<p>You hear the name thrown everywhere, ivy league...etc. Newspapers and publication, sites always refer to a top high school by how much percent of it's class it sends to the ivy leagues and HYP. I mean is going to an ivy league just because its one the reason some do it? There are a lot of schools that rival the ivy league in prestigue. </p>
<p>But just being part of that group is like being in an insider club.</p>
<p>There is nothing special about the Ivy League relative to other similarly ranked schools. However, I don't buy the "going to a really good college doesn't matter" thing. Stanford and Yale will both open doors (not that I'd know).</p>
<p>I doubt you'd find any ivy graduate that would say flat out going to their school gave them no advantage whatsoever over other candidates from other good schools.</p>
<p>There's a reason they have their reputation, it's not all fluff.</p>
<p>It is positively overblown, but not as much as some people think.</p>
<p>Agreed with chronicfuture12.
There is a reason that the HYP are the top ranked schools in the nation and the rest of the league follows close behind. Of course, there are peer institutions that are just as good as the schools in the Ivy League (i.e Stanford, Duke, MIT, Caltech, etc), but the Ivy League schools definitely deserve their reputation for the most part.</p>
<p>Yea, and if you want to do anything related to finance, going to an ivy is pretty much a prerequisite. The banks recruit at ALL ivy league schools, but barely any others besides MIT.</p>
<p>I find it sort of funny that a Lebron fan would use the word "overblown" :)</p>
<p>Is the Ivy League overblown? Yes, especially because schools like MIT and Stanford are on par with the "upper" Ivies (HYP). However, as others have said, going to an Ivies establishes connections with many powerful people and that's always a plus in the job world.</p>
<p>"Yale doesn't open doors for me. Yale kicks them in."</p>
<p>-An anonymous alum in conversation</p>
<p>The name simply is over blown. The "prestige" the name holds itself is the stand out because of the foundation it was laid upon. But as schools and programs become even more competitive than past years, the competition increases across many of the top non-Ivy league. </p>
<p>I would assume, almost bet, the level of education would be fairly similar between the higher ranked schools and your Ivy league. Its only a matter of time till things balance out even more.</p>
<p>It's definitely overblown. They are useless for some majors, just like other colleges are useless for other majors. Example: I'm interested in wildlife biology and environmental science. I've asked people working for the federal and state agencies (which are the major employers) what the best schools are and they consistently recommend western state universities (especially University of Montana since it offers great opportunities to do projects in Yellowstone and Glacier.) The only Ivy League school they have any respect for is Cornell, for their bird focus.</p>
<p>My advice to any student is to find people in your desired profession BEFORE you choose a college and ask them which ones are best. The answer will not be the same for every major!</p>
<p>ivy league schools are great schools, but, when choosing a colleges, you must take into consideration fit along with prestige. There are several great ivy-calibur schools that, among the general population, are less well-known. The other day I mentioned University of Chicago somehow, and my peers just laughed, patted my back, and asked why I wanted to go to a public school outside of our state. However, the education you recieve at ivy-calibur, non-ivy schools like Duke, UofC, WUSTL, NU, JHU, and others is still highly sought-after among people who actually matter in finding a job or in grad school placement. Floridakidd makes a great point about his experiences with environmental sciences. Just take some time to research, ask your regional officer some questions, and visit beforehand.</p>
<p>To clarify my earlier point, there are some banks that only recruit out of the ivy league, and do not recruit at all at other similarly ranked schools. That is where I see the whole prestige of the ivy league coming into play big time. Also, law schools love Ivy grads.</p>
<p>^looks like you got your life all set out for you then huh? :P</p>
<p>Correction. Law schools love high GPAs and LSAT scores.</p>
<p>As for the overblown thing? Definitely. It's a sports league
people, it just so happens that every school in the league
has good academics. That's it.</p>
<p>Yes. East Coast bias.</p>
<p>Ivy</a> League - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia </p>
<p>Eight colleges, all pretty decent. No commonality but financial aid policies and what sports conference they are in (besides all being in the northeast).</p>
<p>Depends on the school. If we're talking HYP, it's probably not overblown. Your networking, job prospects, and access to the world's most prominent researchers will be unparalleled. On the other hand, if we're talking Cornell, I would argue that many non-Ivy schools will give you far better experience, job prospects, and networking. There is not parity among the Ivies. Ivy League schools are not all the same thing, and you shouldn't treat them as such.</p>
<p>Ok, then answer this, would u pick nyu or cornell with the same major and about the same financial aid package?</p>
<p>Cornell unless your major was acting or something like that.</p>
<p>
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Eight colleges, all pretty decent. No commonality but financial aid policies and what sports conference they are in (besides all being in the northeast).
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agreed ... and also agreement on many aspects of the application process</p>