Any Ivy League Graduates?

Good points all.

Originally Posted by SField

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Yea but these "X in the world" are so dumb. If you're refering to THES, keep in mind that a lot of their rankings are commically bad. Look where they put Stanford, and then a place like McGill. Their ranking of US universities can be highly, highly suspect.

People should stop apologizing for where they went and backing things up with how a school is ranked. University College in London is an incredible school and I don't see why anyone would regret going there. Go to Cam over Oxford... all the gross non-public kids go to Oxford.

I am in part referring to about 3 different studies, UCL usually ranges from 7-9th in the world. I don't exactly know how they rate them however!!

Originally Posted by chronoaug

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It does matter to people who still hold onto it as some kind of mark of how great they are years later. Kind of the same with college students bragging about their SAT scores. People should concern themselves with how well they're doing in the current stage of their life. Leave the past alone.

I don't think anyone is talking about it in that way, and this discussion is very much about the present. I agree, I seldom even hear people mention where they went to college in most conversations. However, if you make it a topic of conversation, don't start making statements about X being better or equal to Y if you aren't on the level of X or even Y. Same way that none of you tolerate that guy from AAAC who compares his JC Penny suits to Kiton or whatever. Hey, is what clothes you wear important? Not so much, but if there's a discussion about good dressing and fine tailoring, don't start trying to compare your rags to a great garment, or start comparing great garments that you've never really worn, seen, or cannot possibly afford to own.

And as cheesy as it sounds, life is what you make of it. One of my best friends just graduated from Columbia this past spring, and while he was an insanely bright, witty, and intelligent guy, i don't think the school helped him at all. If anything, living in new york is what spurred small changes in him. Same with people going to state schools or non-ivy schools and immersing themselves in an intellectual world through education, research, readings, professor chats, and simply who they choose to associate themselves with.

All schools have a mixed bag of personalities. People will also benefit from having friends in these different groups as opposed to only associating with other blue blood ivy types, or the ever irritating young overly intellectual types.

Originally Posted by SField

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I don't think anyone is talking about it in that way, and this discussion is very much about the present. I agree, I seldom even hear people mention where they went to college in most conversations. However, if you make it a topic of conversation, don't start making statements about X being better or equal to Y if you aren't on the level of X or even Y. Same way that none of you tolerate that guy from AAAC who compares his JC Penny suits to Kiton or whatever. Hey, is what clothes you wear important? Not so much, but if there's a discussion about good dressing and fine tailoring, don't start trying to compare your rags to a great garment, or start comparing great garments that you've never really worn, seen, or cannot possibly afford to own.
SField- The clothes thing is a bit different because education, experience, and personal growth are a lot more subjective than the quality and fit of a JC penny suit vs. a very high end one. You are assuming that people cannot get a quality education, experience, or personal growth at a state university, as real style with a JC penny suit will be very hard if not impossible to attain. I don't believe clothing can be applied here. To add to that, who does the ivy leaguer know about say, Conne's intellectual and educational experience at OSU? What about the extra factors that the city or campus adds? The athletics? The individual professors that mean a hell of a lot more than princeton.com rankings? The varied individuals he could come in contact with that could play a much larger role in influencing his life from a mental/emotional point of view or in providing connections. It's not as simple as some people want to make it out to be where a school ranking means more than just that. A ranking

Originally Posted by chronoaug

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You are assuming that people cannot get a quality education, experience, or personal growth at a state university,
I don't think SField is saying that. If he is, then I hereby brand him a dumbass.

Originally Posted by chronoaug

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SField- The clothes thing is a bit different because education, experience, and personal growth are a lot more subjective than the quality and fit of a JC penny suit vs. a very high end one. You are assuming that people cannot get a quality education, experience, or personal growth at a state university, as real style with a JC penny suit will be very hard if not impossible to attain. I don't believe clothing can be applied here.

To add to that, who does the ivy leaguer know about say, Conne's intellectual and educational experience at OSU? What about the extra factors that the city or campus adds? The athletics? The individual professors that mean a hell of a lot more than princeton.com rankings? The varied individuals he could come in contact with that could play a much larger role in influencing his life from a mental/emotional point of view or in providing connections. It's not as simple as some people want to make it out to be where a school ranking means more than just that. A ranking

Again, please read what I've said probably 80 thousand times. I never said that you cannot get a great education at even the lowliest schools (as far as quantifiable variables). Your time is what you make of it, and there are very few situations in life in which you cannot create valuable time. But again, if people are going to start comparing elite schools vs schools they think are overrated (and also went to neither), then I think they should shut the **** up and leave it to people who actually have some kind of experience in that area.

I understand what you wrote, i just think your clothing analogy was a bit off, which is what i was responding to.

The whole "comparing schools" thing is pretty juvenile to begin with, which is why i never try to do so. Sad that so many "intellectual ivy leaguers" participate in such immature, pointless drivel. Same goes with people at non-ivy schools comparing to other schools they feel are below them.

Originally Posted by chronoaug

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I understand what you wrote, i just think your clothing analogy was a bit off, which is what i was responding to.

The whole "comparing schools" thing is pretty juvenile to begin with, which is why i never try to do so. Sad that so many "intellectual ivy leaguers" participate in such immature, pointless drivel. Same goes with people at non-ivy schools comparing to other schools they feel are below them.

Yes you're right, I should instead devote my considerable ivy league talents to creating polls about anne hathaway and devising numerous ways to question the sexuality of other members, occassionally dropping subtle hints that cast flecks of doubt upon my own heterosexuality as well.

The point is, this thread is about schools. Keep in mind that I've said more positive things about non-ivy schools than most others who prefer to call everything overrated.

Originally Posted by jimmyoneill

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I suppose this is much alike to the Oxbridge VS Non-Oxbridge debate in the UK. . . Aside from these two, there are about 5-10 other institutions whose degrees are worth the paper they are printed on.

From visits to my friends i know i made the wrong choice...Still, the university i went to is 8th in the world, 3rd in Europe (University College, London) so it isn't all too bad.

How is LSE viewed in England?

Originally Posted by Connemara

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In the end, no one really gives a **** where you went to school. I think that is overwhelmingly true in the U.S.

Unless you want to be President or on the Supreme Court.

Originally Posted by crazyquik

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How is LSE viewed in England?

Quite favorably, as it is around the world. Imperial is a great school to add to the list of really great places to study in London. I actually regret not having gone somewhere in the UK.

Originally Posted by leftover_salmon

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Don't want to start any stupid fights, but you think Cornell is better than either of those? It's an effin' STATE SCHOOL!

only 3 colleges are a state school. and so what if it's state school. it's still a good school.

Cornell really is not a state school. Four of its colleges receive funding from NY. Not hard to grasp people.

Originally Posted by crazyquik

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How is LSE viewed in England?
Held in very high regard. One of the, if not the best, places to go for economics & social sciences. As I stated earlier, one of the roughly 5-10 or so places to go in the UK where it is actually worth it. Being a University College man myself though, i would never admit this to someone from LSE. Why do you ask?