First of all, I’d like to say this board is great. It has given me great information to get into one of my favorite colleges; but, I have to say this:
Please don’t take such a condescending or obsessive attitude toward colleges. When I read threads like “Girl picks UC Santa Cruz over Princeton,” I begin to get the feeling that people are beginning to post about things that are–quite frankly–none of their business. It’s not important to rate “how important it is to get into an Ivy League School (1-10).” All this is a personal decision, and threads like that don’t get much done. Unless you like them for pure entertainment value, I don’t see much of a point for posting things like that.
<p>haha i'm not being a prude...neither do i have anything against fun threads...i just don't like egotistic "rankings" of schools in such minor things...like, Ivy League is more important than an education</p>
<p>I definitely agree with you. There are so many factors in picking a college--and while subconsciously we all think about its prestige a little bit, I don't know that name is worth that much. Would you rather go to a lesser-known college that you love or a well-known college that you hate?</p>
<p>You might not like your life while actually at college, but you will like it a whole lot better when you have a good job. Would you rather be North Dakota State Community College or Harvard? That's like asking: Would you rather have 4 years of your life be enjoyable and fun-filled then the rest being miserable trying to hold a job or would you rather be miserable for 4 years of your life and then be happy the rest of your life in a nice, well-paying job. The choice seems clear to me.</p>
<p>I'm not saying Ivy Leagues aren't worth it. I'm going to one. I just think that it's stupid to ask questions like "On a Scale of 1-10, How Badly Do You Want to Go to an Ivy League" or "Girl Picks UC over Princeton." Obviously, a girl who was smart enough to get into Princeton has a legitimate reason to pick a UC, and its nothing that we should harp about (it's not huge news).</p>
<p>People have different views toward Ivies. Ivies neither guarantee success, nor do other colleges block off success. Ivies provide a good education, but to become more obsessed with getting "into an Ivy League" than getting to a college of one's choice (many of the great colleges such as Stanford and MIT are not Ivy Leagues) is stupid. All the Ivy Leagues aren't the same, and just to be begging to get into an Ivy League seems to be giving undue attention to a name instead of an education.</p>
<p>That reminds me of a kid in my grade who said that if he didn't get into an ivy league, he was going to go to the local state university. It's a good state U, but the fact that he wouldn't even consider Williams and Amherst and other schools like that as "good" and also the fact that he wouldn't recognize that some ivys aren't as good as other schools in certain majors...well I thought that was narrow-minded, to say the least. He's going to Cornell, but still...</p>
<p>ya it's none of my business to post that thread about the santa cruz, princeton thing. i guess i am a sore loser who is just bitter and jealous and couldn't believe why someone would do that. buti have realized there are many more things in life to worry about. be happy with yourself, live up to your potential, and many opportunities will be available to you and you will thrive.</p>
<p>That Indian Guy arent you attending Princeton. There are two ways to brag about going to a top ten school, a)just straightout bragging b)complaining about those who brag about attending the school you attend</p>
<p>uc_benz, it is not necessary to be happy for one part of your life and miserable the other part. I would say there are more people who have nice jobs and are happy with them than have HYPSM diplomas. The two are not mutually exclusive, though perhaps a degree from a high-caliber institution would open up more opportunities--</p>
<p>yet are Ivy Leagues really the only high-caliber institutions?</p>
<p>I have nothing against Ivy League schools at all, and will be applying to several. But to say that they are the only good schools is ridiculous. There are schools that are better than Ivy Leagues, just as there are schools that are worse than them. It depends on the person and his/her preferred learning environment, and many other things.</p>
<p>I wasn't implying that Ivy League colleges do provide more happiness. I'm saying on average you will find that Ivy League graduates would have better jobs than graduates from lower universities. I was simply referring to the question asked of whether I would be miserable for 4 years at a prestigious college or happy at a lesser-known college. I picked being miserable for 4 years.</p>
<p>Do you remember the study that showed that students that got accepted to top schools and went elsewhere did almost exactly as well as those that went to the top schools?</p>
<p>I don't have any sort of link handy, but the point is that it's the person, not the school. If some guy gets into Harvard and decides to go to NDSCC instead, he's showing a level of maturity which is probably lacking from most of Harvard's freshman class.</p>