<p>I know that everyone's dream is to get into that Ivy school.
but people who don't apply to ivy's say that its just a big waste of money and a difficult curriculum and that there are others non-ivy schools out there that are better.</p>
<p>So my question is, are ivy colleges even all that great? from the way i see it, you just spend more money and have to deal with extra tough curriculum you may not pass</p>
<p>The Ivy League is far from “everyone’s dream.” As for those who do have the dream of going to an Ivy League school, they have their reasons. Prestige, academics, networking, and such like that are common reasons I hear a lot. A lot of people who go to Ivy League schools don’t have to worry about cost, whether it is because they are rich or because they are poor and enjoy the best financial aid in the country. Others, however, see the strain/loans as worth it. Naturally, you should not attend a college that you simply cannot pay for, nor should you attend a college that you don’t believe you can graduate from.</p>
<p>I have to agree with BillyMc, and I’d like to add that College Confidential is a very specific, self-selecting bunch of students. Although many posters are not like this, a lot of CC members act like the Ivies are the be-all and end-all of college admissions, which I think is unfair. In the real world, it isn’t really like this…there are a lot of good colleges and universities out there, and an Ivy might not be right for you.</p>
<p>(For the record, though - not all Ivies offer courses that any tougher than other good schools. Brown, in particular, is known for rampant grade inflation, and it’s been seen in many of the other Ivies as well).</p>
<p>On a personal note, I only applied to a few of the Ivies because I dind’t feel like they were a very good fit for me. When I visited, I did not like Columbia (don’t like NYC), Yale (I hate New Haven, plus it’s really close to me), Dartmouth (bad tour guide who basically told us that anyone who wasn’t preppy wouldn’t fit in - I know it isn’t true but it wasn’t a great experience) and Princeton (too pretentious). In the end, although I think that stats-wise I would have been a perfectly qualified applicant, I just didn’t really feel like the Ivies were right for me, because I had fallen in love with other schools, including my current one. I only applied to two, was accepted at one and WLed at the other, and still picked Carleton. If you fall in love with one of the Ivy League colleges or feel that they are the right place for you, then by all means go for them. But if they don’t feel right to you, then you’re right - they’re super expensive and you shouldn’t waste your money and time on the applications.</p>
<p><a href=“For%20the%20record,%20though%20-%20not%20all%20Ivies%20offer%20courses%20that%20any%20tougher%20than%20other%20good%20schools.%20Brown,%20in%20particular,%20is%20known%20for%20rampant%20grade%20inflation,%20and%20it’s%20been%20seen%20in%20many%20of%20the%20other%20Ivies%20as%20well”>quote</a>.
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I don’t think Brown’s highest GPA in the Ivy League is because of easier courses. The open curriculum makes it more likely for students to take more classes in areas that they do well in, and being able to take one class a semester as Pass/Fail helps with GPA, too. Class X may be equally hard at Brown and Harvard, but Major Y doesn’t have to take it, and decides that her hardest class will be Pass/Fail. She may have just saved herself two hits to her GPA. The classes she is taking may be just as hard, but just in areas in which she excels. This may not be the case for the P/F class, though it could be just as hard, but she just needs a C, and it wouldn’t even show up as a C on her GPA.</p>
<p>Ivies are no more difficult to get through than most colleges and the overall grade inflation at them is such that it’s easier to get a high GPA than at many state schools. They also can be less expensive than most colleges for the poor and true middle class.</p>