If I don't go to an ivy league. Should I be worried?

Parent Cafe
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<p>If you ask the CC community, it is fault of all these immigrant parents like me who want their kids in the Ivies. The Asian parents all secretly hoping their kids will have elite friends for the rest of their lives without realizing the expected hobnobbing with famous last name families is slowly fading what with Ivies moving to the model of social justice and some level of meritocracy and away from aristocracy. So it is still possible you are meeting the future Mark Zuckerbergs who are admitted based on their brains and despite their last names but not necessarily the Kennedys or the Bushs.</p>

<p>If this is the case, you might bump into a Mark Zuckerberg at a University of Maryland in the form of Sergey Brin or Michigan in the form of Larry Page. Granted they had to go to Stanford to form Google but they did nt actually start at Stanford. So in a meritocracy, you are your own currency and your college is a stepping stone.</p>

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<p>No you should not be worried if you do not go to an Ivy. See this important new thread with breaking news. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1158607-there-more-good-colleges-than-ivies.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1158607-there-more-good-colleges-than-ivies.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>So unless you’re trying to work for like google or go into ibanking then ivies don’t matter much?</p>

<p>Aaahhhhh I’m starting to feel better bout my 2 b’s. Most people on here are very nice but I wish I hadn’t come on this forum sometimes. It made me HYPS obsessive. My dream school is Vanderbilt then if it doesn’t make a difference.</p>

<p>Couldnt you network just as hard at Vandy?</p>

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<p>Remember - schools other than Ivy = drug addicted homeless criminals. </p>

<p>BTW - you need to stop getting anymore Bs. Vanderbilt does nt care for them either.</p>

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<p>Lol but no seriously could I?</p>

<p>Oh and trust me I’m not getting anymore B’s. After crying for weeks over these 2 I will slave so that I never get another B ever in my LIFE.</p>

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<p>On the bright side, this could make for great essay material for your kids. Not only would it be a hook, you and your family’s life could be turned into a Lifetime movie when your kid gets into Harvard.</p>

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<p>"My mom thinks I’m nuts. :stuck_out_tongue: " She’s worried that you are worried.</p>

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<p>Vanderbilt is a fine school. The HYPSM obsession is among clueless hs seniors, as well as people from other countries who overreact to brand names and don’t understand a thing about how America works.</p>

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<p>I have a dear friend who went to Harvard who teaches at an alternative high school. He says the worst thing in the world is that people expect so much of him because he went to Harvard.</p>

<p>I have another friend from Harvard who spent ten years teaching in public schools. Ditto the experience above. She stopped telling people she went to Harvard.</p>

<p>I went to a not tremendously prestigious state u for undergraduate school. Was accepted to two Ivies for graduate school, but stayed at the same state u for personal reasons. Although I did not end up teaching at a high end school, I am a tenured college professor. I really like my job. It annoys me sometimes that I don’t have “bragging rights” or the brilliant students I might encounter at a more elite institution, but many days I am grateful for a more low-key environment.</p>

<p>I teach with folks who went to Brown, Yale, Princeton and Columbia who have the same job I have.</p>

<p>I think strong, aggressive and somewhat materialistic personalities put people at the top, or just dumb luck sometimes. I am laid back and a little dreamy. An Ivy education wasn’t going to change that, so I doubt I would have been one of those elite whatever I’d done.</p>

<p>On the other hand, I retained my passion for social justice and the underdog (could have at an Ivy too, I am not dissing them), do meaningful work I enjoy and support myself and my family.</p>

<p>So if you make it Vandy, fabulous. If you don’t, you will be alright too.</p>

<p>A lot of this is just our fascination with brand names.</p>

<p>Recently a friend won a three Fendi purses in an auction. People gasp when she carried them around. But really, they don’t look any different from any other purse. Why they cost between $1500 and $2000 is a mystery to me, but some people will always be impressed by them.</p>

<p>Good luck and stop worrying. You may or may not be able to eliminate all B’s. Just do the best you can.</p>

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<p>@ dogxlover, Do you think Mike Dell (Founder of Dell Computer) and Steve Jobs (Founder of Apple) are successful? They did not graduate from Ivies. Just work hard and work smart, prepare yourself for the opportunity and you will be OK.</p>

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<p>Damnit, I only got into Penn not hyp!!! Even though I didn’t apply to yp. OP, if you got into Vandy stop worrying. It doesn’t matter what school you go to, it matters what you do with that learning. You can get into investment banking if you want to.</p>

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<p>Name of UG is just that - name of UG. While some people prefer to have certain name to be attached to their own for the rest of their lives, others do not care. Either way is absolutely fine. No name will insure your happy future. Only you yourself alone can accomplish it, make your life happy or misearable, nobody else can do it, including people who are paying for your education, and certainly not the place where education is obtained.</p>

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<p>Since I was quoted in post #7, I would just like to point out that the discussion from which it was taken had nothing to do with Ivies. </p>

<p>In that conversation, MiamaiDAP was maintaining–as usual, see above-- that one’s undergraduate institution made no difference at all in one’s life, and I strongly disagree. And it matters not because of the “name,” but because of all of the things I cited, and more.</p>

<p>This has nothing to do with “success” or money. Success is in the eye of the beholder. Making a lot of money is not the only goal in life. (How much is “enough”?) This certainly has nothing to do with an obviously-mistaken belief that simply attending a particular school will be a golden ticket for the rest of your life: that’s obviously silly. But it is also obviously silly to deny that some schools have a more stimulating atmosphere in various ways than others. To reiterate, even though it should not be necessary, such schools are not limited to the Ivies.</p>

<p>It apparently comforts some people to deride everyone who goes to a “name” school as mindless prestige whores. This is just as silly as an obsession with “HYP” or “HYPMS” or whatever. There are many fine colleges and universities in the US where one can have a superb undergraduate experience: one that MATTERS.</p>

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<p>Consolation,
You have never defined what you are looking for. I cannot agree or disagree with un-defined position. Every single person in my own family and extended family found what they are looking for outside of Ivy education with exception of one person, who has found his success by going to Harvard. But I have no idea reading thru all of your posts what you are looking for and why Ivy’s are better for this.</p>

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<p>Kiddo:</p>

<p>A few years out of ug school you will be making it or not making it on your own qualifications most of which will be based on your personality and work skills. You will be learning most of the skills on the job. </p>

<p>Success in life is based on showing up on time; being nice, helpful, and reliable; working well in groups; and, working hard and smart. A good dose of luck, self-promotion, and being at the right place at the right time also play important roles. Your ug school, not so much.</p>

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<p>tsdad,
you nailed it. I have been saying the same for several years as I have seen very positive results of of "showing up on time; being nice, helpful, and reliable; working well in groups; and, working hard and smart. ", and “not so much” as a consequence of going to particular UG. More so, realiance on certain UG name, in particular Ivy will destroy your dreams, shatter them into small peices, while sel-relience will get you anywhere you heart desires. Works time and again, no matter how you define your happiness.</p>

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<p>I’m really, really old. I have learned and watched. People only want to know if you can do the job and do it well without causing commotion.</p>

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<p>^I am too.</p>

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<p>OP: Just remember that we people at Emory and Vanderbilt are completely screwed and will end up homeless like some posters above said. Never mind all of those people going to law and med school, and those pursuing MBAs (after starting from a top UG business program). Oh, what about all those nurses and those pursuing public health. Guess these people will never have a meaningful and productive life because because of the horrible education they received at some top 20 non-Ivy/plus school. I’ll make sure to remember that when I eventually enter a PhD program. I’ll also remind my friend currently at Harvard med and the one that is matriculating WashU med. in the fall (that way they aren’t surprised when they end up homeless). Let us from Vandy and Emory never forget the suboptimal education we received that led to suboptimal opportunities afforded to us. Not to mention, the peer groups with which we surrounded ourselves were dumb with their lowly 1400ish averages. I think we just missed out on so much :p</p>

<p>I suppose we could have benefited from the bigger grade inflation though (makes me wonder how rigorous they really are. I’ve researched some of the Ivies, and many don’t seem more rigorous in my fields of study. Most were easier-the same), that would have made for a happier campus, bigger egos, and maybe better job opportunities for some people.</p>

<p>Also: I know nothing about investment banking. I just know that the BBA program at Emory ranks really well (I don’t know about Vandy, but I think we’re higher). However, the prestige is a problem when it’s overshadowed by say, Wharton (even though businessweek just placed us one spot higher than Wharton, rankings don’t mean much unless you people view you as a holy grail of sorts).</p>

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<p>“Just remember that we people at Emory and Vanderbilt are completely screwed and will end up homeless like some posters above said”</p>

<p>-No, you have a chance…only if you learn to read.</p>