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The main value add of undergrad is networking and prestige, not education. That's why Ivys are still an unparalleled value proposition, even if their education
by colinmhayes 4y ago
The main value add of undergrad is networking and prestige, not education. That's why Ivys are still an unparalleled value proposition, even if their education is similar to the rest of the top 50 schools.
- debacle 4y ago"The main value add of undergrad is networking and prestige, not education." I think this might be true in software engineering and maybe law, but it's certainly not true in the medical field, engineering, etc.
- atdrummond 4y agoIt’s true for US medical students, since the MD is gated to four year degrees that are mostly orthogonal other than the few required science courses.
- radicaldreamer 4y agoExactly! It’s not about the academics (not to say the academics are bad at most Ivy’s), it’s about meeting and interacting with your peer set.
- ISL 4y agoThere is also utility in having the faculty in every single department of a school be above average in quality. It makes exploration and collaboration much more rewarding. There are non-Ivies like that, too, but by and large, the Ivies are all pretty good at every subject. (I don't want to take away from the networking/peer-capability point, which really matters, but rather add another reason to consider the fancy schools.)
- screye 4y agoIvies have pretty tiny STEM departments for the most part. Massive state schools like UMich, UWisc, UW, GATech have a much larger faculty and tend to be better for exploration.