<p>Lets say hypothetically that you recieve a partial or even full scholarship to an average/decent school. By an "average or decent school" i mean something that is not in the top 25 ranking, but is still good (Rutgers, BU, URI, UMass, Northeastern, etc). Lets also say you get accepted to an Ivy League school...ANY Ivy-league of your choice. </p>
<p>Where would you personally choose to go...the Ivy-league or the other one with the scholarship?</p>
<p>I go with my parents' answer: Ivy</p>
<p>There isn't one, definitive answer to this question. My family, though not wealthy, can afford (actually afford, without selling our house/taking out huge loans/working 4 jobs each/etc.) the tuition at any Ivy or Ivy level school. So, (already having choices similar to the ones that you present here), I would choose the Ivy-level school, for a lot of reasons (better fit, greater opportunities, etc.). However, if my family really couldn't afford it, I certainly wouldn't feel bad about going to the good/not tippy top school that offered a lot of money, and no one in that position should feel bad about it. If you plain can't afford something, you can't afford it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I would choose the Ivy-level school, for a lot of reasons (better fit, greater opportunities, etc.)
[/quote]
Does an Ivy really present greater opportunities to a student than e.g. BU?
I mean, there may be more "opportunities per student" at Ivies, but don't schools like BU offer similar opportunities to its outstanding (HYP caliber) students? Is it better to get an average degree from an Ivy than an outstanding degree from a "decent" school?</p>
<p>Lol I love how you categorically said you'd choose the Ivy because of "better fit." Nice contradiction!!</p>
<p>Ahhh...I knew that I would get into trouble!! I did take care to put better fit down first...personally, I think that the Ivies and other top schools have an overall higher caliber of student than good but not excellent alternatives, and that is what I meant by better opportunities. I don't want to get into a big argument about it though!! Just my opinion.</p>
<p>Is "Ivies are a better fit (FOR ME)" necessarily a contradiction? For me, all of my reach schools are Ivies, AND I am a double legacy at one of them, so I know that most people would probably look at me and immediately scream "Elitist! Elitist! Elitist!", but those schools honestly ARE the best fits for me. This is a very loaded topic, but this is my one, solitary opinion with regards to the question asked. Feel free to disagree! But I'm sticking with it.</p>
<p>haha i know what you mean. i think we just have different definitions of the word "fit." you were referring to academic match, i was referring to that subjective vibe of the school (the student ethic, whatever that is). it's what differentiates a student at wharton from a student at princeton (both Ivy-educated)</p>
<p>My definition of fit is both. All of my reach schools were Ivies, but I did not apply to all the Ivies. I applied to Columbia, Brown, Princeton, and Yale, the Ivies that I felt fit my personality the best (and to varying degrees, as well). I didn't even consider Dartmouth or Cornell--both totally wrong for my personality--and UPenn didn't feel right, either. Harvard was almost out of the running before my list-making began, because I visited it a long time ago and hated, hated, hated it. Nothing I read really made me change my mind. </p>
<p>Similarly, I considered many other top universities and top LAC's, all of which I am sure offered me the same academic opportunities, but applied only to two top LAC's--they rest just didn't appeal. So, I definitely <em>did</em> mean fit both ways.</p>
<p>I'd go to the Ivy. Even if it meant taking out monstrous loans. I can't really explain why, but I would, and my parents agree.</p>
<p>I might be biased because I'm poor and dislike the pretentiousness of the glorified Ivies. But even if it was a non-Ivy like Stanford or UChicago, I'd say go with the scholarship. The difference between the 25 and schools 26-50 isn't very great. One gets a good education either way.</p>
<p>Notice how people can't explain why they want to go to Ivies. That's because there's really no good reason to value them above other universities.</p>
<p>If you could pay for both, it depends on which you like more, in my opinion. Yeah, an Ivy League school is better academically, but it might not be right for you.</p>
<p>Rutgers, BU, URI, UMass, Northeastern, etc). </p>
<p>those schools no. there is too big of a gap between ivys.</p>
<p>but i would go to USC, UCLA, MIchigan, UNC, NYU, BC, uillinois urban champaign, and texas on a full ride over an ivy league school easily.</p>
<p>iin77, with all due respect, I disagree pretty strongly with your post. Quite frankly, I believe that there IS a difference between the academic experience of the top schools and the schools hanging out closer to 50. I'm not talking arbitrarily about 1-25 being way better than 26-50, but more generally. At an Ivy or other top school, the overall academic quality of the student body <em>is</em> greater, in my opinion. I have noticed this difference just on my trips to colleges and intereacting with other prospective students. Resources are often--NOT always, I repeat NOT always--better (larger endowments, select excellent programs (Wharton, Woodrow Wilson school at P, etc.)) and yes, I won't deny it, there is a more prestigious degree. ABSOLUTELY you can get an excellent, excellent education at any of the top 50 and beyond colleges--those colleges have excellent programs (Top business programs exist at the many of the better publics around the country, my own state school has an excellent engineering program (and business), etc.) as well, and if the fit is better and the price is better, than that is absolutely where you should go. I have no problems with this--I DO NOT think that HYP are the only places where one can receive a good education. </p>
<p>But you and others should extend a little bit more of the benefit of the doubt to folks like me who have stated that we have found a superior fit at some of the Ivies. We are not all money-hungry, soulless, elitist sheep. There ARE good reasons why I value the Ivies that I have chosen to apply to--I love the core at Columbia and the NYC location, the math and yes, the family history that I have at Princeton, the freedom of the open curriculum at Brown, and the residential colleges and liberal atmosphere at Yale. Those are just a few reasons, of course, but they are reasons as valid as any. </p>
<p>I also want to note that my parents were certainly middle/even working class at Princeton at a time when that was much tougher than it is now (there weren't any "no loans" policies back then) and they fit in fine and had great experiences there. I can assure you that we are not a pretentious family, just as legions of other Ivy grads and their families (none of my alumni interviewers, for example were pretentious), as well as many Ivy hopefuls, are not pretentious. I won't deny that there are pretentious people at the Ivies, but be careful before painting such a large group of people with one brush.</p>