<p>I know people say college is what you make of it and you can always go to a top graduate school if you don't attend a top undergraduate one. But I feel like going to an Ivy League equivalent for graduate school is completely different because college is the time when people are young, social, open-minded, cohesive, and so on more so than at any other time in their lives. It's a totally different culture that doesn't translate to graduate school.</p>
<p>It seems to me the most valuable part of college (for a top student) is the social growth that comes from being around other incredibly intelligent, vibrant individuals for four years. Going to a place where, say, half of the students never graduate would be much less enriching, wouldn't it? Even if you found likeminded friends, most of the students would just not be at the same intellectual level, and the whole atmosphere of the campus would be worse. (I'm not trying to sound like a snob. I just really want to make my best friends somewhere where most people care about big issues, have serious passions, etc. A concentration of such people would be an amazing respite from an often lazy and uninspired world, and I think I'd always be haunted if I turned down the opportunity to go to a top college for that reason.)</p>
<p>So has anyone here transferred from an Ivy League equivalent to a college considered less prestigious or vice versa? What was the difference in atmosphere, social connections, etc.? Do you regret moving from one to the other? Do you have any advice or insight into what I said?</p>
<p>(I am not interested in discussing academics; I know you can get a good education anywhere.)</p>
<p>Marita, you say you don’t want to talk academics, but you want to make your best friends…where? </p>
<p>I transferred “up” (so to speak), and I made amazing friends in both places. The kids with whom I became friends at my state school were just as smart as those at the super selective one…it was just a matter of “friending” people with similar interests. </p>
<p>As long as you remember humility in your interactions and pursue your passion(s), you’ll be reminded that the education is in the entire experience…not just what’s taught in the classroom.</p>
<p>Bloom where you are planted…or so some smart guy said… :)</p>
<p>Well, in high school, your closest friends tend to be similar to you academically, and having a student body primarily made of people of that academic caliber changes the environment of the school. Going to a party school where most people barely make any effort is clearly different from going to a highly selective and respected institution when you look at the types of people you will mostly encounter. I know you will find friends wherever you go–you can even pick a random country and find friends there without knowing the language or the culture. I’m asking about the ambiance, if you will. In other words, I want to know how dramatic and meaningful, or how insignificant, the social contrast is between a top university and other universities.</p>
<p>As I said, I am not interested in discussing academics because I don’t want to talk about the quality of professors or courses. This is solely about the student body and the social experience, which in itself is a learning experience as well. My question is not about “what’s taught in the classroom.”</p>
<p>The top 1% at a well ranked state school will do more in their life than the average person at HYPSW. A surprising fraction of Wall Street Bankers are from such state schools - which is amazing given that most people haven’t even heard of investment banking at those institutions while HYPSW kids are obsessed with it.</p>
<p>It’s what you make of it. I’m about to finish up at one of the state schools and while I’m smarter than most of my peers there are a few who can keep pace, like my roommate who is double majoring in Physics and EE and double minoring in Math and CS.</p>
<p>Don’t be a ******, focus on enjoying life. In some regards if you leverage things the right way, you’re better off at a less competitive uni. You can be a star while still having time to do a number of extraordinary things on the side. Information flow is admittedly lower, but the internet compensates.</p>
<p>Marita, you will meet smart people wherever you go. Chances are after college these people will not be your friends you carry with you to your new job and you will have to brush shoulders with men & women who can match your talents or are better than you that came from a different school & different circumstances. </p>
<p>If you’re thinking that something amazing and life-altering will happen just because you attend Harvard, you’re extremely naive. My friend recently started at UC Berkeley and cannot stop complaining that he hates it. Same for a friend at MIT. </p>
<p>I would say that you would be more likely to meet people with potential to become future leaders in some field at a highly ranked school but as for their personalities I would say they are just as varied as normal universities. People are probably more hard-working on average at an ivy league type school, but it doesn’t mean you won’t meet mean people. It seems like you’re trying to get a thrill out of going to college and want something dramatic to happen. College isn’t a theater production and experiences will vary. A majority of my friends are at prestigious universities (I am not) and none of them are doing anything other than working hard to get into graduate school. No “meaningful” experiences. </p>
<p>Does going to an ivy league school mean you’ll have the most amazing time ever and meet people you will remain friends with for life? No, not necessarily. You could be miserable.</p>
<p>I don’t think the social contrast is all that different. The learning experience is a whole other ball game.</p>
<p>^ Real talk…I wish ur post had a like button haha But yeah I can totally relate to you cause I always thought that my college experience would be so much more different (and more (“dramatic”) and also meet ‘cooler’ people if I went to an ivy league school…but that’s not the case lol…every college has something good going on for it and you dont need to go to an ivy league school to get ahead bloom where you’re planted :)</p>
But yeah I can totally relate to you cause I always thought that my college experience would be so much more different (and more (“dramatic”) and also meet ‘cooler’ people if I went to an ivy league school…but that’s not the case lol…every college has something good going on for it and you dont need to go to an ivy league school to get ahead