<p>This has been widely argued on CC. Does it really matter what undergraduate school you attend? </p>
<p>Ivy-Leaguers'-Big-Edge-Starting-Pay:</a> Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance </p>
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Which school pays off the most? According to the survey, graduates of Dartmouth College, an Ivy League college, earn the highest median salary -- $134,000.
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<p>Have fun.</p>
<p>Your career pay is determined by a) your choice of career and b) how good an employee you are. Once you've gotten your first job (and your undergrad degree <em>might</em> matter for this, but not necessarily), it's all up to you.</p>
<p>i agree with booklady -- i think that your school will help you in the recruiting process, but beyond that its up to you...</p>
<p>Ivy leagues set students up for success with the tools they need. It is up to the student to make the most of them. Also, the article does say that ivy leaguers tend to gravitate toward management jobs whereas state school students tend to take on more "individual" or "support" roles. A state school educated student may opt for the managerial role and make more as well.</p>
<p>Ivy league doesn't give any tools to its students -- at least not any different or more than any top 30 school.</p>
<p>Ivy league gets more accomplished people at 18. They tend to be more accomplished at 30. The school is no more than a holding tank.</p>
<p>If you want a transforming education, one that will actually change the way you think (your mind is your most valuable tool), then go to a prestigious LAC.</p>
<p>Ivy League schools often have the advantage by having the most prestigious firms recruiting at their schools or by having strong alumni connections that help students get their first job. But after your very first job, where your undergraduate degree came from matters less and your experience and work history matters much, much more.</p>
<p>Besides, your median salary is more predicated upon what field you select upon graduating. Management consultants and investment bankers working at the top firms can start out making at least $50,000 out of school, if not more. But if you go to be a nurse, a teacher, or a social worker, where you graduated from doesn't matter -- it's just about what they normally pay for first-year teachers or social workers in that area.</p>
<p>Regardless of this, I do believe that sometimes having the punch of a degree with a better reputation can command you a higher salary. People can be starstruck by seeing "Harvard" or "Dartmouth" on your resume. But think about this, as well -- the differences are not that huge. Apparently Dartmouth grads make a median of $134,000, but that doesn't mean that you'll be making that much -- you could make anywhere from less than $10,000 a year to over $150,000 (it's just a median figure). In addition to that, I'm not sure about the rest of you but I sure could be comfortable on $110,000 a year. (I graduated from a liberal arts college.)</p>
<p>Besides, how do graduate degrees figure in here? Perhaps they controlled for that, but while I went to a second-tier liberal arts college for undergrad, I'm going to Columbia for my Ph.D. I'm pretty sure that my Ph.D from Columbia will carry more weight than my BA from Spelman, even though Spelman is a well-respected college.</p>
<p>juillet... the survey did not include persons with MBAs, MD, PhD et cetera, which probably makes the information much less significant. </p>
<p>Although I do still think Ivy league schools provide tools that other schools do not... well-respected faculty members, research, strong connections, intelligent student body, and of course the name.</p>
<p>Ivy League schools, as with other top 15 schools, are superior and make more succesful people than other schools. Period. </p>
<p>Truth is unchangable, only the preception of it.</p>
<p>graduate school is more important. Do well at any undergraduate school, you will get into a great grad school</p>
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Ivy League schools, as with other top 15 schools, are superior and make more succesful people than other schools. Period.
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<p>Er... not really. I guess you could say that these schools have the tendency to attract a higher number of people who already have great potential to succeed. They aren't "superior" because they're Ivy League schools, and they can't make anyone "successful."</p>
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They aren't "superior" because they're Ivy League schools, and they can't make anyone "successful."
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<p>How are Ivy League schools not superior to most schools in the nation? And of course no school can make anyone successful, but it's undeniable that Ivy League schools attract students and set up students best for success. I really don't understand why people on this site don't give the credit due to the Ivy League schools. They are arguably the best schools in the world. The schools are much more than the "name". They are the best for schools for many reasons. I understand it's tough to like the Ivy League schools when there are all these kids asking chances for them and only talking about these schools, but that shouldn't make the Ivy league less respectable. These schools are the best.</p>
<p>But they're really only the best because people say they're the best. It's a self-perpetuating mystique. Of course they're among the greatest, but what can the Ivy League uniquely offer, besides an Ivy League degree?</p>
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But they're really only the best because people say they're the best.
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<p>Ivy League schools aren't the "best" because people say they are the best, but rather because they have been well-respected as the oldest higher level institutions in the country and also because they are always the top schools in the US News rankings. Do you think US News is picking the schools they like the most or the schools people like the most? I don't think so. There are numerous factors that go into judging what schools are the best to US News. </p>
<p>And instead of asking what the Ivy League uniquely offers, you should ask what other schools uniquely offer that the Ivy League schools don't offer. If anything, excluding other top 20 schools, your degree from an Ivy League school or experiences/opportunities will be more unique than any other degree from another university. It's just futile to argue that the prestigious aura surrounding the Ivy League schools is baseless.</p>
<p>Well, that's not what I'm arguing. I'm arguing that Ivy Leagues are so sought after not because of their unique educational opportunities (which I don't deny they offer, but which I do think are available at many great places), but because they're extremely and probably overly glorified. Obviously they're among the best colleges in the country, but I'm very skeptical that they're completely superior to everywhere else.</p>
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your degree from an Ivy League school or experiences/opportunities will be more unique than any other degree from another university.
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<p>Not only is that a grammatical fallacy but a factual as well.
I wonder why many Harvard students are so dissatisfied with the quality of their education.</p>
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It's just futile to argue that the prestigious aura surrounding the Ivy League schools is baseless.
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<p>No, it's not. What's futile is arguing with someone who disagrees with you in this community.</p>
<p>its about the education. and the fact of the matter is ivy's offer the strongest education because they have the strongest educational facilities. jobs care about what you know and what you can do. the stronger the school, the more prepared you are.</p>
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Not only is that a grammatical fallacy but a factual as well.
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<p>damn, i hate it when people resort to correcting grammar. I'll admit it, I'm no grammar expert. Hell, that last sentence was probably grammatically incorrect, but i don't give a ****. </p>
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I wonder why many Harvard students are so dissatisfied with the quality of their education.
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<p>Let's see you picked one Ivy League school. Maybe they are dissatisfied with their Harvard education because they had such high expectations for it. And how can you not have high expectations for Harvard? But are you trying to tell me that this Harvard student would be more satisfied with his/her education at a public school or another private school? I don't think so. Also, I've heard about dissatisfaction at Harvard and other top schools, but are these students dissatisfied with the education, the area, the social life, the professors? I believe what you say but I would I be interested to read an article about this. </p>
<p>In all reality, how are we supposed to judge which schools provide the best education, experience, opportunities? You would probably have to actually attend the schools you wanted to compare, which would be nearly impossible. Therefore, the only realistic way to compare schools is through comparing students' experiences at the schools or by using the US News rankings. I'm no fan of looking at the top 20 schools and applying to all of them or selecting school based on rank. These rankings, as I said before, are not based off personal preference or "prestige", but there are real numbers looked at. If you pay for the US News subscriptions or whatever you will see to the right of the rankings all the stats taken into considerations. </p>
<p>I never said the Ivy League schools were superior to all other schools. I actually disagree with that. But what I do agree with is that the Ivy League schools are top notch, best of the best schools. As for being over-glorified, the Ivy League schools are basically the oldest higher level institutions in the country. They deserve to be glorified for their students, alumni, professors, achievements, and opportunities. As for being over glorified, I guess that's your opinion and is probably somewhat misconstrued because of this forum. </p>
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No, it's not. What's futile is arguing with someone who disagrees with you in this community.
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<p>I think a lot of people argue on this site, and I think it's good for this site. I can't imagine a forum without arguments and opinions. I have nothing against anyone that I argue with. But what we probably do agree on is that those over-zealous ivy league CHANCES noobs are quite annoying :). </p>
<p>edit: that was my longest post ever. I doubt anyone will read all of that lmao.</p>