Something I critically want to let out of my head is why am I seeing such an argument for Ivy League schools not being so great after all? If I use the text itself as back up right now I could say that Ivy League schools aren’t are all about happiness and sunshine. Its an obvious thing really, college isn’t really everyone’s cup of tea, but why are Ivy League schools seen as some of those colleges that we should think about twice in attending? I talk to you now and I’m reading about stories where students are in depression, developing disorders, and contemplating suicide. To put it simply, kids like us are panicking in these high rank schools. (Chapter 2 Excellent Sheep)
So why the hell are parents urging that we should go to some of these schools? Listen...you are going to add on so much rigour to yourself in highschool trying to get that perfect 7 average and that abnormally (yes abnormally...its above average...abnormal in a good way) high SAT score. You do all this to go to these Ivy League schools, for what? You open up this book and read through it and what you’re seeing are all these sad stories of students suffering and you can relate with your parents urging you to reach for the stars by going to these schools. I smell a little irony here and I’m guessing you are too. This comes to the million dollar question that I don’t even have an answer for.
“Why should we go to these schools and not some other?”
Really...just think about it. What are you really getting in the end from going to Harvard or any other Ivy League school rather than a different one.
Status? Oh yeah, I went to Harvard and I have a B.A in Business. Kiss my feet.
I may be ill informed and completely wrong here, but what am I missing here? I need someone to convince me right now why Ivy League schools are so worth the sacrifice. Is that global top rank really reliable? Or is it just a mask hiding the hell behind the doors of the university?
Here is the answer:
Lots of employers start sending those calls to all those succesful students (more like survivors) in Ivy League schools. Due to the prestige and overall popularity of these schools, employers will not think twice about hiring a Harvard student if available. Back in the late 1900s these were just being created and it was much easier to get admitted to such schools. Almost all applicants got in with ease, but things started to change. They made it harder to get into schools by asking for higher score ranges and looking at PQs (personal qualities). What set you apart to the other kids applying? This made the school look like where all the champions would go to and as it became even harder to get into these schools, it fed others to push for getting into these schools. Like a bunch of hungry monkeys wanting those bananas.
The answer as to why schools like Harvard have such a high rank is the Civil War. Pew pew, thats right. War brought schools down to the ground. Harvard became one of the first universities to ever surface after the war when practically no money was available. Over the years Harvard and its brother schools (Ivy League) gained respect over the years, more respect than any other schools we know today.
Ivy League dressed in even fancier suits than the other schools we see today is what has caused it all. People take rank over the experience they'll have in a school just to have it better off in life by interesting an employer. Its the irony we live in where we are hungry for world ranked prestigious schools that may not even be of the top education quality just to raise the brow of employers and for you to feel good that you went to one of the top schools of not only the U.S.A, but of the world.