<p>I'm a rising senior, so I don't really know much about colleges yet. Why is it that many top ranked students are obsessed with trying to attend a top ranked college? Aside from obtaining social status, is there any logic behind attending a school like an Ivy league school over a state school(that isn't as renowned as something like UCLA)? Do you really get a better education at high ranked schools? Do you get a better chance at obtaining jobs? In general, it costs much less to attend a state school, so financially it seems like it would make more sense to attend one of them. Are the students afraid of being mocked by other students who are also applying to college for going to a school that might be considered "bad"?</p>
<p>Elitism. Desire to make a lot of money. That’s about it. It’s best to just ignore those people.</p>
<p>People are obsessed with attending the top colleges because they have nothing else going for them, so they need to play the Prestige card to make themselves feel better.</p>
<p>You should only be obsessed with a top ranked college if you have one of the following reasons</p>
<p>1) Better for Financial Aid
2) Going into a field like Business or Medical</p>
<p>An education at UCLA is just as good as a Harvard Education. What? Your so called “renowned” professors are going to tell you the law of thermodynamics in a fancier way?</p>
<p>And don’t let others say “Because of the student Body.”
You can be academically challenged by your peers in say…the University of Iowa just as good as any Ivy league school. How would they know hoW GOOD the student body is at a state vs an Ivy. A LOT OF kids get accepted into Harvard but turn it down for MONEY ISSUES. Especially in this economy!</p>
<p>And plus a lot of these prestigious schools accept Legacies and rich donations kids.</p>
<p>And no I have not been turned down by a prestigious college yet. I am a rising senior. My top choices are Columbia, Swarthmore, The University of Chicago and University of Iowa.</p>
<p>Yes it is nice to get accepted to these colleges. It boosts your ego which will help you later on in life</p>
<p>Ivy league people are more commonly successful because of the traits they demonstrate that got them accepted into these institutions.</p>
<p>But anybody can get these traits. All it takes is a little commitment.</p>
<p>If you are applying just to impress your peers, think about it, your whole life is basically one circus show to entertain people.</p>
<p>I wanna go to a top college because I want to prove to others that I’m smart enough, even when they dont think I am. I’m tired of people laughing at my small school.</p>
<p>^ Getting into a top college does not exactly mean that you are intelligent.</p>
<p>Plenty of really intelligent students with top notch stats get denied.</p>
<p>Your intelligence is reflected from your achievements.</p>
<p>And if others don’t think you are smart, so what!!!</p>
<p>A lot of people in my school correlate grades with intelligence.
The highest grades= the smarter you are
The Valedictorian= A super genius/ dESTINED to be the next Einstein.</p>
<p>But then again, It IS south alabama…ugh…</p>
<p>Some of the smartest people i have met are people who plan on going to state schools and even people who slack off in school a lot. I plan on going to a state school and feel no shame in that, seeing as i have to pay for school myself as well it’s in my price range to get a good education.</p>
<p>^ Unless you’re going to be the next president of America, there is no shame in that at all.</p>
<p>^ I understand you completely.</p>
<p>When I told my mother that I was really interested in going to the University of Iowa if I don’t get into say…Columbia, she almost had a COW!</p>
<p>She trained me to go to Harvard all my life. Drilled me constantly on my grades, made me read books (Although I love reading, I don’t like being forced) constantly to sharpen my mind. I finally snapped with the pressure Junior year and made 2 C’S and 2 B’S. I felt really bad and vowed to make it up Senior year.</p>
<p>But I feel like if I don’t get into a really good school I will be a failure to my mother. My father just wants me to go to college period, he is so proud that I am doing something he could not finish.</p>
<p>
We do not deny; South Bend sucks.</p>
<p>Edit: See below.</p>
<p>Deleted a long blog post just now -_-</p>
<p>I’m in a summer camp now. The kid next to me scoffed because I was looking at the Purdue website.</p>
<p>I mean he’s a great person. But come on now. I let go of the dreams that I had when I was 12, doesn’t mean Purdue isn’t a good school though. (Especially for engineering)</p>
<p>EDIT Sorry DolorousEdd and madogmgd, I deleted the post because it really didn’t feel right letting stuff like that on the internet.</p>
<p>Now She also wants me to go to MIT and become a doctor instead of a writer because it’s not a “Financially Secure,” career.</p>
<p>I understand the risks of writing and everything. But I’d rather be dirt poor doing what I love than stinking rich doing something I don’t want to do.</p>
<p>@ Tenors, no problem man.</p>
<p>A lot of this has to do with the media.</p>
<p>Watch a movie. look at the part where a character says he or she went to Harvard. Think about how you feel about that character now? When they say the H-BOMB you automatically assume he or she is an extremely intelligent and successful person.</p>
<p>While this may be true about most Harvard Grads, it does not mean it is the only place that can produce people just as intelligent and successful as any Harvard Grad.</p>
<p>Prestige can only take you so far. After that it depends on your dedication and commitment. A little luck doesn’t hurt either.</p>
<p>
HEY, ELITIST ASS** SITTING NEXT TO TENORS, BEWARE THE COMMUNIST REVOLUTION!**</p>
<p>
No problem, I changed my post to take out the big chunk.</p>
<p>^Lmao.</p>
<p>I can’t believe how many elitists are here. I was looking up this during morning lectures one day</p>
<p><a href=“http://admissions.nd.edu/assets/44318/ndsupplement_201210_web.pdf[/url]”>http://admissions.nd.edu/assets/44318/ndsupplement_201210_web.pdf</a></p>
<p>Comments I heard from kids behind and next to me (they’re my friends’ friends too)</p>
<p>“The only way I would go to Notre Dame is if I got a scholarship there”
“I’d rather go to Penn”
“Religious school, ugh, can’t be so good.” (The “religious” part I can understand because of differing beliefs, but the second part?)</p>
<p>DEAD. SERIOUS.</p>
<p>Never really directed these comments at me and I didn’t let them get to my head, but.</p>
<p>**** all these nerds who’d become insta-depressed if they didn’t get in a top 5 school. Thank goodness there are a lot of ordinary people here though (in CC and in this camp)</p>
<p>Lol yeah^</p>
<p>10charz</p>
<p>I feel like plenty of people want to have others hear they went to Harvard and go “wow, he’s smart!”</p>
<p>The biggest reason why I’d want to go to a top 5/10/whatever college would be for research, which many state schools don’t have much of.</p>