<p>kwu - she is stating the obvious, though it is surprising how little some students get it. I am often suspect of the deflecting Ivy League answer. Especially as she goes on further - if fame is what you want, then Ivy is for you. I think that Columbia proves that a school can have a true individual and collective benefit. And though it is not a perfect place for everybody - I can name a handful of people that wouldn’t do well at CU - for the right kind of student (independent, industrious, thought-oriented, urbane, adventurous) Columbia should be on if not at the top of their list. The anti-Ivy mentality actually serves to keep people at a distance from the schools and so students who might make a good fit may not apply as they just assume it is an impossible Ivy to attend. It is a shame. I wish more people could see through the veneer of the prestige Ivy-baiting and the equally unnecessary Ivy-deflecting. But that sounds like a massive societal reorientation.</p>