When touring or making college decisions it is important not to be swept away by the glorification of Ivy League schools.
A few things to consider about Ivys:
They are very expensive, ranging around $60,000 per year (no in-state tuition!)
You are not guaranteed to succeed in life or in your career just because you went to an Ivy
Sometimes Ivys are a better place for you to pursue a Masters Degree, where you complete your Bachelors Degrees isn’t as important
Ivy sports are not as fun to watch and the teams aren’t as good (you won’t have a big 10 team to route for or watch on TV)
Because Ivys are selective and on the smaller end of student body size, the Alumni network is not as large as some bigger public universities. Alumi Networks become important for finding a job after college!!! The “prestige” around name dropping an Ivy is nice, but the best way to land a job is to have an Alumni on the other side of the table!
Ivys are sometimes cut throat competitive
On the flip side-- If going to an Ivy is your dream or an Ivy offers a major program you really like, then it might be worth it for you! But make sure to consider the above things when you are evaluating an Ivy as one of your top choices. I will say that out of all the Ivys, I believe Brown University is the least stressful/competitive and in a nice area.
A few things to consider about Public Universities:
If you are In-state you will get a great deal and save a lot of money!
Most times the education of highly ranked Public Universities is the same as some Ivy’s. (more bang for your buck because it is cheaper than Ivy leagues) For example, University of Michigan Ann Arbor was ranked within the top 20 universities in the world and it is a Public University.
Public schools might mean there is more partying/social life
Great athletics to watch
Large public universities have huge alumni networks, which leads to easy job placement
You meet more of a diverse (racial, socioeconomic, background etc) group of students at public university
Might be less stress/competition
Don’t have the “prestige” of an Ivy
I hope this helps! Feel free to add any pros/cons for either Ivy or Public below that I missed!
I have no particular love of Ivies, but I think there are some misconceptions in your post:
I think you are ignoring that most of the Ivies give excellent need based aid. A low income (or even middle income) student who gets admitted may pay less than they would for a state university.
In no way can you count on getting into an Ivy for grad school.
Ivies may not be as big as some publics, but they still have powerful alumni networks.
I’m not convinced that you meet a more diverse ethnic population at a school like Michigan (which I attended).
Not everyone cares about athletics, or that the teams be highly ranked.
I agree with the OP that there are many roads to success. One need not attend a top private college to enjoy a wonderful education and to succeed in life. And yes, some public universities have better reputations and resources in some areas than do some private universities. So I agree with the main point of the post and some of OP’s other points.
That said, I think that some of the other points can be challenged.
Wealthy students will find a better price at their state university than at a top private college where they will be full pay. But lower class and middle class students will pay less at a top private college, because these are so generous with financial aid, than they will at their state university. It is a big mistake for a poor or middle class student to not apply to a top private for fear of finances. The top private colleges that “meet full demonstrated need” for all admitted students will give the most generous aid.
(Note from materials of Williams College, which is not in the Ivy League but is also a generous private college: “Families earning $140,000 or less pay less money to attend Williams College than to attend the University of Massachusetts.”)
Alumni network seems a strange benefit to highlight in comparison with “the Ivies,” where the alumni network is one of their strong selling points and a major benefit of attending them!
" The Ivy Alumni network is not as large as some bigger public universities. Alumni Networks become important for finding a job after college!!!"
17 out of 45 Presidents of the U.S., all recent Chairmans of the Federal Reserve, President of the World Bank are all from Ivies.
Harvard-
Lloyd Blankfein CEO Goldman Sachs
Steve Balmer CEO Microsoft
Yale-
Steve Shwarzman Founder Blackstone
Fred Smith- Founder Fed Ex
Brown-
Brian Moynihan CEO Bank America
Dara Koshrowhaski CEO Uber
Dartmouth -
Leon Black founder Appolo
Hank Paulson Former CEO Goldman Sachs
The list goes on and on. I think the Ivy alumni network does not suffer based on its small size but instead benefits from its exclusivity.
Comparing costs of top tier private school - ivy or other - that meets full need to a top out of state public may not be drastically different. Michigan, Berkeley and other top program out of state tuition costs are very high.
Yes, if you live in a state with a top tier public school, comparing costs makes sense, otherwise there are often significant compromises to be weighed.
Looking at a school’s programs , opportunities, diversity, location and outcomes are ways to asses.
I think there is a certain charm to attending a sporting event where there AREN’T 100,000 people. Of course, you can do that at lots of smaller schools, not just Ivies. I think the OP’s intentions were good — Ivies aren’t the best fit for everyone even if they are attainable.
Selectivity is only a function of supply and demand and has nothing whatever to do with educational quality. Even comparing Harvard and Columbia is like comparing apples and onions. Rankings are such a broad overgeneralization, that it borders on a boldface lie. The only facts in comparing colleges is major and money. Everything else subjective.
The original post in this thread is wrong for so many reasons. Cornell, an Ivy League school, offers in-state rates to New York residents at three of its schools. Ivies tend to be lower cost than many publics for those qualifying for financial aid. Many top employers place a very high value on Ivy degrees & grads.
P.S. OP the top 20 ranking of the Univ. of Michigan was based in large part on its graduate schools.