NY Times: Ivy Cachet Reaches "Second Tier" Colleges

Applying to College
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<p>"Call them second-tier colleges (a phrase some administrators despise) or call them the new Ivies (this, they can live with). Twenty-five to 40 universities like Lehigh, traditionally perceived as being a notch below the most elite, have seen their cachet climb because of the astonishing competitive crush at the top."</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/education/16admissions.html?hp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/education/16admissions.html?hp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Lehigh, yes. But unfortunately, the article does not detail the other 25-40 other schools.</p>

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<p>It's good for these schools but bad for the society as a whole.</p>

<p>The reason there is such demand for prestige schools is because of status worship, which is horrible.</p>

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<p>is Lehigh such a great school?</p>

<p>I know Lehigh is known for business and engineering,</p>

<p>but how come in USNEWs the rankings in those two categories are so low? I mean, I know rankings dont mean anything, BUT
those rankings are "peer assessment rankings", so if it's "known" for something, shouldn't it have higher rankings?</p>

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<p>yea, the only reason I found the article amusing was because of the irony of places like Bowdoin, Tufts, Lehigh and the University of Rochester being referred to as "new ivies" when they've all been around since raccoon coats and Model T Fords were in style. The last thing we need is another pecking order imposed on an already overwrought system.</p>

<p>Also, why is it when t comes to prestige, it's almost entirely about the NE and a handful of places in the Sunbelt? Never the midwest?</p>

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<p>
[quote]
why is it when t comes to prestige, it's almost entirely about the NE and a handful of places in the Sunbelt? Never the midwest

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Because the NY Times is in New York - the Northeast, remember? And to the movers & shakers on the coasts, the midwest (with the possible exception of Chicago) is flyover country. (Although I did like the reference to Kenyon as the "Williams of the Midwest".)</p>

<p>That's also why, on these boards too, kids are urged to look at midwest schools, since they're easier to get into.</p>

<p>"Prestige" is all about perception. The midwest doesn't have that cachet, and never has. But it's working on it.</p>