<p>sakky,
I think you'd agree that the Ivies are pre-eminent in the NE, but hopefully you'd also agree that their reputations become much more uneven as you move around the country. While HYP have almost universal name recognition and respect, the others are much less known and appreciated. At the same time, local powers (private and public universities) have equal or even greater regard to these non-HYP schools. And once you separate the Ivy label from any of the non-HYP colleges, they lag signficantly in public awareness and appreciation.</p>
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I think you'd agree that the Ivies are pre-eminent in the NE, but hopefully you'd also agree that their reputations become much more uneven as you move around the country. While HYP have almost universal name recognition and respect, the others are much less known and appreciated. At the same time, local powers (private and public universities) have equal or even greater regard to these non-HYP schools. And once you separate the Ivy label from any of the non-HYP colleges, they lag signficantly in public awareness and appreciation.
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<p>Sure, but the same could be said of most schools outside their region. For example, honestly, how many people in California have heard of Rice University? </p>
<p>The underlying assumption that people seem to be making is that they always know where they're going to end up living later in their life. I remember an African-American guy I know when I was in school who said that he would never move to the South because of that region's long history of racial conflict. Years later I found out that he had taken a job in Atlanta.</p>
<p>"Ivy Leagues are not the best schools in America."</p>
<p>USNews.com:</a> America's Best Colleges 2008: National Universities: Top Schools</p>
<p>According to this link above^, three Ivy institutions topped the remaining institutions in the US. A little contradicting huh? Honestly, I think that the Ivy league schools can open many many many doors for you but at the end of the day, it all boils down to your personality, skills & networking ability. I mean, not to say that I wouldn't attend Columbia over Fordham or Yale over UConn. But I believe an Ivy education shouldn't take over who you are. Lets also not forget that the term "Ivy League" is an athletic conference between 8 schools. You know, like the notorious Harvard vs. Yale football rivalry.</p>
<p>by the way, Columbia is the best Ivy League school.</p>
<p>"By the way, Cornell is 70% undergraduates and has an undergraduate focus similar to Princeton."
If thats the case then why did my cousin, who eventually transferred out of cornell have very few actual professors in his two years there</p>
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Lets also not forget that the term "Ivy League" is an athletic conference between 8 schools
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<p>While that is technically true, I would say that it is evolving to be more than simply an athletic conference.</p>
<p>While not part of the Ivy Agreement, there is an ILL (Inter-Library Loan) program between the Ivy League schools, minus Harvard.</p>
<p>The student bodies themselves are creating a more cohesive Ivy identity through such institutions as the Ivy</a> Council</p>
<p>The long-term normative effects of Ivy-centric blogs like IvyGate on an "ivy consciousness" will also become evident. Also, it's fun to read ;)
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<p>The ILL is always useful, especially because the books arrive so quickly (especially nice when you just can't find that obscure record of 19th century Japanese government proceedings by German witnesses). </p>
<p>As for the IvyGate Blog, I think the "Unconditional Raves" box sums it up rather nicely.</p>
<p>Obama is not black!..How the hell can he be black if his mother was white? 
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<p>He is as much white as he is black :)</p>