Has anyone here gone to an Ivy League school?- Page 3

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 3:50pm

I didn't have a definite idea of where I wanted to go until winter of my senior year.

bta212, Ithaca a party school? When I visited there, it was dead. I'm not even a huge partier and I still thought it was too boring. That alone changed my mind about applying there.

[ckeaton]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 3:58pm

Ah yes, the private school with the laptops that they give the students. I remember now.

I should think that they have fine guidance counselors who probably have lots of opinions.

I chose Syracuse in my senior year. It tends to be a family tradition.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 4:15pm

Was accepted to three Ivy League schools as an undergraduate (Cornell, Brown and Columbia), but decided on a smaller Liberal Arts college in New England.

[javero]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 4:17pm

The biggest factors for me as undergrad were location and weather. I grew up in the southeast and had never spent a winter in the northeast where the Ivies are located so I didn't bother to apply for admission to any school north of the mason-dixon line. When I enrolled in grad school, I was a working professional with a mortgage note in search of a top flight evening program so my choices were limited to area research universities. The point in writing all this is to suggest that practically is usually a good guide.

[Jilani]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 4:44pm

I went to one and loved the experience. While I agree with many of the comments already made about Ivy vs. non-Ivy, particularly that you are likely to get more attention at a small liberal arts college than at an Ivy, I think that what you get out of an Ivy (or any) educational experience totally depends on what you put into it. If you are a self-starter and have the initiative, you can get individual attention even at an Ivy League school, but it won't fall into your lap. IMO, one of the best things about my school that distinguishes it from a less selective school was not the professors or classes, but the high caliber and sheer variety of talent and experience of my peers, with whom I spent the most time. Obviously, this would be true at any selective college, not just an Ivy.

[Plum]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 4:49pm

Geez, you shouldn't have to worry about that too much when you're 14. I mean, I was the New Jersey version of Rory Gilmore when I was younger- I wanted to go to Princeton because it was Ivy and in New Jersey and that sounded good. You don't really understand the choices you're making until you really do your research and make campus visits.

[LariTheLoud]

Posted: 10/28/05 at 9:23pm

I actually ended up going to a school I hadn't visited before I sent in my first deposit. But I love it here, so it's all good.

Anyway, I didn't apply to any Ivy League schools (I meant to apply to at least Princeton or Columbia, but I ended up getting lazy. Yes, you heard right. Lazy. But I figured that the Ivies didn't particularly like my public high school so much... or we didn't have ANY connections... since, out of a class of 900, only two people got into ivy league schools. Not like we're any less qualified than anyone else. And don't get me wrong, my public school has the reputation as one of the best public schools in New Jersey. So... I didn't really try). BUT... I ended up at a so-called "upper tier" school that's pretty close to the Ivies as far as prestige and reputation, and it only seems to be growing in that area.

I agree with most of the other opinions here. A lot of college isn't laid out for you; you have to go out there and seize the opportunities, yourself. Make the best of your college experience. If you see something that you're interested in, go for it. If you feel like starting it up, don't hesitate. Overall, the more you take charge of and the more you decide to do, the more positive the experience.

Usually, anyway. Hope that wasn't too wordy.

[Up In Lost]

Posted: 10/29/05 at 10:17pm

So,I'm not a traditional student by any stretch of the imagination... I e-mailed my interviewer from Ithaca TWICE and even called him... I have yet to hear so much as a peep from him. Seems Ithaca really cares. Hm.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 10/29/05 at 10:29pm

I mean, I was the New Jersey version of Rory Gilmore when I was younger
That's so me, too. Except the Georgia version. I have known since forever that I wanted to go to a certain school. When I visited, though, it became apparent that it was the right place for me. I had always just wanted to go there because I liked the sound of the name.

This conversation is very interesting. It's interesting that so many people think you shouldn't go Ivy league for undergrad.

[Musical_nerd]

Posted: 10/29/05 at 11:18pm

My oldest brother is graduating from Dartmouth this year. He absolutely loved it. My dad went there as well. My other brother goes to New Jersey Institute of Technology and he has a full scholarship (part academic part athletic for volleyball). He absolutely loves it too.

I think the lesson is to choose schools for what they are, not their label. It may end up costing you less money.

[Tir Na Nog]

Posted: 10/30/05 at 10:03am

Dad went to Yale as did 2 of my brothers. Another brother went to Harvard. I went to Columbia (talk about black sheep) =)

[minimel8817]

Posted: 10/30/05 at 1:30pm

"Random fact: Did you know Cornell was the only Ivy League school that founded after the American Revolution? "

In fact, i did now that(1865 actually)...lol. I'm so into Cornell, just sent in my application and i'm obsessed. It was funny actually, i had researched Cornell and its founding and stuff before i went to visit, so i knew it was founded using the Morill Land Grant under Lincoln so when i went on a tour and the guy asked about the founding, i really impressed him by knowing all these random facts...

[Unknown User]

Posted: 10/30/05 at 2:37pm

Graduate of SHK.

[Bluemoon]

Posted: 10/30/05 at 2:42pm

School of Hard Knocks, Jose? I think you've done quite well for yourself.