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If the ultimate goal of an institution is to maximize the alumni donation revenue, then attracting the top 5% of the type A's might be an effective strategy. Bu

If the ultimate goal of an institution is to maximize the alumni donation revenue, then attracting the top 5% of the type A's might be an effective strategy. But then again, the most successful might not be the type A's or even smart (see Terman's Kids) If you do want to go to an Ivy League, consider the alternative strategy: "How to game the U.S. Higher Ed system" > In this article, I want to debunk a popular myth: the popular conception that very smart high school students should go to very good and very expensive colleges, and that these colleges will advance these peoples' careers more effectively than would other options. I propose another option: go to a cheap state school for a small amount of money, do very well, and pay full tuition at a fantastic graduate program. I believe that in most cases, these students would be better served by a bare-budget (but difficult) undergrad state-school education, and an expensive high-profile Master's degree. http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2009/1/24/11657/1141 http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2009/1/24/11657/1141

kenjackson 15y ago
This quote presumes you pay a lot of money to go to expensive colleges. Most friends I know who went to Harvard, Stanford, MIT paid close to nothing -- due to scholarships. Given that those who are likely to get into Harvard are also those most likely to win 3rd party full ride scholarships -- is this still good advice?
- wallflower 15y ago
  I think the advice of the article is targeted to high school students who aren't smart enough to get scholarships and are not necessarily guaranteed admission into a top Ivy. The type of students who are engaged in an AP arms race. The students who have parents who are living vicariously through their kids' academic performance, in pursuit of the ultimate bragging prize: an Ivy. The students who go to a very competitive high school an hours drive away in hopes that they can do well in this large pool of competitive hormones... only to be crushed by the true weed out courses, not science but humanities like AP History. Where high school graduation demands careful preparation of the pronouncement of the many Indian and Asian surnames. Where having a girlfriend is seen as having a direct negative correlation on the semester GPA. Where a bad test score can create family tensions that crack the San Andreas fault and leave all in the family, worst for fears. All in the hopes of playing for a spot in a competitive admissions class with thousands of cookie cutter aspirants like themselves. Your friends probably were not part of this group, and I wonder what they are doing now.

kenjackson 15y ago

This quote presumes you pay a lot of money to go to expensive colleges. Most friends I know who went to Harvard, Stanford, MIT paid close to nothing -- due to scholarships. Given that those who are likely to get into Harvard are also those most likely to win 3rd party full ride scholarships -- is this still good advice?

wallflower 15y ago
I think the advice of the article is targeted to high school students who aren't smart enough to get scholarships and are not necessarily guaranteed admission into a top Ivy. The type of students who are engaged in an AP arms race. The students who have parents who are living vicariously through their kids' academic performance, in pursuit of the ultimate bragging prize: an Ivy. The students who go to a very competitive high school an hours drive away in hopes that they can do well in this large pool of competitive hormones... only to be crushed by the true weed out courses, not science but humanities like AP History. Where high school graduation demands careful preparation of the pronouncement of the many Indian and Asian surnames. Where having a girlfriend is seen as having a direct negative correlation on the semester GPA. Where a bad test score can create family tensions that crack the San Andreas fault and leave all in the family, worst for fears. All in the hopes of playing for a spot in a competitive admissions class with thousands of cookie cutter aspirants like themselves. Your friends probably were not part of this group, and I wonder what they are doing now.