<p>There are many great schools across the country. And just because it isn't named "Harvard" or "Princeton" doesn't mean it is a bad school.</p>
<p>Why do you spend countless hours doing schoolwork and extracurricular activities just to get into an Ivy (or similar caliber school)?</p>
<p>I don’t…</p>
<p>Because I’m brainwashed and I’m the idiotic type of person who will eternally chase a marred perception of success to fill up a hole in his heart.</p>
<p>Hehe, honesty ftw</p>
<p>I think there was a similar discussion on here recently. The consesus was because they are Ivy League schools</p>
<p>^Princeton has pretty good food, actually.</p>
<p>Because they’re Ivy League schools. Is that not enough right there?</p>
<p>What makes them so special really? I mean I would love to go to one for Graduate School, as I plan on doing since I’m done with my HS as of next year.</p>
<p>And name is not enough justification. That’s pretty ****ty.</p>
<p>Because I don’t like to feel second rate at anything I do.</p>
<p>I don’t you about you guys, but I attended a normal high school where only about half of the graduating seniors attend four-year colleges after graduation. Throughout the last few years I felt that so many people never cared about what they learned— they come to school because they are forced to do so, and complain every time they have to actually do anything. In my regular government class last year, it was practically a miracle to get through a one-page article in one class period because no one paid any attention. </p>
<p>I wanted to go to a good school because I found a sense of satisfaction and exhilaration in tackling difficult materials in harder classes, a feeling of fulfillment that doesn’t come with sitting around every day and doing nothing. It may be depressing to have too much work, but not being challenged enough is equally frustrating. It was not until sophomore/junior year that I was finally able to find people in high school who actually loved what they were learning in class, and people who unfailingly come to every single literary magazine meeting or any other club meeting because they enjoyed being there. I wanted to go to a relatively good school because I learned from my friends that I love being with people who are passionate about what they learn and do, people who have opinions that they can eloquently defend but at the same time are accepting of new ideas. I wanted to be at a place where new ideas emerge and exciting things happen, and be able to work with faculty who are the experts of their fields. I want to be at a place where people are not going to think of a person as weird because she’s spending her free time building a rube goldberg machine or reading a classic for fun in the cafeteria.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Of course! But then there’re more practical reasons like financial aid and so on that will dictate your decision when you have the choices.</p>
<p>^right
But think about what you said
“I wanted to go to a good school because I found a sense of satisfaction and exhilaration in tackling difficult materials in harder classes, a feeling of fulfillment that doesn’t come with sitting around every day and doing nothing. It may be depressing to have too much work, but not being challenged enough is equally frustrating. It was not until sophomore/junior year that I was finally able to find people in high school who actually loved what they were learning in class, and people who unfailingly come to every single literary magazine meeting or any other club meeting because they enjoyed being there. I wanted to go to a relatively good school because I learned from my friends that I love being with people who are passionate about what they learn and do, people who have opinions that they can eloquently defend but at the same time are accepting of new ideas. I wanted to be at a place where new ideas emerge and exciting things happen, and be able to work with faculty who are the experts of their fields. I want to be at a place where people are not going to think of a person as weird because she’s spending her free time building a rube goldberg machine or reading a classic for fun in the cafeteria.”</p>
<p>Can this only be done at an Ivy League University?</p>
<p>^^Of course not, hence I said “a relatively good school” in the paragraph you quoted.</p>
<p>It puts me in the best position to break into my desired profession.</p>
<p>All the Ivy League is is an athletic conference of 8 schools 
I’m just choosing the schools that would offer the best opportunities for me to branch out and will challenge me academically. If my list includes schools that happens to be in the Ivy League then so be it.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Well, I don’t do that stuff JUST to get into a good school The countless hours of schoolwork are due to the rigor of my classes which I’d much rather be in than foundation level classes at my school,lol. Also contrary to what it seems on here, people actually do ECs for fun and not for Harvard :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Well, it does have eating clubs, lol.</p>
<p>^I know, but even so, when compared to the greasy **** at Columbia or the pathetic excuse for food at Harvard, it’s ridiculously good. Like, Zagat rated good.</p>
<p>I don’t intend on applying to all of the Ivy League schools, just the ones that I have done a bit of research about and liked.
True, one of the first facts I knew about Brown was that it was an Ivy, but I don’t like it because it is an Ivy League school (well not that much), I mean I’m interested in Duke and Georgetown which are not Ivies.
Basically I want to go to the Ivy League schools that I like for the enriching environment they provide, for the professors and the students’ intelligence, diversity and sense of community that I’ll have with them.
Maybe I’m completely ignorant and there’s better places for that.</p>
<p>For the lulz</p>
<p>Because I’m a brainwashed consumerist prestige prostitute. And I have no problems with this :)</p>
<p>Because Ivy League and similar schools, have a lot of money to give. Meaning better financial aid. Also, these school offer better job options. Because employers come to them, the students. Your more likely to get the interview, because employers do care. I’ve been told many times by people who work in major corporations that the name does have an effect. Also, many students at these schools want success in life. Being in a school full of students like that, will make you want to succeed so its a circle. They give you lots of opportunities. And getting an interview is tough these days. Having “Harvard” or “Stanford” on your resume can go a long way.</p>
<p>Simply because a lot of Ivies feed significant amounts of students to investment banks. That said, many other schools feed students to banks, so my focus is not completely Ivy-centric.</p>