<p>I understand the desire to be surrounded by your peers, but why do so many high school students obsessively structure their lives in order to "better their chances" at receiving acceptance to an Ivy League school or some of the other top twenties?</p>
<p>There might be something I am missing, so can someone explain what it is this particular set of schools are so special? If this ignites an all out argument in the responses, I apologize in advance.</p>
<p>Just realized I posted this in the wrong forum…oops.</p>
<p>They are very competitive, and they want to go to the best of the best schools. Indeed, many students chase prestige and a good name over a college that actually meets their interests, but some people just can’t handle not being number one.</p>
<p>Here’s how I view the “Ivy situation” -</p>
<ul>
<li>The Ivy schools have always had outstanding academic reputations. </li>
<li>These schools have also traditionally been very selective and thus hard to get into! The more selective something is, the more people desire to get in. Let me give you an example. There’s a really cool, exclusive, and popular club. Everyone’s invited, but not all get in because it’s always crowded. Hundreds of people wait in line, hoping that they’ll be selected to go in. People continue to talk about the club’s selectivity, and soon, everyone knows about the club that turns away most of the people waiting in line. Soon, everyone wants to see if they can get in, so they start waiting in the ever-growing line. Some don’t necessarily like this club; they just want to see if they can get in (paraphrased from Kevin McMullin’s Wise Like Us).</li>
</ul>
<p>This analogy isn’t perfect, but it describes how the competition (selectivity) and perceived reputation of the Ivy schools attract so many people. I think the Ivies (and other ones in the top 20 or so) are great schools, no doubt about that, but there are also dozens, if not hundreds, of other great schools that aren’t as selective and still give their students transformative experiences. But, some people are too focused on getting into the highly exclusive club to realize that other clubs exist.</p>
<p>Ivies mean money. They get you a good name for a better chance at a good job, and the schools have incredible endowments that allows them to give a ton of financial aid. Most of these schools would have been the most affordable options for me if I had gotten in. On a personal level I loved Yale’s campus and the type of driven, crazily over scheduled students that went there.</p>