<p>I have a simple question... people here sometimes use the word "elite" to describe a school... Which schools do you consider to really be "elite"? Which schools deserve this word? I know there are thousands of universities out there but is only HYPSM elite? Or can this word be used to describe the top 20? What about top 30?...In what ranking range would a school have to be in order to stop being merely "good" and become "elite"? I know this is a subjective question but I am interested in finding out different views on this subject. Feel free to post your a ranking range, specific group of schools etc. Thanks!</p>
<p>I personally think that top 25 can be considered elite… I mean the US has thousands of degree granting institutions and being in the top 50 is amazing… but I think the word “elite” can be used for top 25 schools. I think the people who just say HYPSM are being too narrow in their definition. I think the schools like Northwestern, Emory, Duke and JHU should be considered elite.</p>
<p>I have to disagree with JohnAdams… Placing only 5 schools in the elite category and then bunching 45 schools (rank 5 to 50) under “good” is insane. </p>
<p>Anyways, I think top 20-30 are very good … 30-50 are good… Top 20 should be elite. If you only say HYPSM, you are leaving out some amazing schools.</p>
<p>Firstly, this is kind of a silly discussion (but I’ll jump in anyway).
I would say from an admissions standpoint, any school could be considered “elite” that rejects more applicants than it accepts.</p>
<p>One could carry this silliness even further and say that the more they reject relative to the amount they accept makes them even “more elite.”</p>
<p>Why is it silly for there to be 4-6 elite schools?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes, that is the entire point. There are some amazing schools that aren’t HYPS. But HYPS is clearly the “elite” category. Saying the top-20 are all elite is simply untrue. Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and Princeton all give really comparable undergraduate educations. Each has different strengths, but as a whole, they’re very competitive with each other as overall undergraduate institutions.</p>
<p>But the same cannot be said about top-20 schools. You’ll get a fantastic education at a school like Northwestern. But there is a major difference between Northwestern and Princeton, for example. Even if some would like to make the case that the undergraduate experience isn’t very different (which I would disagree with), there are categories where its almost inarguable that the top-4 distinguish themselves from the others. </p>
<p>Sticking with the Princeton-Northwestern example (not that I hate NW), you first have the prestige comparison. The name “Princeton” on a grad school or job application is just going to mean more than the name “Northwestern” when your application is grouped in with a heap of others. In addition, you can just look at the endowments. The reality is you’re going to get greater opportunities at a school that splits an endowment of $12 Million between 7500 students than you are at a school that splits 5.5 Million between 16,000 students.</p>
<p>There’s a reason people are constantly asking about the HYPS schools–they’re considered the cream of the crop in American education. While I don’t believe MIT and CalTech are in that category, I can definitely see the argument for them and totally respect someone whose opinion does consider them on that same level.</p>
<p>But while there are other amazing schools, HYPS(and in some respectable opinions, MC) are the elite schools. That leaves off many amazing schools, but the entire point is to separate the elite from the amazing.</p>
<p>What about some of the top specialized schools, like Julliard or Cooper Union? They may not have programs for everyone, but I’d certainly consider them elite schools for what they offer.</p>
<p>warblersrule, you keep beating me to whatever I want to say :p. HS kids are generally the most fervent about “prestige” of schools. Sadly, they really have no idea what they’re talking about sometimes. :/</p>
<p>Is a student with a 3.5 at Princeton not going to receive preference to a Grad School admission over a 3.5 at Northwestern?</p>
<p>To that many will say “It matters more what you’ve done in College.” Well, where is the greater opportunity? Where do you think more large businesses recruit? Who has 4x the Endowment of the other? Who has the larger Alumni network at the top jobs?</p>
<p>Its not that I hate Northwestern, its an excellent school. And its not that I love Princeton. Its just that the opportunities at Princeton are more than nominally better than the ones at Northwestern. That separates Princeton from Northwestern, and that’s why its sort of ridiculous to insist “You have to make more than 4-6 schools elite!” because for 4-6 schools (depending on your viewpoint on CalTech and MIT), the opportunities are markedly better.</p>