<p>What's the big deal? Why not go to a normal school?</p>
<p>Well I could make a snarky comment about learning how not to double post threads, but you're obviously just trolling (or completely unwilling to do some research for yourself - another skill they teach us at these fancy-pants universities) so I'm not even going to touch this one.</p>
<p>ummm....wow. Just....wow.</p>
<p>Do you know much about Harvard or any of the Ivy League schools?</p>
<p>It's just plain simple: you get a far better education from far better teachers in the presence of far better peers, and you'll get far better connections for future jobs :)</p>
<p>haha as h_bomber said, we could make some pretty snarky comments here......like about how you misspelled "University" lol</p>
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<p>It's just plain simple: you get a far better education from far better teachers in the presence of far better peers, and you'll get far better connections for future jobs.</p>
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<p>A motivated student at a state school will learn more and be more competitive at developing a career than someone who attended an Ivy who is unmotivated.</p>
<p>Because we don't want to be around "normal" people. We don't want to take "normal" classes of a "normal" difficulty.</p>
<p>JustWondering23:</p>
<p>Classes will be about the same--depending on the state school and whether or not you are in the honors program.</p>
<p>The main reason why people go to Ivy League schools is because of all of the opportunities that become available to them for simply graduating from one. A lesser but common reason is because of the students who typically attend Ivy League schools.</p>
<p>Right, I completely agree with JustWondering23.
This may sound incredibly arrogant and off-putting to some of you. Frankly, I don't care:</p>
<p>I cannot stand to be in an <em>academic</em> environment with people of "average" intelligence. It is physically painful to me. I have to resist the urge to shout "WHY DON'T YOU GET IT??!!" at the top of my lungs. Now, I have many friends who would be considered "average." I love them to pieces. But being in a classroom with them? Not so much.</p>
<p>So....even though I am motivated and could succeed at UT-Austin, I don't want to. I want to be in a place where almost everyone I meet can challenge me. Sure, it's good to challenge yourself, but hey, it gets lonely sometimes being "the smart kid."</p>
<p>Why Ivy League?</p>
<p>The people.</p>
<p>Honestly I would have chosen Cal-Berkeley over HYP... IF they gave me better merit-based financial aid (i.e. if it were "free"). The problem is that they cap merit-based awards so it is less appealing -- and the cost of an ivy league education actually begins to seem worth it.</p>
<p>1) I'd be around more people who are like me</p>
<p>2) I'd pay much less money to go to an ivy league school then a state school</p>
<p>3) Lazy students can get into state schools (with the exception of some state schools)...I've worked too hard not to go to a school that is hard to get into</p>
<p>4) I'm awesome...so I deserve to go to an ivy league</p>
<p>5) People are going to argue with me...but that's okay...i'm not going to take back anything i said.</p>
<p>6) randomness</p>
<p>7) /randomness</p>
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<p>I want to be in a place where almost everyone I meet can challenge me.</p>
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<p>Enjoy the bubble while it lasts.</p>
<p>I turned down a full ride to a state school and will pay full price for an Ivy (much to my parents chagrin). Just as previous posters have said, it is important to me to be at a place where everyone wants to learn just as much as I do.</p>
<p>The special waffles and the fancy dining halls got me in the end.</p>
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<p>I turned down a full ride to a state school and will pay full price for an Ivy (much to my parents chagrin). Just as previous posters have said, it is important to me to be at a place where everyone wants to learn just as much as I do.</p>
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<p>If your goal is to get high grades and into a professional program, you'll actually prefer if you are the only one who studies and everyone else slacks off.</p>
<p>Undergrad isn't about "learning". Undergrad is about "marks".</p>
<p>For those who pursue it (and this probably includes the vast vast majority of ivy leaguers), grad school and professional school is the only place where learning actually matters. Not undergrad.</p>
<p>Hey, my undergrad was about learning, and I'm happy it was. </p>
<p>I don't think that a top school is everyone's best choice for undergrad, but I know I'm happy I made the choice I did. It worked out pretty nicely in grad school applications, too.</p>
<p>"grad school and professional school is the only place where learning actually matters. Not undergrad."</p>
<p>That completely depends on your definition of 'matters.' If all you care about is the bottom line, then sure. Life's a journey though, and while I'm still going to go out and kick some ass and take some names, actually caring about more than marks has been a pretty good strategy for me so far (not to mention giving me more satisfaction than I would have had I not cared about what I was learning about).</p>
<p>I cared about learning in HS. I really did. I was devastated during undergrad to realize that for all the hard work I put into a course, the only thing of any consequence was the letter grade I would receive at the end of the year. Nothing<em>else</em>mattered.</p>
<p>But I guess it depends how cynical you are. Keep in mind the context of my post. People are choosing HYPS for reasons such as wanting to be around folks who are equally smart, competitive, and high achieving. This isn't always the best strategy to distinguishing oneself. You want to "kick some ass and take some names"? You have a far better chance of doing that as the star student at State-U, than one of a million talented folks at Ivy.</p>
<p>What the hell are you talking about spades? I don't know where did you go for ugrads but you certainly do not deserve a place at an Ivy League. And i am not talking about prestige here...I am talking about the mission of top U which is to develops one's minds and potential to the maximum. You go there because you enjoy all the intellectual discussions you will have, all the resources that you have, all the experiences that will shape who you are and eventually will leads to your ultimate success. But, the bottom line is you go there to pursue knowledge and knowledge alone. It is that beautiful. If you don't think knowledge is everything and beautiful, you are not top U material. Sorry, it is so true!</p>
<p>Wow, we have some prime examples of "snobs" here.</p>