<p>It seems that everywhere I turn, in the public spotlight there are Ivy League graduates as the pinnacles of success in all trends of life. For example, Im reading the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson (the author is a Harvard alumnus). I recently saw the film Black Swan directed by Darren Aronofskyanother Harvard alumnus. Conan OBrien, Matt Damon, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg all attended Harvard. Even outside of the public eye the trend is apparentTim Carvell, lead writer on The Daily Show, is a Columbia grad. And when I examine the CVs of my Professors (at my state flagship) most of them attended Ivy League, or peer schools (Top LACs, UChicago, Northwestern, Stanford, WashU, etc.).</p>
<p>Looking at this is admittedly a bit frightening, maybe its a case of only seeing what I want to see; but its scary as a future public university grad that my future seems so mundane and boring, compared to these famous people. Im not really worried that my education is sub-par to these institutions, but it does seem like the connections they make with the hard-working innovators, and the elites of society, seem to give them a leg up. I'd like to write someday, maybe for television, perhaps in the comedy world--but it seems like many of these people went to Harvard and wrote for the "Harvard Lampoon," and I worry perhaps this is a matter of connections more than talent.</p>
<p>Again, I'm not dissatisfied with the quality of my education, (although, admittedly, quite frequently with the motivation of my peers) but it does seem like there are a disproportionate amount of Ivy League grads in the public eye achieving success, compared to those who attend less prestigious schools.</p>
<p>I mean, I know an Ivy League ticket isnt a ticket to success, but sometimes it appears that way. Is there any truth to that?</p>