re: State Schools vs. Ivy League

We have one that went to Cornell (lol) and one who went to Harvard. Maybe another who went to Columbia.

There was a Princeton grad on ToS. I haven't seen him over here, though.

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credentials get you in the door, after that, all potential nepotism, connections aside, it's up to you to perform

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I did say "all else equal," and that includes performance and personal qualities.

My cousin's kid is a HS junior and in the midst of the college selection process. He's near the top of his class academically at a large high school, plays football, etc. He was gung ho for Brown until he went on a visit and met a bunch of other kids they were also recruiting. He realized if he gets in, he won't be elite, that everyone else will be at least as qualified as he is, and most will be better qualified. Now he's a lot more realistic about his chances of being accepted, and his chances of succeeding if he does.

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Debt free

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Having been through the college process with two kids, one who ended up at LSU and one who is at a top 15 school (according to US News), but not an Ivy, I think I have a good grasp on the difference. What most don't seem to understand is that if you are middle class and get in an Ivy, or elite private school, the cost is not that great. They give out tons of financial aid. For my son, LSU was the clear financial choice as his cost was $0. For my daughter, the cost difference between LSU and the fancy private school (including housing and food) was minimal - LSU didn't offer her the same scholarship my son got even though I think she was clearly as deserving as him. Louisiana's (LSU's) finances have deteriorated and they don't seem to offer as many good scholarships as they did just a few years ago.

Tl/dr : fancy schools can be just as inexpensive as state schools.

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Now people who "could have" gone Ivy...they repeat it all time.

Was just thinking this.

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The truth is that some/a lot of them are/were qualified to attend those schools.
However, La being a relatively poor state results in most of them making the decision based on financial principles.

Since everyone seems to have an inflated since of self worth, it is hard to tell the difference between bullshite and the worthy but financially unable.

But, that doesn't necessarily preclude people from aptly making this claim.

In the end, I think most people make the best decision for their situation. So, when people claim to have ivy abilities, there are enough reasons for choosing otherwise to give them the benefit of the doubt. In the end, they are simply validating both their decision and personal capabilities. Both of which, we all do.

I don't fault a super intelligent person for choosing non-ivy, just as I don't fault a rich dumb kid for choosing ivy. They are simply playing the cards they are dealt.

My goal in life is to fricking stack the deck for my kids. Plain and simple.

I know many Ivy Leaguers and they are all brilliant.

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They're smarter than you.

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I bet you think you're smarter than George W. Bush.

I worked at an investment bank between my junior and senior year of college. One of the big banks where the "elite of the elite" go.

Quite honestly I got it from a connection and killed the interview

All the kids there were ivy league to the core, Upenn, Harvard, Columbia, Princeton. What I recall about them is there was a lot of butt kissing going on

I got offered after the summer (it was a miserable summer), but decided that wasn't the life for me. This was the summer of 2005, so I made the right choice as their industry went into the shitter, and I worked as a corporate bankruptcy consultant

Long story short, they were not all smart, but damn they all knew how to slob the knob