Flip side: Over my dead body my daughter would go to...

[HannahXO]

An Ivy.

Ok, not really. Obviously I wouldn't forbid that But I do think that Ivies are pretty overrated, and the degree of competition among the students is ridiculous and unnecessary at many of them. Also, many Ivy-goers I've talked to seem really unhappy in general. Yes, of course they're getting a great education. But I think the "warm fuzzy" factor and loving your alma mater is so important, and I think that's more prevalent at non-Ivies that are still great schools.

But if my future kids are brilliant and will survive in a pressure cooker, I suppose they could go. As long as they didn't choose their school based on its name alone!

[TriDeltaSallie]

Originally Posted by HannahXO

An Ivy.

Ok, not really. Obviously I wouldn't forbid that But I do think that Ivies are pretty overrated, and the degree of competition among the students is ridiculous and unnecessary at many of them. Also, many Ivy-goers I've talked to seem really unhappy in general. Yes, of course they're getting a great education. But I think the "warm fuzzy" factor and loving your alma mater is so important, and I think that's more prevalent at non-Ivies that are still great schools.

But if my future kids are brilliant and will survive in a pressure cooker, I suppose they could go. As long as they didn't choose their school based on its name alone!

You're a brave woman to call out the Ivies. But I agree. And are the students getting a great education or great connections? I think the Ivies have become more and more about the connections. There are so many schools out there with excellent Honors Colleges that can offer students just as much educationally, if not more. No, they won't get the same professional connections an Ivy will have. But I agree that in some ways the Ivies are overrated.

With the huge bubble in higher education, it is going to be interesting to see how this all plays out over the next couple of decades. More and more families are saying no way to taking on massive amounts of debt just for the perceived prestige of a school.