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Asking rich parents on HN: Why bother sending your kid to ivy schools? I'm far from being rich, but I plan to pick a private but modest school / university for

Asking rich parents on HN: Why bother sending your kid to ivy schools? I'm far from being rich, but I plan to pick a private but modest school / university for my children. Even if I were multimillionaire I wouldn't change this. My rationale is: - I don't want to deal with underpaid and possibly bitter public school teachers - It's not like you need an ivy school to find a job or be successful, that lies within you - Education is as useful as your kids will have a passion for, not how much you pay for an oversized planetarium - Rich kids sound like the worst people to surround your kid with

qchris 6y ago
> I'm far from being rich, but I plan to pick a private but modest school / university for my children. Even if I were multimillionaire I wouldn't change this. I'm genuinely a little confused by this sentence. You lay out your reasons below, but seem to be assuming you get to pick. By the time someone attends university, they're usually, you know, people. Adults in the 18+ sense, high school diploma, ability to get a job, have their own opinions about the world, access to federal student loans, etc. You'll have some influence in terms of the degree to which you'll support their decision and advice you can offer, but you don't get to pick anything, especially if your child is talented/driven enough to get into an Ivy League w/o being a socioeconomic outlier.
- jokethrowaway 6y ago
  You're completely right, I admit I was mainly thinking about schools before university, given my kids are still very young. University will be their choice but - assuming I'll be the one to fork out money for uni - I will set a budget.
  - qchris 6y ago
    And that's totally within reason :) Just wanted to point out that they may choose something outside that. I know, personally, I was in a similar position, where my folks were willing/able to help, but I also chose a university that required that I take out an (imho, reasonable) amount of student loans to cover the difference. I remember the initial look of surprise on my parents face when I told them my decision, but even with the loan payments, I've yet to regret that choice.
v-erne 6y ago
For me the only real answer is "Connections" - they will miss out on connections with people that will make the world go around in the future (even if its only some local version of world for ex. Your city). Direct access and familiarity can be all that matters when Your children will be searching for good job or funds.

qchris 6y ago

> I'm far from being rich, but I plan to pick a private but modest school / university for my children. Even if I were multimillionaire I wouldn't change this. I'm genuinely a little confused by this sentence. You lay out your reasons below, but seem to be assuming you get to pick. By the time someone attends university, they're usually, you know, people. Adults in the 18+ sense, high school diploma, ability to get a job, have their own opinions about the world, access to federal student loans, etc. You'll have some influence in terms of the degree to which you'll support their decision and advice you can offer, but you don't get to pick anything, especially if your child is talented/driven enough to get into an Ivy League w/o being a socioeconomic outlier.

jokethrowaway 6y ago
You're completely right, I admit I was mainly thinking about schools before university, given my kids are still very young. University will be their choice but - assuming I'll be the one to fork out money for uni - I will set a budget.
- qchris 6y ago
  And that's totally within reason :) Just wanted to point out that they may choose something outside that. I know, personally, I was in a similar position, where my folks were willing/able to help, but I also chose a university that required that I take out an (imho, reasonable) amount of student loans to cover the difference. I remember the initial look of surprise on my parents face when I told them my decision, but even with the loan payments, I've yet to regret that choice.

v-erne 6y ago

For me the only real answer is "Connections" - they will miss out on connections with people that will make the world go around in the future (even if its only some local version of world for ex. Your city). Direct access and familiarity can be all that matters when Your children will be searching for good job or funds.