Ivy League Colleges

Ivy League colleges, an honored set of elite colleges that are assumed to be extremely effective in a young adults future, are, in reality, not as important in a teen’s development as it seems. Attending an Ivy League college is a complicated topic as there are many factors that play a role and should be considered. Some argue that Ivy League colleges can increase success and income. Others, however, think that one's success depends more on their motivations and life experiences. There are many successful people who prove to have lucrative careers even though they attended state colleges. Additionally, elite colleges affect the mental health of both current and prospective students. Moreover, students should be informed of what is right for …show more content…
A research completed by Stacy Dale, a mathematician at Mathematica Policy Research, and Alan Krueger, an economist at Princeton University, answers the question: Do people who go to elite colleges get more income than who get rejected and have the same SAT score? The answer is simply no. Students who had the same SAT score as the students who went to elite colleges are just as successful and are no different (Thompson). This research proves that it does not matter where a student goes, but their success depends on who the student is as an 18 year old. It's hard to prove that a highly selective college can add much earning power. This is because a college can't change the “pre-existing ambitions, talent, and habits” that are bound to show when in a classroom (Thompson). The decision of officials the student has never met is not more important than the sum of the relationships, habits, and decisions that they have built their life. To add on, there have been many successful people that either did not go to college or went to a state college. An example would be Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple, a mastermind and rebel, revolutionized smartphones. Apple, now the number one most successful company, was taken to this stage by someone who went to a non-elite college. He got rejected by an elite college, but look at what he has turned out to be. After leaving college he went to India to pursue …show more content…
Although Ivy League schools might have their share of party animals, most of the students attending are serious about their education. They are the few people in the world that wanted to go through the hard work of qualifying for these schools even though they knew they were challenging. There are dedicated students and teachers in every college but you will learn more if you take classes filled with young adults who actually want to be there. The same goes for when someone is outside the lecture hall. Whatever they are interested in, it could be arts, politics, or other pursuits, students tend to "work harder and find greater success when they're surrounded by peers doing the same thing" and everyone is challenging themselves. Many people also argue that many successful companies only accept adults fresh out of prestigious colleges. Yes, this does seem unfair but if students attending a state university dream about working in Goldman Sachs, they are just simply out of luck. Even if there is no exclusion, students attending elite colleges have networks with professors and alumni where they get information, support, and advice that isn't available for outsiders. Want to work at The New Yorker? A word from Louis Mendad (a famous American critic and essayist) counts for a lot more that an "enthusiastic letter from the overworked adjunct who