I also don’t want to belabor this point because at the end of the day, I don’t think we should define our self-worth by how other people view us. But I do understand what you are saying. And I would add to your point that if you are from an ethnic group that some people routinely treat as if the group is less intelligent and less well-educated than they are, the credential/status of an elite school can “visibly change” a stranger’s perception of you. Now about half of that group of people will still write you off because they stick stubbornly to their belief that you probably didn’t belong in the elite school in the first place. But for the other half, in my experience, the name-dropping as gross as it is, can help change their minds. To be clear, I very rarely name drop since college was so long ago, but I am tempted when I can tell that I am being pigeon-holed based on my race and gender (or career choice for that matter).
Probably a few, yes. Because those MIT students and the tippy-top Directional State U students might well find themselves in grad school or at work together…
Seems like, for similar reasons, an elite college name dropper who was LDC probably will not mention their LDC status…
I have definitely seen this a lot.
I think that it can be tough for any one exceptional student to figure out what is right for them. There is no answer that is correct for everyone.
I see it a lot too. I see it now with my daughter’s grad school application process.
Post-graduation when meeting strangers, I can see why some alums would avoid talking about having been LDC students. However, I suspect that being able to say one’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather attended the same college may open doors & networks at some universities so it can be a net positive for some kids. At very least the legacy status can help a student’s admission to social clubs and frats if the student cares about that sort of thing. Plus, many legacies and donor kids have so many other advantages in life, I am not so sure that they care enough to hide that status. I bet it is a bit different for faculty kids. You didn’t mention athletes, but they are also written off sometimes as not having earned their place. However, despite stereotypes about recruited athletes, I imagine that they gain some status due their athletic ability even when others question their academic skills.
Finally, I think the reasons why people name-drop varies, and the experience of people who are visibly part of a scorned group is quite different than the experience of people who can choose whether of not to reveal their personal background. I don’t know many LDC students from elite schools who name drop in order to be seen as capable in the first place. Others are more likely to automatically assume those adults are capable, and therefore there is less of a need to name drop. In contrast, people who have experienced discrimination may feel the need to establish their credentials sooner in order to be given the benefit of the doubt amongst more powerful/wealthy. Years ago, at my workplace, I remember some colleagues complaining that a particular ivy grad was pretentious. They were annoyed that she was constantly telegraphing her alumni status and her many degrees. While I don’t do that, I totally got the urge and I think it was a deliberate choice made because she wanted to be taken seriously despite the color of her skin and gender.
Many comments centered around career prospects (which are very real in certain industries like investment banking, consulting, law, etc), names dropping which is mostly social. one significant aspect is alumni network and access. whilst college was many years ago, I very much enjoy participating to both alumni events, frequent online lectures, academic discussions, and conferences.
Another benefit for visitors can be access to facilities. this summer, I paid $140/month to have access to most of the sports facilities on campus including pool, gym, tennis, golf… which is a pretty amazing & cheap access fee.
The girl who lives across the street from me went to Columbia. Then she went to one of our city colleges to get her MSW.
The girl around the corner went to Harvard. After college she went to one of our city colleges for her MSW.
People have different interests and goals. Do what you want and be happy.
So an example of Harvard following the lead of Columbia 
?
And the net of this is that there is far less variation in quality across the T40 or even T50 than those with a laser focus on T20 would like to admit.
That’s the point of this thread.
Is that bias (that we won’t admit) worth extra?
Talk amongst yourselves…
If decision makers who matter to your path in life happened to share that bias - then… yes?
I just want to point out that there are 120,000+ living Harvard College graduates alone in the world.
That includes a lot of ‘normal’ people who won’t be in the history books.
And A) you’ll never really know…B) you can’t get it back (grad school is another discussion)
Any kid who has the choice and turns it down will be just fine. But I too believe that the cultural assumptions that accompany elite institutions are more valuable over a lifetime of experiences than their current cost.
Why do you think everyone’s goal is to be in the history books? A lot of successful people prefer to be anonymous.
The real question is did the elite degree allow further “success” (however defined) beyond what a less elite degree allows? For some subset of people, that answer is clearly yes. For others, clearly no.
It’s a separate question as to whether it’s predictable in advance who is likely to benefit from that success. Again, for some students, the answer is yes.
That’s generic enough to apply to life in general.
It also serves both sides of the argument: You don’t know that it didn’t (or: would have), and you won’t get the lesser money back that you spent on a non-elite school.
(It’s one of those decisions that those who can afford it can indulge in - and whether the bet was worth it will often be hard to substantiate, even with hindsight.
But I suppose people love obsessing over other people’s business, like the choice of TV channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyihQtBes1I)
All the characteristics of a valuable contribution to CC’s ad revenue.
All true…that’s why we’re 320 posts into a topic without an answer.
Oh we’ve got an answer!
Whatever you or your kids did was the correct and only correct choice. Except if it was an obvious disaster (kid was full pay at Duke, pre-med, 4.0 GPA and is now working as a circus clown) in which case kid could have gone to East Overshoe State for a lot less.
Few people on CC are willing to concede that the question has nuance and complexity. Few people on CC are willing to concede that there are other majors and career paths besides engineering and CS. Few people on CC are willing to concede that something they aren’t willing to pay for MIGHT be worth it to someone else.
Etc. Lather, rinse, repeat.
This idea was brought up at the beginning of this thread by several and was ignored for debate to continue.
I was with you right up until this…
This conversation really heats up when you start talking English grads!
(for clarity…the first part is sarcasm…the English major stuff is dead serious!)