<p>I think the whole concept of Hidden Ivies is obnoxious. I mean, duh, the schools that are on those lists have been known for years and years now as being outstanding, excellent schools. They haven’t been “hidden” in the least.</p>
<p>“The author of the book coined a phrase . . . but has anyone ever used it other than the author?”</p>
<p>Probably not. After all, the people who are in the “hidden” secret might not want to repeat the term to “commoners” and dilute the secret potion. </p>
<p>As far as being “hidden” anyone who takes the top 50 LACs and top 50 universities and then removes the 8 Ivy League school and the public universities would come extremely close to the 50 colleges listed by the Greene family. </p>
<p>The value of the book must be in something else than in its dumb title.</p>
<p>Tk21769–the difference between Williams (17.1 acceptance rate, 1310-1530 SAT (25-75 percentile)) vs. Skidmore (46.8 acceptance rate, 1150-1350 SAT) is vast. Yes they are both LAC’ s with small classes. And you can get a good education at both. But they do not have the same reputation and I would be willing to bet there are differences in many areas including student body. I was not judging either school. Just saying I’m not sure they should be placed in the same category.</p>
<p>And as usual, people get defensive about the Ivy category. I was just pointing out that the Ivies are more than an athletic league, like it or not. I was not saying that there are not other great, selective schools. Reread what I wrote.</p>
<p>And I never said “career field.”. That would be ridiculous. But there are certain jobs it would be difficult to get w/o Ivy ( or Stanford, MIT, etc.). Think president of the USA. HAha. Or Supreme Court Justice. Haha. Also check out the Investment Banking thread on CC.</p>
<p>OP - All the schools you listed are excellent, they attract top students and top faculty. There is nothing “hidden” about them: they’re respected institutions, well known to employers and graduate school admissions committees nationwide.</p>
<p>But that won’t make it easier for you to get a job in the US. You will need to leave when your studies are over, unless you find a company willing to sponsor you for a work visa. That’s expensive and time consuming and now, with a high unemployment among American citizens, under considerable scrutiny by the government. </p>
<p>As to saving for grad school: many PhD programs are funded. This is particularly true in the sciences. That means you won’t be paying tuition and you will be receiving a stipend (usually between $20-30,000 per year.) So if you’re thinking about going for a doctorate, consider studying in your home country first, then apply for a funded PhD program in the US.</p>
<p>I think the bottom line here is that all the schools on your list are great values, assuming they are financial safeties, and that you won’t be graduating with too much debt (rough rule of thumb: if your total debt at the end of four years is bigger than one year’s EFC, then something is wrong.) People flock to these schools for a reason.</p>