<p>German-car - Are you for real? </p>
<p>Let me give you my perspective as I dropped by kid off at Princeton last week. </p>
<p>I went to so-called top 10 USNWR schools, undergrad and grad. Did well academically at both. I came from nothing and nowhere, and went to school on an athletic scholarship (you might guess where I went to undergrad given the Ivies’ no scholarship policy). Paid for all of grad school on my own dime - and no loans, no outstanding obligations, nothing but me. </p>
<p>I had a single parent, but she was sick and never employed and I learned to live on, and have, virtually nothing. Surviving was about being a tough SOB. </p>
<p>It was a bit unnerving to be surrounded by such wealth, but there wasn’t a day that went by that I did not think I was the luckiest person in the world to be going to a school that was one of the privileged places in our society. All of the schools you pontificate on and on about are indeed incredibly privileged places. I felt luck every day I walked into a classroom, and even with athletic competitions, went out of my way to rarely, if ever, miss a class. Again, I was lucky just to be there, and knew it every darn minute. </p>
<p>Which brings me to my point. Life is about what you make of your opportunities, no matter where you go or what you do. And posting on a message board about the tiny plus and minuses of elite institutions makes little sense to me, and reflects, frankly, a wimpy and effete mindset that is caught up with status, both conflating and accusing it with achievement. </p>
<p>What matters more than the name of the school is competence, tough mindedness, discipline, and unyielding intellectual drive. There are numerous institutions in which these traits can prosper, including many “lesser” ranked schools. </p>
<p>By the way, for what it is worth, given its focus on undergraduate education, I can’t think of a better place to spend four years than at Princeton - what a marvelous and privileged opportunity. I impressed that on my kid - I don’t want her stuck with the same elitist, overbearing and ridiculous mindset that you seem to have adopted. Employers complain about the elitist, rest on your laurels attitude of some Ivy League graduates - any way you can warn them about you?</p>