<p>jsjazz: “I know that college admissions are not a litmus test of character and potential, but some industries (IB) use college degrees as a sieving mechanism.”</p>
<p>Big whoops. IB is just one out of thousands of different industries / professions. It’s ridiculous how everyone thinks it’s so gosh-darn important and meaningful.</p>
<p>“But there’s a dolt out there who’s riding the coattails of all these people, commanding the awe the Harvard name gives without deserving it. That’s what gets me.”</p>
<p>If he’s so doltish, it will be apparent immediately, so why the jealousy?</p>
<p>“Let me put it this way. I can’t remember where I heard this from, but you’ll get the idea. “Columbia? I guess you’re smart. Yale? I KNOW you’re smart.” See the instant respect the name commands?”</p>
<p>YK, some people are actually able to command respect by their own intelligence and integrity, not by flashing the name on the diploma. </p>
<p>“Also, I don’t think it’s as simple as the difference between #5 and #8. There are tiers, starting with HYPSM, then a gap, followed by Penn/Columbia/Dart/Chicago/Duke etc.”</p>
<p>There are no such tiers except in the eyes of overeager hs seniors and haven’t-got-a-clue-yet college freshmen. In the real world, no one “tiers” like that. They’re all good schools that provide the stamp-of-smart and then the person himself has to take it from there. </p>
<p>“You ended up with a nice consulting gig after turning Wharton down for MMSS (which I seriously considered). The difference is that you got into Wharton. You were a “winner”, you had the option to go there.”</p>
<p>Are you freakin’ serious? Who in my life (beyond on CC) would even know or care that I got into Wharton and turned it down? I don’t have a t-shirt to that effect, you know.</p>
<p>You really take this tiering way too seriously.</p>