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Ugh! start of the semester and I am already sleep deprived.
Speaking of BC, that Dunkin Donuts in across from campus must make millions
Sorry coffee is on my mind.
To add some value to this thread, I'll throw in a few tidbits about the ancient 8 (Please don't be offended)
- In terms of undergrad education, H-Y-P (Harvard-Yale-Princeton) is the creme de la creme. Although I went to a non-Ivy for undergrad (NYU), I can say that the undergrads at Harvard are top notch.
- Brown is considered artsy, Dartmouth is outdoorsy, Columbia is urban, and Cornell is nerdy. Sorry I have nothing for U. Penn. My friends from Wharton (Penn) are cool cats though!
- Columbia has the best campus in terms of architecture and considering that it is in middle of NYC. Penn and Yale are located in shady neighborhoods. Dartmouth and Harvard are the focal points of their towns.
- School colors:
Harvard Crimson (Go Crimson!!)
Yale Dark Blue
Princeton Orange
Dartmouth Green
Columbia Sky Blue
Brown Brown
Penn: Red + Blue
Cornell: Red
I really miss the chocolate covered donuts there...you had to remind me
It is funny we are discussing Boston since I was with my daughter at piano lessons last night and her teacher went to Berklee. I was telling her that I always loved walking next to the Berklee buildings because I could always hear the musicians practicing and while they did not play the same pieces nor were they in unison, the cumulative "symphony" was amazing!
Hopefully you will make it to Head of the Charles this year...that was one of my first true encounters with Boston when I was a freshman! Ahhhh, the good old days
I'm interested in learning more about the undergraduate experience at the Ivies. New Englander, you described Harvard, Yale, and Princeton as the "creme de la creme" for undergraduate education. Were you referring to the experience that undergrad students have, or the quality of the undergraduate student body? In an earlier post, PennQuaker offered that Princeton provides the best undergraduat eexperience, while next would be Yale. I have heard somewhat often that Princeton treats its undergrads the best of any Ive League school, while the others offer a better experience to their grad students, but subject undergrads to many classes taught by grad students, offering little or no interaction with professors whose names are attached to these classes, and generally treat their undergrads like numbers. I'd be interested in what people have heard, or know about from their own experience, regarding the overall quality of the undergraduate experience at various Ivies.
There is nothing better about it. You learn the same crap as you would at a state school. The only difference is that you end up in 200,000 debt after you graduate while at the state school you have less than 10k in debt.
In today's bottom line corporate world an employer isn't going to pay a premium for an ivy leaguer. Especially when they can hire the state school kid for 1/2 as much to do the same thing.
There is nothing better about it. You learn the same crap as you would at a state school. The only difference is that you end up in 200,000 debt after you graduate while at the state school you have less than 10k in debt.
In today's bottom line corporate world an employer isn't going to pay a premium for an ivy leaguer. Especially when they can hire the state school kid for 1/2 as much to do the same thing.
Let me guess... you are a state school graduate???
Let me guess... you are a state school graduate???
I was thinking the same thing. Interestingly the focus is always on "learning the same crap" or "using the same books" because in a state school that is all you do. Go to class learn something with little interaction with other students or the professor graduate and thats that.
I was thinking the same thing. Interestingly the focus is always on "learning the same crap" or "using the same books" because in a state school that is all you do. Go to class learn something with little interaction with other students or the professor graduate and thats that.
The bitterness was the give away that he was not an Ivie...
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Humanoid
I was thinking the same thing. Interestingly the focus is always on "learning the same crap" or "using the same books" because in a state school that is all you do.
That brings up another important difference. In state schools, professors use textbooks more often than in better private universities and Ivies, where primary sources are more frequently utilized.
That brings up another important difference. In state schools, professors use textbooks more often than in better private universities and Ivies, where primary sources are more frequently utilized.
I was thinking that as well. I've only had 2 "text books" in 2 years of college taking at least 5 classes each semester- Environmental Chemistry and Intro to Econ. The rest of my classes have had books, yes. But ethnographies, nonfiction, case studies, etc. When I heard that my friends in state schools had text books for even upper level politics and history courses, I was shocked. :P I know it's different in every school (and every field- obviously science and math courses must be more textbook based) but that's one overlying trend.
I don't go to an Ivy but I do go to a top tier school in the Boston area so I have a lot of interaction with Ivy/MIT students as well as other elite schools in the area. I learn just as much from my discussions in class as I do from the teachers sometimes. That's not something I would get in a lecture hall of 50+ people (and I've only had 3 intro classes like that.. the rest of my classes have been under 20 and I go to a decently sized school).
Ivies attract the top students in the country to go to a good school for very cheap (for the most part). The interaction and networking you get with other students is what sets them apart.
In today's bottom line corporate world an employer isn't going to pay a premium for an ivy leaguer. Especially when they can hire the state school kid for 1/2 as much to do the same thing.
This is an accurate statement in some regards, but this could also be said of some employers about any college graduate. There is one thing that you are overlooking, and that is connections. Ivy League schools and other prestigious/top universities whether public or private are very good at establishing networks between undergrads and future employers.
I'm interested in learning more about the undergraduate experience at the Ivies. New Englander, you described Harvard, Yale, and Princeton as the "creme de la creme" for undergraduate education. Were you referring to the experience that undergrad students have, or the quality of the undergraduate student body? In an earlier post, PennQuaker offered that Princeton provides the best undergraduat eexperience, while next would be Yale. I have heard somewhat often that Princeton treats its undergrads the best of any Ive League school, while the others offer a better experience to their grad students, but subject undergrads to many classes taught by grad students, offering little or no interaction with professors whose names are attached to these classes, and generally treat their undergrads like numbers. I'd be interested in what people have heard, or know about from their own experience, regarding the overall quality of the undergraduate experience at various Ivies.
Ogre, I think its a combination of the excellent resources provided by the institution and the caliber of the students that set H-Y-P apart from their peers.
Since, I am a graduate student who has served as Teaching Fellow in a few courses, I can tell you that the professors do teach the courses and there are PLENTY of opportunities for direct interactions with Professors. For the undergrads there is a student aide program, thesis advisorship, and for rising juniors and seniors - the chance to TF. Of course the availabilities of Professors vary, however the culture of interacting with the students is certainly there.
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