For perspective, you could introduce yourself to, say, Amory Blaine.
Ivies generally produce bureaucrats not entrepreneurs
You need to read “Where you go is not who you will be.” LOTS of examples of how people who are the biggest successes in their area of expertise did NOT go to an Ivy League school but when to their state flagship or other less prestigious college/
I you want to start a business, don’t talk about it or think about trying to meet some other people’s criteria to get in to some school.
Go and actually try to start a business and learn from it.
Ivy league education isn’t necessarily superior to anything else. If anything, it makes getting a plain-old job easier since an employer will look at your education and say wow, this guy deserves a 100k a year job. On the other hand, many Ivies aren’t neccessarily the best place to look if you want to be a business owner.
No, you don’t “need to go to an Ivy.” What you need is better clarity on your goals and to get activated in the right ways . That’s not just a vague “to start a business that affects the world and make huge amounts of money.” How are you honing skills, gaining experiences, and having some impact, now? It seems you’re focused on the glory and rewards. How do you expect to know where you can make your mark, just focusing on college prestige? Ivies don’t “make” you a success, you do.
And tippy top colleges look for more than grades, club titles, and high school “dreams.”
FYI, Wharton actively seeks to root out kids whose goal is ‘to make loads of money’. They want students who are passionate about something, self driven and entrepreneurial (that means you’ve actually built and achieved something in high school), interested in liberal arts subjects (be it art history, French, or chemistry) just for the sake of it in addition to having a strong math background - money should be a byproduct of your interests and actions.
^ You betcha, MYOS. Its superficial and “young.” Kids need to show their attributes, their mettle, in line with what the colleges seek, not just tell future wants. In fact, ‘want to be important and rich’ can show simplistic thinking and come across as generic (any college with prestige, as long as it’s tops.)
OP, you have miles to go.
OK, back to the basics of your OP:
- You don't "Need" to attend an Ivy. It's not so much about word choice, it's about mindset. We get it. You want to attend an Ivy. So do the top 5% of kids in EVERY SINGLE high school in this nation (That's roughly 37,000 SCHOOLS, plus all the international kids who want the same thing.) Most of the Ivys accept between 5 and 12% of their applicants. Translation: The odds are overwhelmingly stacked against every single kid who wants to go to an Ivy League college. So change the mindset. Start to think about reaching your goal, about getting the EDUCATION you'll want in order to reach your goals. If you happen to be lucky enough to be admitted into an Ivy-- and yes, at that level it's about luck-- then great. But if the numbers work against you, you'll still want to find schools that can offer you the education you'll want to reach your goals. Start to think about "needs" vs. "wants" in terms of reaching your goals.
- You want to " to start a business that affects the world and make huge amounts of money (at least 7 figures)." Those can be two very different goals. Do you want to find a cure for AIDS or CF or the common cold? Do you want to start a Hugh Heffner type of empire? Do you want to do work similar to the late Harry Chapin and work to eradicate hunger? Changing the world doesn't always bring the kind of salary you're talking about. So is this about altruism or about wanting to acquire personal wealth?
I think that, if you’re to reach your goal, you’ll need to refine it.
- In a similar vein: I absolutely agree that making a living wage is important. But the one thing I don's see in your post is any sort of clue as to who you are, what makes you happy. I've been teaching since 1980. And I've got to tell you: I LOVE my job. I can't begin to imagine spending 40+ years at a job I hated, even if it offered a much higher paycheck. (That said, I would be totally OK with winning LOTTO, lol.) You're going to spend a LLLOOOONNNNGGG time working. As you start to think of the future, keep an eye on personal satisfaction. You'll want an education that will prepare you for a career that fulfills your soul, not just your wallet.
- Sure, the Ivys will bring the connections you seem to crave. But what's your plan B? What do you do if you don't end up at an Ivy? How will you build the connections? For what it's worth, there are a couple of people on the planet with amazing wealth who didn't attend those few US schools; http://www.businessinsider.com/the-15-richest-people-without-college-degrees-2010-11
Starting a business that affects the world while also bringing in a 7 figure salary… is one lofty goal. What kind of business are you interested in? Changing the world does not typically bring in this type of income. As noted above…are you interested in humanitarianism …or acquiring personal wealth? These often don’t go hand in hand. And schools really don’t want to hear that your goal is to make a 7 figure income. They want to hear about your passions… what excites you and makes you tick… what keeps you up at night. Making a high salary … is simply a consequence of this passion… if it happens at all…and is not the passion itself. Personally… I feel more fulfilled doing what I love and get excited about… while at the same time making a salary that helps support me and my family.
You are talking like a HS student… and you should… because you are! You are only a sophomore. My D is abroad right now and she… also wanted to save the world ( without the 7 figure income). Being away brought her down a few notches on the reality ladder. Can she be a contributing member of society, making an impact on others? Absolutely. Will she affect the world? No… but perhaps her small part of it.
Nobody needs to attend an Ivy… and attending one does not guarantee that you will have a more successful life ( and success means different things to different people). It’s more involved than that, in my opinion. Lots of highly qualified and successful kids don’t apply to …or attend… Ivy League schools… they can’t afford to, not the right fit, etc. My advice is to read the Frank Bruni book… Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be. Be passionate about your interests… show a spark doing what you love…the rest will follow.
Lastly… your relatives will not have an influence on your acceptances to these schools. You really need a Plan B. Good luck!
For what it’s worth though, could we acknowledge that the OP is a 15 year old kid? And perhaps cut him the teeniest little bit of slack?
Nope, he doesn’t have all his thoughts in order. But he’s not the first, nor will he be the last, kid here to equate the Ivy League Colleges with the path to success.
There’s a huge difference between a reality check and a smackdown.
Very true @bjkmom … agreed!
you should speak with every single person who has ever appeared as a judge on the television show “Shark Tank” about how none of them attended an ivy league for undergraduate/business school/etc. mark cuban enrolled in IU’s Kelley School of Business because it was the cheapest option. warren buffet transferred out of penn and into the university of nebraska-lincoln because he didn’t like it and felt pressured because of his father.
will attending an ivy league school supply you with connections? certainly, but success like you’re talking about is hard for anyone to obtain, regardless if you attend an ivy league school or not.
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