“Ivy League schools are full of rich people.”
I know that this is a stereotype, but I wonder how true it actually is. Most people pay the tuition, so it must be true to some extent…right?
I also know that ivy schools give generous scholarships and that people who are not “rich” attend as well.
Has anyone in that situation felt out of place or uncomfortable being surrounded by rich people?
Should I go to a shool with people in the same “class”? Would that be a healthier experience for me?
https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid/how-aid-works
http://admissions.yale.edu/financial-aid
http://www.princeton.edu/pub/profile/admission/undergraduate-costs/
So this shows that approximately 60-70% of those schools’ students are on financial aid. I don’t really care for any of the Ivies to be honest, but they are very generous with their financial aid and look to admit the best students, regardless of their family’s socioeconomic standing. Obviously their is still that extra 30-40% of students that don’t receive financial aid, but I’m not so sure that it’s unique to the Ivies. If you look at any of the top 50 schools on USNWR I think you’d be shocked at how many students are full-pay.
I’m sure that there are very wealthy students at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, et. al, but you’ll find that at any school. UMichigan (OOS) has a reputation for attracting upper-middle class and upper class students. A lot of the top LACs have reputations of being “preppy.” I don’t think you’d be as alone as you’d think, however, if you were to choose an Ivy league school.
lol, who are you quoting in your post?
If you find a school that keeps rich people out so you can go to school with the same class, let us know, that would be interesting.
My daughter went to Brown on a large scholarship, one of the colleges you are looking at, and I never heard any mention of the subject. Maybe I should have asked. But she is used to being around a wide variety of people from different socio economic status.
You can look up what percentage of students are not receiving financial aid and then try the net price calculators of the schools to find how wealthy one must be to get no financial aid.
Every school has it’s own culture. At an Ivy it is less about money than it might be at a fancy posh school that is not rigorous or selective. If you are really worried When you visit see how people are dressed and plan your wardrobe accordingly. Honestly though at most schools people were casual or dressed in U wear, with the name of the school on it
~40% of ivy admits are from private schools (vs.~10% of all U.S. students are enrolled in private schools) - I don’t mean to say all of them are well off but this might give you a sense of the sort of population you may find at an ivy league. There is a systematic bias that favors accepting private school/wealthier applicants b/c of things like connections, recruitment for certain sports like crew, the principle that success breeds success etc. so there will be a higher representation of wealthier students at ivy leagues. My sibling attends an ivy and frequently mentions a definite ‘old money’ presence; however, not all ivies are the same. Ivies do make an effort to have a diverse class so one should be able to find any type of community they feel comfortable in.
I’ve been noticing a trend on CC that equates people who go to Ivies or really any private schools, with those who are rich. How about those of us who are just middle class but have been diligently saving for our kids’ college educations for years? Just because we can now afford to send our son to an Ivy and pay full price, doesn’t AT ALL mean that we are rich! We just planned ahead! I don’t want to be lumped in with the 1% crowd, I want to be lumped in with the crowd that made sure our kids could go to the best school that accepts them simply by scrimping and saving!
Rich is a relative term. We are at the “donut hole” and we don’t consider ourselves rich. But for families that are making the median HH income, they probbaly consider us “rich”.
On topic:
At my kids Ivy, I think about 40% receive some kind of FA. That means, about 60% are full pay. Full pay is maybe about 250K HH income.
What constitute an FA? If you have work-study but zero grant, are you part of that 40%? If you are qualified for Perkins loan (w/ very low interest) from the school, are you part of that 40%. If you qualified for subsidized Stafford loans, are you part of the 40%?
About 15% of the freshmen at Harvard and Yale this last Fall reported family incomes of more than $500,000.
Why would you shun someone because of their wealth?
Poor intellect and weak integrity should be shunned, but a fat or thin wallet doesn’t make a person interesting or loathsome.
I bet schools like NYU have a larger proportion of rich kids than ivies.
Why would anyone report their parents make more than 500K? Whose business is that. IF my parents had that (which they do not) they would kill me if I ever put that on a form
^
FAFSA and CSS profile have your parents’ income and more. Some schools even want to know what car your parents own.
Yes but if your parents make 500K why would you fill out a CSS. There is no merit money at these schools so why would you
I get where you’re coming from OP. I go to a Title I school (+70% of the school is on free-or-reduced lunch). I live in the “rich” part of the city (average income is 60K) but the neighborhoods around me have average incomes of 20-30K. I can’t imagine what’s it like even meeting somebody with 500K, much less attending a school where 15% of those attending make that. The thought of it makes me uncomfortable too, but there will always be people like you at any school.
@tellm3more If you really aren’t rich, you should qualify for financial aid, which would mean you wouldn’t have to pay the full price even though with your thriftiness you could if you needed to.
Keep in mind that many private high schools offer financial aid as well. That is how my middle-class family is currently affording my private high school education. Of course, there are some very wealthy kids at my school, but some of them are also my closest friends, and they are some of the nicest people I have met. You should never make assumptions about how much someone is making or judge someone on his/her income.
I think that being around people who have different cultural backgrounds, values, interests, and so on can all be both great and difficult. I just think that money can be a little tricky sometimes because it can lead to unnecessary jealousy or make us feel like we need more, when we should really just appreciate the things that we have.
I just wanted to make sure I could focus on what I would be in school to do.
I hope this makes sense…
I know quite a few students in the best prep schools on FA
I went to an Ivy on full FA and it wasn’t a problem, usually. Once in a while a friend would want to go shopping and would seem stressed that I wasn’t buying anything; the idea that a shirt wasn’t in my budget was hard for her to wrap her mind around. But we enjoyed our friendship and I got to show her what a small family dairy farm was like, and we both learned a lot about each other’s cultures. Good memories.