<p>What has our society evolved into???!!!</p>
<p>This is actually kind of funny. Some people go to “sub-par” schools and never applied to an Ivy school. Many people simply do not believe the Ivy hype. From my experience, it may get you the job interview, but it doesn’t get you the promotion. It actually can be a detriment if you are working with a mix of people, who may watch you to see if you view yourself as superior or look down on others. My company just did some layoffs as many are now. The person from my department chosen by management to leave? The Ivy-educated, definitely very smart, but not a team player, arrogant co-worker. We state school employees are still there.</p>
<p>In my 20 years of managing people I overall have seen no difference in the intelligence levels of employees based on schools, or in their ability to get results. I have seen some Ivy-educated people who have been idiots in the business sense. And I have seen some from “sub-par” colleges, or no college degree at all, who are brilliant, hardworking and successful.</p>
<p>You also are over-generalizing financial aid, which is very complex. Kids in different situations are penalized, such as children of divorce where both parents are remarried, even if one parent says they won’t contribute to college expenses. Additionally, schools without merit aid are very difficult for the middle class, even upper middle class. My husband and I are executives in our companies, have good salaries, but could we afford to send 2 kids through college at the same time at $200k each? No, and we wouldn’t do it anyway, because we have seen the benefits are not worth it.</p>
<p>The trick is to do all that while maintaining a facade of ease and control.</p>
<p>A sociable person can go far, but there’s no denying that that person would be a much more ideal candidate if s/he was also highly intelligent. Ivy league-type schools provide an unparalleled opportunity to learn. A team-playing MIT graduate with an amiable manner is obviously a very good choice.</p>
<p>Now, whether it’s really worth the money…</p>
<p>AeroEngineer3141, do you really believe that “Ivy league-type schools provide an unparalleled opportunity to learn”? That’s interesting because you’ve downgraded your claim from Ivy League (which would exclude MIT) to “Ivy league-type”. That of course means that any schools that offer opportunities similar to those offered by Ivy League schools are unparalleled, which is circular reasoning. </p>
<p>Can a school become “Ivy league-type” by offering the very best undergraduate program in a particular topic? Do you REALLY think a kid that wants to be a marine biologist is better off at Harvard than at a college in Hawaii that offers undergraduate marine biology classes? Certainly engineers from Georgia Tech are just as competitive in the job market as those from MIT. What about students who want to become writers. Iowa’s MFA has been considered better than any Ivy League program. Students will do better to look at what each university is actually doing in their areas of interest rather than merely looking at the name of the school.</p>
<p>It’s the student, not the school that determines future success. And sometimes it is also merely good fortune.</p>
<p>I totally understand the struggle to do all of these activities, keep up your grades and in the mean time keep your sanity. Its crazy and I’m wondering in the end am I going o get in the collge I wnat? Am I going to get into college? Am I going to be successful in my career? and most of all am I going to be happy? I do all of these things , the activites and such b/c I love to do the activities and I am trying to get into a good school, but is all the hard work worth it in the end? Idk</p>
<p>Most everyone here is pathetic. It’s time to wake up and face the reality: what college you go to is not going to make a huge impact on the rest of your life. Seriously talk about pathetic. There are kids on here wondering if they can get into a “college” with a 2400 and 4. **** already and be grateful that you’re not living in Zimbabwae or Mumbai, you ignortant fools.</p>
<p>Talk about machines… your guys’s lack of a personality makes me sick.</p>
<p>Enjoy working your 60+ hour work weeks later in life, I’m sure it will make you as happy as getting into your arrogant, pretentious ivys.</p>
<p>Is it a problem that we want to make something of ourselves?</p>
<p>^ You don’t have to be a burnt-out shell of a human being to do it. No one at my school is as involved as these kids. HYPS doesn’t seem to mind.</p>
<p>That’s what ****es me off so much about the mindset today. There’s no moderation. The extreme in the article is totally unnecessary to gain admission to the top colleges.</p>
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<p>I’ve corrected your post for accuracy. You’re welcome.</p>
<p>^ LOL. So true. I’m sorry, everyone does it. The essays may be “you,” but you should add a footnote like the following "They’re me*.</p>
<p>*“me” read: What is true (or mostly true) about me that will most impress the adcoms.</p>
<p>Wow, that is just sad what she wants/is going through. I know there is a lot of value in working hard, but come on enjoy high school a little…</p>
<p>You can make something of yourself without having to do all that. Sure it’s great, but you can really get to the same place by studying just as hard, but toning down the EC’s so maybe you can go out on Friday and Saturday nights…</p>
<p>I really don’t see what is the rush for undergrad either, I can fully understand graduate school, because that is where the employer will look at what college you went to. I’m probably going to end up at my state school (UT-austin) or Tulane for undergrad, because they would both wouldn’t cost much more than likely. I’d rather not graduate undergrad with >50k in debt</p>
<p>I pity you Americans. all of this effort to go to college so you can graduate with a plummeting currency and no job perspectives.</p>
<p>haha me too! Junior year was so stressful! I’m glad I’m able to take it easy now as a senior.</p>
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<p>Uh, dude… by “college”, most of these people are talking about HYPSM who reject 2400/4.0’s regularly.</p>
<p>Not that often a student gets rejected from all ivies with 4.0 and 2400, unless they maybe added 150 points to their SAT and .25 points to their GPA, which I have noticed happens a lot when people tell you their stats</p>
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<p>So holy ****, they won’t get into their schools. Thus, by deductive reasoning their life is ruined. (sarcasm, for the inept)</p>
<p>And wow does your username scream narcissism.</p>
<p>i sort of agree with euphoria z here, though i’m not going to be as sarcastic in this post.</p>
<p>everyone needs to understand that their apathy for the “high school experience” and their constant complaints of “how much work is expected of us” are totally self wrought. you are progressing through high school with a common misperception that one MUST go to some top lac or university to get a 6 digit figured career and/or be successful. some of you are applying to top schools because you feel it’s the only place that will challenge you academically, or meets your intellectual standards. </p>
<p>i don’t disrespect the decisions made by high schoolers to aim for these top institutions. hell, i did the same thing, but didn’t get into a true, top 20 school. i evolved from the kid who did everything in high school and thought he deserved some top private school to attend to the guy who realizes that one’s undergraduate education really won’t affect one’s chances at employment. you will get the same undergraduate experience anywhere you go. you don’t need prestige to excel. it is what YOU put into the college experience that will lead to your success, not the what brand name the college can give you. </p>
<p>YOU make choices, YOU perform, YOU excel. you have an equal capacity for excellence at any school you go to, be it the prestigious princeton or the equally as engaging evergreen state. </p>
<p>just don’t stress about it and vent about it and talk about how hard your life is when, in reality, no one is forcing you to attain some top school acceptance letter, and such a letter really won’t dramatically affect the scheme of your life. just be happy wherever you end up.</p>
<p>Nicely put watchman!</p>
<p>Euphoria…I can totally see why you would say this, and it makes a lot of sense. But another way of looking at it is that we happen to NOT live in Zimbabwe, so we should make the best out of what opportunities we have. My typical day is 6 hours of classes, ski team/ baseball until 7:30, homework until about 1. I do not mind it, I see it more of a challenge than something I do to get into my top choice college. </p>
<p>Watchman is right- nobody is forcing you to do anything. Nobody makes you study until 1 am or play tons of sports or do lots of clubs, but if that is what you want to do- than thats wonderful. With so many oppurtunities it would be a shame not to make the most of them. And while going to a top university is not the most important thing foreverybody, to some people it is something they are working their asses off for, and theres nothing wrong with that. </p>
<p>It would be a shame to not try hard simply because we do not live in Zimbabwe.</p>
<p>I’ll just restate my view, which is agreement with PDBG, if you’re working that hard, it should be because you feel the need to—not simply to get into a top school. I can see how some complain about their school workload, each is different, some have more work than others while some give you a funny look if you even mention homework. If you want to be the top of your class-- go for it, if you want to devote countless hours to sports, clubs or band, by all means, go ahead. But do this for yourself, not so you can get into the school that US newssaid is the best or that your parents are pushing.</p>
<p>But I do agree, it is a waste to not work hard with the educational opportunity living in America has provided us. Well put PDBG. :)</p>