3 ms·

If I were considering going to Harvard, knowing that there was recently a widely publicized controversy surrounding their acceptance criteria would certainly ma

If I were considering going to Harvard, knowing that there was recently a widely publicized controversy surrounding their acceptance criteria would certainly make me think twice - apart from the moral concerns of supporting such an institution, it's a safe bet that hiring managers would be aware that Harvard graduates were not necessarily selected for merit, which might cause them to value it less than a scholastically-equivalent education from a different university.

sverige 8y ago
If there were any moral concerns in the hiring world at large, the Ivy League would already be in decline. The truth that it is more about connections than raw talent or merit has been evident for a long time. The myth that America is a meritocracy and that the Ivy League only takes the most meritorious is one of the most successful marketing schemes ever devised. This reminds me of an old joke: Q. How do you know that someone attended Harvard? A. They tell you within 30 seconds of meeting them.
- csa 8y ago
  > This reminds me of an old joke: > Q. How do you know that someone attended Harvard? > A. They tell you within 30 seconds of meeting them. This is almost exclusively only true for the people who were one of the (extremely) weaker admits. There is definitely a way to talking about going to Harvard (usu. only when asked), and saying it directly is not the usual preferred choice.
  - sverige 8y ago
    Oh, I did not know that. Did you go to Harvard perchance?
    - csa 8y ago
      I will redirect my answer to a question you didn’t ask. Google the following and check the top link for a decent read: Michael Giovinco Harvard Boston quora
      - sverige 8y ago
        The second answer addresses the problem with the first: > ...[T]his response always strikes me as pointless and condescending. ... Whenever I hear people pull the "I went to Boston" routine--and a lot of Harvard alums do this even when in the exclusive presence of other elite school grads--it does seem like bragging/false modesty, because the implication is "one way or the other, you won't be able to handle the fact that I went to Harvard." I don't want you to feel awkward, so I won't ask if you went to school in Boston.
        csa 8y ago
        > I don't want you to feel awkward, so I won't ask if you went to school in Boston. Does Bunker Hill Community College count?
s73v3r_ 8y ago
"it's a safe bet that hiring managers would be aware that Harvard graduates were not necessarily selected for merit," Isn't this true of just about every school?
csa 8y ago
> it's a safe bet that hiring managers would be aware that Harvard graduates were not necessarily selected for merit It boggles my mind that hiring managers currently thing that elite school grads are (mostly) selected for merit. Some of the grads are decent grinders/hoop-jumpers, but the fast majority are not the top 10-30% of the class that gives the school its reputation.

sverige 8y ago

If there were any moral concerns in the hiring world at large, the Ivy League would already be in decline. The truth that it is more about connections than raw talent or merit has been evident for a long time. The myth that America is a meritocracy and that the Ivy League only takes the most meritorious is one of the most successful marketing schemes ever devised. This reminds me of an old joke: Q. How do you know that someone attended Harvard? A. They tell you within 30 seconds of meeting them.

csa 8y ago
> This reminds me of an old joke: > Q. How do you know that someone attended Harvard? > A. They tell you within 30 seconds of meeting them. This is almost exclusively only true for the people who were one of the (extremely) weaker admits. There is definitely a way to talking about going to Harvard (usu. only when asked), and saying it directly is not the usual preferred choice.
- sverige 8y ago
  Oh, I did not know that. Did you go to Harvard perchance?
  - csa 8y ago
    I will redirect my answer to a question you didn’t ask. Google the following and check the top link for a decent read: Michael Giovinco Harvard Boston quora
    - sverige 8y ago
      The second answer addresses the problem with the first: > ...[T]his response always strikes me as pointless and condescending. ... Whenever I hear people pull the "I went to Boston" routine--and a lot of Harvard alums do this even when in the exclusive presence of other elite school grads--it does seem like bragging/false modesty, because the implication is "one way or the other, you won't be able to handle the fact that I went to Harvard." I don't want you to feel awkward, so I won't ask if you went to school in Boston.
      - csa 8y ago
        > I don't want you to feel awkward, so I won't ask if you went to school in Boston. Does Bunker Hill Community College count?

s73v3r_ 8y ago

"it's a safe bet that hiring managers would be aware that Harvard graduates were not necessarily selected for merit," Isn't this true of just about every school?

csa 8y ago

> it's a safe bet that hiring managers would be aware that Harvard graduates were not necessarily selected for merit It boggles my mind that hiring managers currently thing that elite school grads are (mostly) selected for merit. Some of the grads are decent grinders/hoop-jumpers, but the fast majority are not the top 10-30% of the class that gives the school its reputation.