Hello World,
I was just wondering what are considered “Lower ivies”. I am assuming that “Upper Ivies” are “The holy trinity”, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Also assuming Cornell is scene as a “lower Ivy”. But, I am not sure were the others fall.
Could anyone enlighten me on this concept?
Ha – way to start a debate on CC. Going to pop some popcorn…
It’s basically a Chances term for any Ivy that’s not Harvard, Princeton, or Yale. I think it’s a stupid distinction, as they’re all very hard to get into and (more or less) equal academically.
This notion is based on some people’s idea of prestige, but in reality these are all top-notch schools. So…
Each student who is interested in the Ivy League schools should make his or her own “upper/lower ivies” list based on fit factors like social and academic vibe and environment.
For instance, if you want a rural setting, your “upper Ivies” will be Cornell and Dartmouth. If suburban, Yale and Princeton. If urban, Brown, Columbia, Harvard and Penn.
The point is – and this applies to every other school and group of schools – that a “best practice” is to identify groups of like schools and judge them against each other based on fit, not what Uncle Larry has heard about them.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Closing pointless thread. I would not expect the acceptances to be rolling in if you mention “Lower Ivys” in your essays to all non-HYP schools.