I asked a few questions of our son during our numerous campus visits…can you see yourself here? Would you be happy? Would the experience be enriching in many ways? Our family didn’t put a lot of emphasis on a term that appears to get used frequently on CC—PRESTIGE!!!
Are there really that many people who consider prestige as an important element in the life and success of a human being? I checked the dictionary and after the first definitions related to “trickery” “illusion”…hmmmm…thats interesting in and of itself…we then have "“the power to command esteem”. “commanding positions in “men’s” minds.” Well now, does a new friend’s history with a so-called prestigious college make you think of them in this light and if so what does that say about you? At the risk of hurting someone’s ego I beg us to consider if prestige is not a somewhat shallow reason to choose a school, profession, or mate. Now I can be as materialistic and shallow as the next person, although we do have a Prius to balance that out, but its not something I’m proud of and the times I found the notion of “prestige” slipping into my consciouness as we explored schools I challnged my thinking and saw it as my ego trying to hijack my legitimate values. Perhaps I am the only one who feels this way but I am saddened to see so many young people and parents overemphasing the prestigue factor at a time of transition from adolescent into adulthood.
<p>no, I agree. I was bitten by that bug for a long time too, until I finally started realizing that success and prestige do not always go hand in hand.</p>
<p>i'll admit it, i chose Cornell for the prestige, but i'm not saying this in a bad way. i'm still proud of gaining aceptance into this Ivy League school, but at the same time i'm considering the cons to my decision.</p>
<p>i'm majoring in (<em>some field</em>) engineering and so my college list consisted primarily of specialized schools (_IT or _PI), but there was also Cornell. the attraction to this "prestigious" Ivy League school was overwhelming. combine that with Cornell's top 10 ranking in engineering schools (courtesy of us news) and numbero uno of the Ivies, and i'm bought out. before i knew it, i fell in love with the campus and facilities (perhaps this is just another reason to mask my loyalty to the Cornell name) and had already applied early decision, BINDING. </p>
<p>now don't get me wrong, i was ecstatic upon my acceptance. i'm not a super studious student. i'm not in the top 10% of my class. i'm no star athlete nor club president, so my acceptance blew my mind.</p>
<p>but then i began to question. question the 4 x $41,000 Cornell diploma. question the 10th place ranking. question the possibility of going to a different less "prestigious" school (and cheaper) for undergraduate study. question those other public schools and private schools where i stood a chance at a scholarship (family does not qualify for financial aid :(). </p>
<p>this second glance always questions my devotion to Cornell, but the third always makes me feel proud. not be sound snobbish or arrogant, but i feel my acceptance is a tremendous undertaking and success. i feel successful for getting in, and that giving up this 'trophy' for a different school would go against my nature. </p>
<p>hey, i support the belief that prestige should not be the sole defining limit in chosing a school, but for once, i just want to forget humility and modesty and to just gloat. just a little :D</p>
<p>Well you make some good points, Polter, and you may get a ton of support for them on the IVYS board but for once I'd like to hear from people who aren't buying in to the prestige "game". Its a values topic.
Meanwhile, Cornell has a beautiful campus and I sure hope you get through it in 4 years since as you know it can often take 5-6 with that old saying "easist ivy to get into...hardest to get out of"...so if it takes another 45K for a 5th year you may end up relinguishing the "trophy" grad school if you need to eat. LOL</p>
<p>"I'd like to hear from people who aren't buying into this prestige game."</p>
<p>Wait until all the rejections come in from ivies next week, you will have huge numbers declaring that prestige does nothing!!</p>
<p>Whether or not we personally buy into the game of prestige colleges, enough of the world does to make going to one significantly effect your future. A book review in Today's NYT pointed out that Harvard has meant power for a very long time, and of course several others do as well. Rates of admission to top professional schools are clearly influenced by the prestige of the undergrad school, many employer only hire from these school, etc. There is a REAL benefit to attending for many. So I truly wonder if it is "prestige" that many are seeking or the tangible benefits of attending schools the benefit from this widely held perception.</p>
<p>What employers only hire from these schools? And if there is that type of discrimination who'd want to work there?</p>
<p>The research supports no difference and that in fact those that were rejected from so called prestige schoos or chose not to attend do the same as enrolled students. If less than 1 tenth of one percent of the population attends these so called prestige schools does it really make sense that career networking is better? In an age of cultural and general diversity it can actually hinder some folks where the person giving the job looks at them as elitist. Again, you seem to value this --- I'm trying to point out a different point of view sadly missing from some of these posts particularly when you see some students describing clinical depression symptoms since somehow thay have been led to believe their life prospects are diminished if they choose not to attend a so called prestige school. Please post any study that demonstates greater happinees or even earning potential after the first two years depending on your college choice. But thats not the point...what kind of message are we sending to the young people on this board? Find a school that challeges you and will offer a positive overall experience that will help you to grow, leran, and above all be happy. If you can afford to choose so called better schools do so for these reasons and let go of your prestige focus. This may be a minority view but there are plenty of threads where you can extoll the virtues of a prestige value system.</p>
<p>Prestige should NOT be the sole reason for choosing a college, nor should it be one of the top ones. However, it is still a definite plus, and in my opinion it can only help you later in life.</p>
<p>The only reason Harvard, Yale, and Princeton meant power for so long is because it was where the elite class sent their kids for 150 years, so naturally there was a higher concentration of powerful people at these schools - they already had influence before they went to the schools.</p>
<p>I agree and the IVY affirmative action program for white males---called legacy staus---perpetuated another generation of this.</p>
<p>prestige is just another shallow thing many feel the need to attain... i'm not saying everyone is into this, but quite a few are. it's like buying an expensive car or clothes to show off haha... except this is something to flaunt on your resume</p>