<p>That article by Katie Baker always cracks me up. Its been posted in the past, but thanks for posting it again. LOL. </p>
<p>** eta- thanks to both sevmom and mihcal</p>
<p>In the âtake it with a grain of saltâ category, hereâs an article about schools with the hottest cars. (USC came in at #4 and the photo is amusing). [The</a> Ten Colleges With The Hottest Cars](<a href=âThe Ten Colleges With The Hottest Carsâ>The Ten Colleges With The Hottest Cars)</p>
<p>But really-- NYU?? Who has a car in NYC???</p>
<p>The âwealthy eliteâ</p>
<p>Wouldnât they have drivers with towncars?</p>
<p>Some kids in NYC seem to be using this now:
<a href=âhttps://www.uber.com/cities/new-york-city#cities[/url]â>https://www.uber.com/cities/new-york-city#cities</a></p>
<p>This is a new software people are trying out to hail taxis in NYC. Our neighbor seem to like it.
<a href=âhttps://hailocab.com/nyc[/url]â>https://hailocab.com/nyc</a></p>
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<p>Iâm not interested in doing the research, but off the top of my head: Trumpâs kids went to UPenn and Georgetown, Chelsea Clinton to Stanford, the Bush girls to Yale and UT (the last two âpowerfulâ but not super wealthy, obviously).</p>
<p>My guess is that the super wealthy elite are likely to choose the best colleges they can get their kids into, like most of us do. Some wonât care (like Buffet - none of his graduated from college), also like some of us donât. </p>
<p>I am always interested to hear where people who can go anywhere choose to go. I assume all of us have questions/doubts/reservations about our kidsâ choices. We can look to what those who theoretically have every resource at their fingertips decide to do. I think it will be interesting to know where Bill Gatesâ kids go in a couple of years.</p>
<p>And the Obama girls. Malia is same year as DD. Iâm assuming her choice will be kept quiet until spring.</p>
<p>The article at [WSJ.com</a> - Many Colleges Bend Rules To Admit Rich Applicants](<a href=âhttp://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/Polk_Rich_Applicants.htm]WSJ.comâ>WSJ.com - Many Colleges Bend Rules To Admit Rich Applicants) mentions that Duke admits 100 to 125 students annually as a result of family wealth or connections. At the time the article was written, it led the nation in unrestricted gifts from non-alumni parents and had a history of admitting persons making this type of large donation. So itâs not surprising that the average income of white families at Duke is extremely high at an inflation adjusted income of $265,000/yr ($230,000/yr in 2006 survey), as discussed at [Where</a> The 1% Send Their Kids to College -](<a href=âhttp://collegestats.org/articles/2012/07/where-the-1-send-their-kids-to-college/]Whereâ>http://collegestats.org/articles/2012/07/where-the-1-send-their-kids-to-college/) . Back in the 70s, there was a paper that concluded Duke had the highest family income of any college in the US and criticized it for its poor minority percentage and policies (Duke has changed substantially since then). Ivy league schools also have a significant number of children from very wealthy families, as discussed in the 2nd linked article.</p>
<p>Itâs still a creepy topic of discussion.</p>
<p>As a member of the top .05% I find this discussion fascinating. But just like middle class or upper middle class parents, the wealthy (uber wealthy) come in all shapes and sizes, with all sorts of backgrounds and dreams for their kids. Some want their kids to go to their alma maters, some just want them to be happy at whatever school they choose. Some insist in their kids going to more âelitistâ schools, some think elitist schools are a joke. We are not a group that can be generalized, as is the case with most groups, but it is funny to read whatâs been said.</p>
<p>How many âsuper powerful familiesâ can there be that you think âpowerful families per collegeâ is realistic criteria for picking a college?</p>
<p>amtc, That is impressive that you are a member of the top .05%. As this thread indicates, there is confusion about this subject. Some of the top are âsuper wealthyâ , âsuper powerfulâ, âwealthy eliteâ, âuber wealthyâ, âold moneyâ . ânew moneyâ. Itâs all too confusing . The thread to me is more funny than âcreepy.â</p>
<p>Thereâs also a huge difference in terms of whether wealthy people wish to keep their wealth private or in the public eye (a la Trump). </p>
<p>Itâs also of note that a new science center or new dorm costs $x mm to build whether itâs at Non Fancy U or Fancy U. The families donating to Non Fancy U may be just as wealthy as, and just as loyal to, Non Fancy U as their counterparts who donated the science center at Fancy U. This speaks to JHSâ point upthread.</p>
<p>sevmom - didnât say it to impress but to state the obvious - there are as many different âkindsâ of âuber wealthyâ families as there are âmiddle classâ families, making this a ridiculous discussion!</p>
<p>And some value education highly and some donât. And some want to wear the badge of an elite school and others donât feel such a desire. And the definition of whatâs elite or prestigious will vary based on industry and part of the country. Just like non 1%ers.</p>
<p>Try out Muckety. If you enter names of people you consider âthe wealthy elite,â you can see where the names cluster. Iâd bet NYU and Duke would rank highly. </p>
<p>On the other hand, why do you care? If you think your children will hobnob with the children of the elite, most colleges are so large their chances of meeting anyone in particular are very small. As many married couples no longer share the same last name, your children might even know a scion of a wealthy family, but have no clue. Students whose parents have private planes, etc., may not hang around on campus on weekends. They may not live on campus, but rather have their own apartments nearby.</p>
<p>Hey, I think this is an interesting topic. It seems to me that colleges differ a lot in the degree to which they allow rich students to have a different college experience from less rich students. For example, this will probably be the case at many schools with very strong Greek systems. I think (for example) that itâs more true at Princeton than it is at Yale or Harvard. I think this may be an issue at schools with different levels (and costs) of housing choices. Itâs probably more of an issue at colleges where a large percentage of students live off campus. It may be more obvious at schools where a lot of students have cars.</p>
<p>Rich kids will always be able to do things like go on fancy vacations, buy expensive stuff, eat in fancy restaurants, etc., etc. But the degree to which this is relevant to everyday life in the college may vary quite a bit from school to school.</p>
<p>Great observation, Hunt. For example â Grinnell is a school with a LOT of money invested in it (thanks to Warren Buffett) â top notch facilities and opportunities for students. But itâs in the middle of cornfields. The rich kid at Grinnell isnât going to have the opportunity to dress-up-and-go-to-the-fancy-restaurant-nightclub-theater-whatever that the rich kid going to school in, say, NY, Boston, Chicago or SF might have.</p>
<p>Absolutely. Oxford College of Emory and Emoryâs Atlanta campus have almost identical percentages of full pay students and very similar student profiles. However, at Oxford itâs less obvious whoâs wealthy because the nearest town is a 7 minute bike ride away, and itâs quite poor. Contrast that with the Atlanta campus where itâs relatively easy to pick out the more conspicuous wealthier students because they have much easier access to Atlanta, to expensive restaurants, and other things that a poor student might not be able to afford. </p>
<p>Even Oxfordâs versions of a greek life seemed more egalitarian because the associated dues were minimal and the children of the multi-millionaires lived in the same rooms as those on full financial aid.</p>
<p>Hunt, while I agree that when we were in college wealth made more of a difference at Princeton than it did at Yale, I am not certain that is still the case. From both directions: I suspect Yale is less egalitarian than it was back then, and I know Princeton is a good deal more so. </p>
<p>Interestingly, public universities seem to be places where money can really buy a different experience. The universities themselves have dorms with different levels of luxury accompanied by different prices, the surrounding communities offer a full array of non-official housing, plus you have the Greek systems.</p>
<p>And Pizzagirl is dead on that cities offer tons of opportunity for rich kids to spend money on things that poor kids cannot afford â starting with housing, even before you get to restaurants, nightclubs, and theaters. At the University of Chicago â where in general the student culture is very egalitarian, and public displays of extravagant wealth are rare â students can spend as little as $350/month for a bed in a student apartment in not the nicest area, and as much as four-five times that for a doorman highrise on the lake with a gym, pool, parking, and free shuttle service to the central university area. (And thatâs setting to one side the kids whose parents buy a condo in a nice neighborhood for them to live in after their first year.)</p>