<p>nspeds:
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Then again, you didn't go to a top school.
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<p>Wow, your smugness is just off the charts. Honestly, how does one reply to such pretentiousness?</p>
<p>No one was attacking your school or your choice to go there, so while I would criticize those comments even if you had been provoked, in this case they are just completely unwarranted.</p>
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Wow, your smugness is just off the charts. Honestly, how does one reply to such pretentiousness?</p>
<p>No one was attacking your school or your choice to go there, so while I would criticize those comments even if you had been provoked, in this case they are just completely unwarranted.
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<p>You are taking my post out of context, in a sense. Bigredmed has been on a campaign, arguing that elite private schools are not all they are cracked up to be, and criticizing them extensively. Some of his arguments, which I am not inclined to reiterate here, were absurd.</p>
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your smugness is just off the charts.
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<p>"It was either that or get my hair highlighted. Smugness is easier to maintain."</p>
<p>Man people on here have a very distorted view of college. If someone chooses not to go to an ivy league school or doesn't go to a school on the top of the bible list(aka us news rankings) does not mean they're not getting a good education. There are A LOT of schools out there outside of those which offer a great education and great experience. Rankings can be thrown out the window.</p>
<p>Yes, I know two brothers, both had a 4.0 unweighted, went through RSI, had about 20 thousand each in outside scholarships, did Cross Country, Fundraisers, founded clubs etc. One was a Presidential Scholar (2 from each state, met with First Lady Laura Bush and had a free trip to D.C.) and went on a trip to Taiwan courtesy of the Taiwanese government. Both are now attending USC's Bac/MD program on full ride scholarships. Both were accepted into Harvard.</p>
<p>I have always wondered something...why is it that on this site, posters are always heralding the fact that people chose to go to "lesser" schools, when a majority of the people on CC are striving to get into the "top" schools?</p>
<p>It's like your one of the norm for wanting to go to a "top" school, but then chastised for attending one...</p>
<p>It's also odd because you put down people who go to higher ranked schools, calling them pretentious and saying they have a superiority complex, when then you turn around and act all high and mighty because you chose to go to your state school instead (were too "good" for the best schools as it seems).</p>
<p>(btw, the "you" refers to posters on the board generally, not just one person in specific)</p>
<p>Some fields don't emphasize on prestige of undergraduate (medicine). Heck alot of HYPSM pre-med students are shooting for average med. schools.</p>
<p>Med Schools expect a 3.7 from someone from a state university, as well as a school like MIT. So honestly why waste all that stress and energy??</p>
<p>aznsnake0307, because this doesn't go the same way for other areas.</p>
<p>Business and Law are the ones that come to mind. Business is VERY school-orientated, as is Law. Med Schools are also beginning to approach the GPA of undergraduate schools differently.</p>
<p>I'm not looking for students who were presented both options (a "top" school vs. a mediocre one) and chose the mediocre option. I'm talking about students who did not aspire for the "top" schools AT ALL despite having extraordinary achievements (suggesting that elite college admissions had little to no effect on them when they did the things they did). I'm wondering if there are more extraordinary students with elite school ambitions than not.</p>
<p>Colleges often say that they look for students who did the things they did because they loved them, but I wonder how often they find what they are looking for. There are certainly cases where certain students (I'm not saying all) would not have gone the extra mile in taking classes at the local community college, or emailing 30 college professors to see who might be willing to work with them on a project, or going on expensive community service trips instead of spending more time with their younger siblings... had it not been for the college admissions frenzy. I mean they've got a lifetime to do those things. Why did they do them as a freshman or sophomore in high school? And yes, there are people out there who are truly passionate (who were "born" to do great things) and accomplished great things at a young age, but there are also those who force themselves to cultivate an interest in something even though such a pursuit is atypical to their natural progression. </p>
<p>Btw, I'm not against the "top" schools, as I will be applying to a few myself. I'm perfectly aware that the top schools provide the optimal environment for the right kind of person.</p>
<p>If someone visits a top school and thinks its perfect for them, more power to them. The people I have problems with are the ones who think they're automatically on a different playing field than people not attending non elite colleges.</p>
<p>There's no way in hell I would have considered passing up a near full ride to my state's university to study business. Does that automatically make me dumber than all the HYPMS students studying art history?</p>
<p>Vsye, what's wrong with art history?</p>
<p>why is it so hard to understand that people might like a state university over some "elite" school...</p>
<p>Nothing's wrong with art history. However, if you're going to get elitist about yoiur college, Im going to get elitist about my major.</p>
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Nothing's wrong with art history. However, if you're going to get elitist about yoiur college, Im going to get elitist about my major.
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<p>...yes, especially since everyone in the Ivy-League majors in Art History.</p>
<p>umm recently the top chess player in the United States(Hikaru Nakamura). Beyond amazing accomplishment for a teenager. He decided to attend dickenson college. Ranked 41 in LAC's by USNEWS....</p>
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He decided to attend dickenson college. Ranked 41 in LAC's by USNEWS....
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<p>That is not unusual. Many non-elite schools offer special scholarships or other programs for talented chess players. To be sure, both the University of Maryland – Baltimore County and the University of Texas – Dallas boast the nation's best teams.</p>
<p>yeah my brother went to UTD on a full scholarship. 2400 rating. i am around 1750ish myself.</p>
<p>But considering, he is the best chess player in the United States, im sure he could go anywhere he wants. Almost as good as curing cancer.</p>
<p>Well, I do know that most Ivies dont even have business schools for undergraduates. What to you think is going to impress an employer more in the real world, being able to show proficiency in outlining revenue sharing efficiency measures, or being able to discuss the subtle nuances of a Monet painting?</p>
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Well, I do know that most Ivies dont even have business schools for undergraduates. What to you think is going to impress an employer more in the real world, being able to show proficiency in outlining revenue sharing efficiency measures, or being able to discuss the subtle nuances of a Monet painting?
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<p>Actually, the notion that universities should prepare students for the job world is fairly new. In fact, many employers do value the balanced and intellectual nature of a humanities/liberal arts education. If that were not the case, then the Ivys would not have some of the top investment banks recruiting on campus. </p>
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or being able to discuss the subtle nuances of a Monet painting?
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<p>That is pretty much the stupidest line I've ever read here. The idea that only Ivy-League students know this, and that they would study only this is a strawman used to support your delusions about the superiority or equality of public institutions.</p>
<p>Get some disabuse. You need it.</p>
<p>IMHO: Anyone can make their own Harvard. If you go to a non-elite school, you can still get an excellent education, still connect with fabulous professors, still have a wonderfully rich and satisfying life. </p>
<p>HOWEVER: If you go to an elite school, the companies who come to campus to recruit will be numerous and a cut above, the contacts you'll make for later in your life will be invaluable, and the respect you will get 30 years after graduating by casually mentoining where you went will be priceless.</p>
<p>If I had a choice, I'd go to an elite school.</p>