURCES. The stuff the undergrads get here I couldn’t dream about getting at my undergrad), the impact of general education requirements (like Columbia’s Core vs. Brown’s open curriculum)…those less tangible factors. But I’d wager there are just as many poor teachers at Harvard as there are at Penn State (proportionately speaking).</p>
<p>The Ivies open doors - and yes, they educate a certain elite. </p>
<p>However, not everyone is thrilled with Ivies (my Fortune 250 company does not recruit at Ivies, feeling its grads have an unrealistic sense of entitlement) and an Ivy is not a guarantee of success by any means. </p>
<p>You could research other very good, prestigious schools which your parents will respect but which could be a better fit for you. Amherst, Pomona, Northwestern, Brown, Tufts, Berkeley, UCLA all come to mind.</p>
<p>What list are you looking at for this? Maybe Oprah (Tennessee State University) or Michael Dell (University of Texas) or the late Sam Walton (University of Missouri). There are many, those are just a few which immediately come to mind.</p>
<p>Reed might be considered elite by some (those who value academics and research), since it produces the third- or fourth-highest percentage of future PhD earners in all fields combined, after the elites CalTech, Harvey Mudd, and (depending on the years measured) Swarthmore.</p>