<p>Actually, the quality of education at Ivies can sometimes be wishy-washy. Consider that your professors are going to be dedicated a large majority of their time to research. A friend of mine got into Stanford (sometimes put in the same category as Ivies). When she visited, a professor said told her to choose another college if she wanted a quality education. She ended up choosing a LAC that fit her perfectly. On top of that, she felt that Vassar’s name opened many doors for her. To sum up, an elite name does not necessarily equal a top-notch education.</p>
<p>To bring this thread back to a more relevant discussion, I also feel badly for those applying to all the Ivies. They clearly don’t have the maturity for self-reflection, and they don’t know what they want. Honestly, anyone smart enough for the Ivy League should be able to succeed on his/her own merits.</p>
<p>I recently asked my son if he was interested in applying to any Ivy League schools and he looked at me like I was dense and said something like, “I did, I applied to MIT.” Now, his academic credentials are sufficient to apply to and be considered at any school very credibly. What this tells me is that the “Ivy League” brand is a little wobbly in the mind of at least some very bright teenagers. Anyway, I explained that technically the Ivy League includes only the schools of the Ancient Eight athletic conference, and named them for him. But none of those schools have particularly interested him at this point. (In fact, on a recent visit to MIT he didn’t even want to take an hour away to run over and look at that other school in Cambridge.) His perception is that all of the Ivy League schools are very different from MIT. Whether that’s true or not, I think that is very discerning on his part. I cannot imagine any reason other than the “window decal factor” for applying to all eight of those schools. It would be the exceptionally rare personality that would fit all of them.</p>
<p>I would think it odd if a kid applied to all the Ivies–and no other highly selective schools. That would suggest a lack of careful consideration. If a kid applied to all the Ivies, as well as Stanford, Duke, Chicago, Rice, Hopkins, Emory, MIT, Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, and CalTech, I would think he was overdoing it a bit.
But I agree that one kid can like multiple Ivies that may seem quite different. My son also liked both Brown and Columbia, for example.</p>
<p>Well, I have the opposite problem with one of my kids. Albeit this kid is only in 9th grade and hasn’t put any real thought into college, but he has repeatedly & pointedly stated he WILL NEVER apply to any Ivies. Why? Just because he thinks they are overrated.</p>
<p>Although in some respects he could be correct, to be a top student (and one who needs FA) and disregard the entire block is as short sighted in “fit.”</p>
<p>“Your family has a lot of money to burn.”</p>
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<p>I would think they would tend to live in the Northeast or are international applying for the big time finaid.</p>
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<p>Since fit also includes “financial fit”, yeah, I think skipping the Ivies maybe short-sighted, unless one is virtually guaranteed a scholarship/tuition discount for NMSF or some other program. Of course, instate flagships offer a great, affordable education. But for many people, the Ivy can be less expensive than the instate public due the the Ivy’s rich need-based aid programs.</p>
<p>IBClass06 - Eye rolling doesn’t negate the fact that, for many of us who don’t attend on Daddy’s money…college is a means to an end. It isn’t 4 years of studying Shakespeare under a tree…nor is it “trade school”. It’s hopefully a well rounded education that prepares one for the world of GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT. </p>
<p>I have so many examples addressing so many of the things you said. But I’ll give just one (you’re welcome). </p>
<p>Funny you should mention engineering. My brother was going to be the proverbial “rocket scientist”. Unfortunately, this was 1970 and NASA nearly went bankrupt and laid off/fired most of its staff. He changed his major to electrical engineering. Was it his “best fit”? No. But he worked every day of his 4 years and paid every penny of his COA himself and he knew that JOB was spelled c-o-l-l-e-g-e. So he majored in a field where he could get a job. He learned to “deal with it”. He was recruited by a national company straight out of school and just retired from that company just last year. Never a money problem since. </p>
<p>I vehemently think many kids need to learn to “deal with” things a lot more these days, than dream up ways to make the positive side of things - so “unfulfilling”. The sense that one is “entitled” to the education of their choosing astounds me. No where else in the world would we be arguing that it’s NOT o.k. to seek out what you individually consider to be the best of the best (regardless of how anyone else feels about those schools).</p>
<p>“Fit” is overrated. I am pretty damn conservative, yet I’m applying to a bunch of liberal schools, GWU for example, and yes I am even contemplating Brown. Hell if I had the grades I’d think about applying to all the Ivies too. All have absolutely gorgeous campuses and excel in almost every field of degree offered.</p>
<p>Yeahh I went there. So what do I think about kids applying to all the Ivies? I think they must be either smart as hell with a good chance of getting in or complete idiots who think they have a chance at getting in.</p>
<p>I don’t necessarily think this is a problem. Not everyone cares about urban vs. rural, or core vs. open curriculum. All of the Ivies have moderate-size undergraduate populations (not tiny like Amherst, not gigantic like Michigan), strength in a wide variety of liberal arts fields, a culture that values hard work and achievement, vibrant student organizations, terrific alumni networks, excellent graduate school placement, and national/international name recognition. They also have in common their membership in the league itself, which reflects their commitment not to elevate sports above other types of achievement.</p>
<p>If those are your main priorities in a college, then all 8 Ivies qualify.</p>
<p>It’s not true that Ivies are about the same size. The range is from 4000 students to 12,000. Also, some Ivies emphasize certain sports more than others; UPenn, for one, is big on football. Dartmouth, not so much. The academic environment is also different; Cornell is known to be a pressure-cooker of a school with plenty of cutthroat competition if you choose to be competitive, whereas Dartmouth has a more collaborative environment.</p>
<p>Considering that college is a four-year commitment, and considering that as you study at X college, your life is also likely to revolve around the school (unless you are a commuting student), I’d strongly urge someone to look for fit. College doesn’t have to just be a stepping stone from high school to career; it can be an experience that opens your mind to new ideas and leads to the uncovering of passions that lay dormant before. It can be the best time of your life, but not if the environment isn’t conducive to that.</p>
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My thoughts exactly. The fact is that these schools all share lots of overlap and all could definitely be great options for certain students. They are also all the most generous schools in the nation in terms of financial aid and certainly that ought to be a legitimate reason for applying to multiple Ivies.</p>