<p>IMO there's no need to add a fifth letter, let alone a sixth, to the acronym. </p>
<p>HYP is shorthand for the acknowledged top, the most selective, sought-after universities in the nation. HYP stands without argument; S got added as a conciliatory collective nod that "elite" can include a nonIvy (cemented when Chelsea Clinton chose to attend.) HYPS also denotes a top university with strengths across the board. M is very pretistigious, but I think it got added on as a result of lobbying, or when people want to refer to the top with an emphasis on tech/engineering.</p>
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Euh...yes we are. That's what the acronym is about! If we were going to go so esoteric with the whole thing then no one school would be at the top since learning is a different journey for everyone.
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<p>Okay, well, if it's solely about reputation, then, at least in the U.S., it should be C for Columbia. I don't think Caltech's nearly as prestigious as Columbia. Penn would be a nice 7th.</p>
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I don't think Caltech's nearly as prestigious as Columbia.
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<p>I think the other way around.</p>
<p>I'd add C for Cornell. I know it may not be as prestigious as some of the other schools mentioned, but its still Ivy League. Furthermore, Cornell boasts a breadth and depth in academic programs few other top schools can combat. Although Caltech is very strong in its tech offerings it offers few if any liberal arts courses. In addition Cornell, unlike other top schools, gives back to its community more than other schools (aka semi-state schools). The only place I would say Cornell lags behinds the other schools mentioned on this thread besides prestige is the strength of its students. Yet still, its students are academically strong and not significantly far off the other schools mentioned (sans Caltech). Furthermore, even though the size of Cornell is often mentioned as a weakness-I'd say because of its many schools its actually a strength. It has the smallest liberal arts school in the Ivy League with the biggest student population in the Ivy league, with a kickass engineering program to boot. So, even though each school is small individually, together the school has a large population that is diverse in interests and not hogging up resources. Even though I recognize Berkeley would also be a good 6th letter, its students are even weaker than Cornell's (it is too large) and it isn't that well funded (compared to the other schools). However if Berkeley became smaller and could retain its strengths it would easily get the 6th letter. So, my vote is for Cornell.</p>
<p>^ Don't forget the excellence of it's pre-med education. Honestly, though, I think that Berkeley's OOS students are as strong if not stronger than Cornell's, but that it is hindered in it's need to accept in-state students. This is why it is difficult to put a public u with HYPSM</p>
<p>I fully agree Berkeley's OOS students are most likely stronger than Cornell's students, but they only constitute 7% of Berkeley's class. My vote is still for Cornell.</p>
<p>^ Fair enough, but I think that UC Berkeley's grad students are better than Cornell's</p>
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Fair enough, but I think that UC Berkeley's grad students are better than Cornell's
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<p>UC Berkeley grad students are as good as Harvard and Stanford grad students. Getting into Berkeley grad school is much more selective than Berkeley undergrad; its selectivity on par with Harvard.</p>
<p>smart.cookie -- UC Berkeley's grad students (on average) are not just better than Cornell's but also better than <em>any</em> other school's grad students -- just goes with the territory of attending the worlds most acclaimed graduate university. However, this is where that completely breaks down. Grad school is about the individual program, and even moreso, about the individual professor chairing the dissertation committee. Averages are meaningless in Ph.D. programs.</p>
<p>I also agree that you can't put Berkeley with HYPSM, or CHYMPS, because the undergraduate quality is not nearly on par with the graduate quality.</p>
<p>G= Georgetown SFS & W= Upenn Wharton</p>
<p>HYPSMG or HYPSMW in case of 6 digits</p>
<p>Maybe HYPSMGW in case of 7 digits</p>
<p>The sixth letter is $</p>
<p>Speaking of six, this thread is six years old, Please do not revive old threads. Closing.</p>