<p>^ You also hear about snobbery at Vanderbilt, Swarthmore, Williams, Lehigh, Tufts, Duke, Stanford, Hopkins, and so on. Any elite school costing 50K+ is bound to be filled with many silver spooners. However, more and more, you hear that the Ivies these days are much more economically diverse. The forced spending of their endowments has led to great financial aid, allowing them to have many brilliant students without such privileged lives. I keep hearing that Ivy students these days are some of the least snobby people around. If my kid is fortunate enough to become one of them, I will find out if this is true.</p>
<p>Harvard friend said he would have gotten a better education at Swarthmore. Loved the comments about Rice. Heard similar things at Davidson, Pomona, and Amherst. Of course I loved William & Mary and throughout my career in finance observed people form a very favorable impression about me as a result of W&M’s prestige. </p>
<p>Most people cant even name all the Ivy members.</p>
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<p>I said the same thing–except, about about St. John’s College rather than Swarthmore–around the time I was graduating from college. (Understandably, my parents weren’t terribly pleased to hear me say it.)</p>
<p>Twenty-five years later I think, “Maybe, maybe not.”</p>
<p>I’m a fourth child, and my three older siblings went to top schools (one Ivy). I chose to go to Pomona because I thought I would get a better education than at any Ivy. I’m in the minority, but I actually believe it’s pretty clear that Swarthmore will give you a better education than Harvard will. I can’t attest to connections, job opportunities, etc. I can note that prestige does not get you a job. Wharton is a possible exception. Ivy educations are not overrated, but the idea behind prestige is. Do not choose your school based on prestige. It’s a terrible attitude to use. Plus, each Ivy is a different school. Brown is a much different school than Cornell.</p>