Oh, come now, no one?

Without financial aid, that kind of debt could be pretty rough. If you're indeed going for a degree in medicine or law, though, you might be able to make up for it a bit easier.

Apart from the finance issues, my true advice would be to go wherever will be the most unique for you. If your parents are affluent, you've been in private schools, etc., it could be an awakening experience to instead choose a public university, and vice-versa.

Your time in college is half learning about your subject, and half learning about yourself in a different environment. Don't put all of your focus on just one.

If you are already able to get into an Ivy League school, you should be able to determine on your own whether or not the price you're paying is worth it. No one is going to hold your hand for the rest of your life, it's your decision, make it yourself.

>>2440049
That's an interesting perspective; I've always heard about how much environment plays into a college education, but more so on the slant of the social network one acquires over those four years.

Ivy League diplomas are the only thing worth something, and the sole determinate of a worth of a person's education.

Even Bill Gates didn't finish Harvard, but Harvard gave him an 'Honorary diploma' anyway.

Two applicants with identical resumes, the only difference one being from a UC, and the other being from Harvard, the Ivy league will be chosen every time.
Having a Harvard applicant in the running makes your Degree look like a GED.

Britfag here, so my comments are slightly skewed, but I've done uni so... well.

If we assume you get in to these schools you should ask yourself if you really want to go. Sounds like an odd thing, but I got a place at Oxford and went elsewhere because it didn't suit me. If you're going with the intention of learning, you really should be comfortable with what that place offers.

The value of a netowork that a Uni provides is tangible; not so much allumni associations, but the people you meet. Go to a top place and you'll meet a lot of people that will one day be able to push you in the right direction for a job, or have powerful connections. That's not to say that other places won't too, but still. In terms of the value of your degree; that depends.

If you want to go right out of uni to the world of work (and you might) a better place is useful. It's not everything though, and a good place will have similar benefits. If you want to go grad school, your undergrad school will mean less. Academics and universities don't care where you went, so much as how good you are, and the best postgrad courses interview and look at your transcript. I'm a PhD student at a British uni, and I can tell you form experience that we have a student from a 'lesser' uni undergrad who is clearly the shining star of the dept. His undergrad mattered fuck-all other than he was clearly smart as hell.

>>2440217

I would say that in term of British unis, doing a masters at an institution and deciding to graduate onto other things helps. Knowing you and how good you are/aren't is important to people in a department.

As a second note, if you were thinking of studying abroad as a postgrad, this is the one time academic rep might help; outside of the top unis nobody knows much about other countries.

So basically: go where you want to. If your heart is set on ivy league and you can afford it - albeit painfully - it may well be worth it. Liking where you're at is important and the contacts won't hurt.

>Public Universities


HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA, if only

>(18, inb4underagebanned)
Durpen hurr every senior on /r9k/ just so happens to be 18, what a coinkydink.

Sage and reported.

In all honesty, when it comes to the Ivy League, you are doing so for two things:

1. The power of the Ivy League name on your resume (Harvard, Yale, or bust) and the huge rep from it.

2. Social Networking with upper class people, and getting into the Old Boy Network.

If you go to an Ivy league, make sure to make friends with a lot of Rich White boys, fuck a lot of girls from the local neighboring university that no one knows the name of, and get a job from your new Rich White friend's father.

>>2440207
It's not so much ivy league as it is name recognition.

This is what Employers see when they see a Public University Diploma.

>>2440250

That's true. Also, if you plan to do grad school there are a lot of programs out there with brilliant name recognition in their field. Carnagie Mellon's not a huge ivy name, but it does a brilliant design course that companies hire direct from for instance.

>>2440266
Really? I go to UC Berkeley. I can guarantee that's more prestigious, than say, Cornell or Dartmouth.

>>2440266
Try telling that to Berkley. I suspect they'd snigger and mock you.

>>2440301
Hey look! I >>2440318 was right!

(not samefag)

OP here.

Thank you for all the replies! I was also wondering about schools that aren't Ivies but still top-rank (Duke, Northwestern). I may receive some sort of aid from Duke, and it is ranked 8 on the US News College Rankings, tied with Columbia and U of Chicago. How much of a difference does the Ivy moniker make here?

>>2440335

I'm not going to question the value of your public uni qualification, but you're wrong about Academia. Nobody gives a shit where you did your undergrad. And generally, people don't care where you did your postgrad either, in terms of institute.

What they care about is the department, and who you worked with. A lot of the time those two match up, but at the same time they often don't. In academia, department rep take precedence over institute.

I went to Dartmouth...

I wouldnt rule out getting financial aid at an IVY. Generally if your parents have a current income of under 200k you will get some aid. If your parents can afford to pay the bill, go for it. If they expect you to pay it, go to STATE.

Going to an IVY will basically insure that you have about a 3.0 due to grade inflation. Law school doesn't really put much weight on grades unless they are especially bad or good, it is all LSAT scores.

Being from an IVY will help you get into a private law school, most state schools just rank your ivies with the top 25 schools anyway and just use a chart with GPA and LSAT and give you maybe a quarter point boost to your GPA.

If you have ANY desire to work on wall street you can get a job at an investment bank that kids from STATE have to graduate at the top of their class and get an MBA for to be even considered.

In other tangental news, the girls are ugly and the athletics suck. Usually the social scene is pretty cool unless you go to some fuckstick place like harvard or yale.

>>2440340

Duke and that would give you a good start on the rep front, and they'd presumably have a decent teaching thing.

Ivy league is a redundant term anyhow. Doesn't include half the best colleges in the US.

>>2440340
the "ivy league" is nothing more than essentially, a sports league. The whole reason for the title of ivy is because they all participate in the same sports shit. A school doesn't get to be an ivy league just because it is a good school but because it plays sports with its buddies, the other ivys.

OP, i fucking love that show

>>2440284
I was going to go to CMU, but my UC offered me a grant and a scholarship to stay in state. Plus my Mother works in the UC system as a doctor.
Like Mother like Son I guess.

I was going to CMU originally because I wanted something to do with BMI.(Body Machine Interface)

Anyway CMU= Less name Recognition than MIT, with less Peic Pranks and less movies made about it.

On the other hand, they had a badass hummer for the autonomous vehicle program.

And their Anime club is God Tier for an East coast uni.

>>2440301
Only in engineering. No one would pick Berk over Dartmouth/etc for anything else. I know this because I'm in a public school were 60+ kids per year matriculate (read: a lot more are admitted) into Berkeley.

>>2440407
I know, it's just that the Ivy-stamp on a diploma has become almost a heuristic for "good education"; it may not be true, but it may hold sway over people whose opinions of me and my education I care about (employers, grad school admissions officers, etc.).

>>2439878

WTF TUITION FEES IN AMERICA ARE 50K??!?!?!?!

HERE IN BRITAIN IT'S ONLY LIKE 12K FOR THE FULL 3 YEARS AND BECAUSE OF THE FINANCIAL AID SYSTEM WE HAVE MOST PEOPLE WILL PROBABLY NEVER HAVE TO ACTUALLY PAY IT ALL BACK IN THEIR LIFETIME

>>2440494

Do you include HCI in your 'Engineering'?

'cos they have a pretty brilliant group for that.

>>2440512
OP here.
Erm, not entirely, sorry if I didn't make it clear.
$50K figures in other expenses. At Columbia, for example, tuition is $37K and living expenses around $14K.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch OP.

OP, I was in your same situation, I was accepted into very good state schools (at least as good as UNC, UVa) but i go to cornell now and pay 50k/yr.

lesson: go to state school

>>2440506
Hey guys, my name is George Walker Bush, and I can personally vouch for the intelligence and integrity of all Yale graduates.

>>2440630
Understood; I'm not getting my hopes up/making any commitments until the decisions come in. This thread is just to help me in case the scenario were to arise in which I would have to make a choice.

the real value of an Ivy League education is the difference in the product of median starting salary * job placement rate. So if you are 3% more likely to get a job, and the median salary is 60 grand instead of 50 grand, then the Ivy League education is worth approx $11500 a year.

also keep in mind ivy league schools are entirely populated by trust find babies and gold diggers from korea/china

>>2440667
to further elaborate, compare this value given by historical data of job placement rate and median starting salary of alumni, with the cost of financing the difference in tuition + other expenses via student loans. This will get both of these in terms of dollars/year, such that they can be directly compared.

>>2440633
many lulz were had
many many lulz
also mootcockssss

>>2440207

3/10

I raged while reading, just a tiny bit.

So it depends on what you're going for Anon.

Do you want an academic lifestyle or professional lifestyle.

If you want academic go mid level school or whatever. Because while working towards a doctorate you can always upgrade your school. So save an ivy league for your doctorate or masters. Why? Well academia works like a bitch. You can only teach at whatever level your highest education is at. What's that mean?

Well Ivy league schools don't have guys with doctorates or masters they got at state schools teaching there, why? Because itd look bad. The only time this happens (which is SUPER rare) is if you wind up writing a bestselling book or two and have amazing articles in peer reviewed journals.

If you just want to get your BA or BS and get into the workforce go ivy league if you can do it. Yeah the loans will suck but remember, school loans are stupid cheap and they don't fuck your credit over as much as other shit you can get suffocated by. The leg up on other people with degrees will be well worth it. Especially with the world economy going to shit and more people turning towards education as the easy way to ride it out.

>>2441036
Isn't acceptance into an Ivy grad-school much more difficult coming from a public institution? Would going Ivy now make it easier enough to be worth it? Bird in the hand and so forth.

>>2440493

Similar situation here, except a transatlantic question. I talked to a few US institutions about doing a PhD, but the funding issues were insane for overseas people.

here I get shitloads per year given to me, and don't pay fees. it's made of win really.

>>2441036

A friend of mine did his postdoc at Nottingham in the UK and got offered jobs at Harvard (turned them down, he's traveling this year).

Though, actually, Nottingham's a top-ten uni here so I guess it's the same point. Never mind.

Dont go to a top notch school for an undergrad. A state university is easily suffice. Multiple state unis are in the top 50 like University of Florida or the University of California system.

Ivies are for post-grad, professional work.

The only reason to go Ivy is for political networking. If you are going to do medicine or actually practice law then a state school is fine.

>>2441036
True for the most part, from my experience.

>>2441226
Ivy League schools grant mostly BAs, and while they are somewhat research driven there is a large part of it that is about the upper class culture. The public uni I attend has a better department than some Ivy league schools, and I've never met a graduate student that isn't impressive as hell. Ivy League schools might prefer that you went to one as undergrad, but all they really care about is how good you are in your field. When you publish as a grad student/post doc, their name is going to be the important one, not where you did your undergrad. In the end, it's about results IMO.

>>2441399
Oh and by the way, most Ivy League schools have grade inflation up the ass. At public schools, they curve the average to a C and don't really give a shit if they have to fail a third of the class. Most of the professors will only like you if you're capable and hate you if you're a waste of time. I think at any college it's going to be more or less the same story, but there seems to be some sort of involvement implied at an Ivy because it's kind if an in crowd deal. You'll have more of a chance to distinguish yourself at a public school, I think.

>>2441304
I'm going to Nott in 09, it's slipped to 15th in a few league tables. Still in Russell group though.

>>2441399

Quoted for truth. In Academia, results are what matter. Or perhaps more specifically; publications.

>>2440377
3.0? Haha. The average is more like 3.6 from grade inflation. You can miss a midterm and still get an A. Basically, if you get below a B+, you're "failing", so to speak.

>>2441521
To clarify: if you're trying to be the next Einstein, you're gonna fail without a proper degree. But no one really gives a fuck about your uni name because everyone gets NSF funding pretty much. The quality of your work is what matters, as it should.

>>2441226

Don't go to a retarded community college and so long as your grades are good and you have 1 or 2 cool things on your Vitae or History you're good (submit something to a journal, present a paper at an undergrad conference, intern somewhere, etc.)

I went to Penn State for undergrad, which most know for football but a lot of academics know is absolute bullshit when it comes to learning, and I got accepted to Ivy League schools for master work.

Also and this is VERY important and I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet.

If you know and I mean KNOW what you want to do, study, etc. Go to a school with a reputation for that. Fuck what league its in, fuck everything else, connections are most important otherwise.

So if you DONT know what you want and are going in under DUS or some shit, go to a decent school with a good location. This will help you network.

ITT: Good advice from academic robots.

>>2441537
Yeah, even Einstein obtained an undergrad degree before he published his papers--though he couldn't get into a grad school right after undergrad.

I'm not even gonna bother following the thread, but here's some advice I sure as hell could've used:

If you want to become an engineer, get as much damn math and physics out of the way as you can. Don't worry about the other stupid bullshit, as your last year you'll end up taking only 1 or 2 classes if you do.

>>2441630
Yeah, true. Even for science and math students. I'm a science major and I had a ton of AP/college in the schools credits, and after my first year I'm done with lib eds. Puts me ahead, I can take my choice of tech classes and become more specialized, or take a lib ed. class if it actually interests me. Taking a full load of tech classes is killer. This semester I have 2 jr. classes, 1 sr. math class, and 1 grad class - 17 credits in all. I'm barely alive.

>>2441572
As far as I know, a 2 year Community college Education, then a transfer to a 4 year university makes you look like either a Retard, or you got in due to 'Affirmative Action'. You weren't good enough to get in the 'normal' way so you did the 'Special ed' route. Apparently, sitting in a 600 person classroom and barely seeing the projector screen is a superior education to sitting in a 40 person classroom with air conditioning. Even though the curriculum is the exact fucking same.
I went the CC route, the older generation is cool with it, but the young guns that went straight from High school to College, and had to live in the dorms somehow think they're better than you.

>>2441659

I've played against DarkNecrid before, and though he doesn't suck, he is hardly "good" compwise.

I bet the other team just sucked.

>>2441659
Wait 17 credits? WTF?
You better not be doing some crazy shit like having comp Science, English, elective, and history all in the same semester.

And 8 vs 2 in a team full of pyros? Roflmao, I would have loved to see the recording.

>>2441744
Grad class: Mathematical methods of physics, 4 cr.
Math: applied fourier analysis, 4 cr.
Physics 4001, analytical mechanics, 4cr
Methods of Experimental Physics, 5cr.

If your parents will pay for your education (which they should if they make THAT much fucking money), then Ivy League all the way.

I've experienced classes at the University of North Texas, the University of Texas at Austin, and Yale University. There IS a difference. The availability of grant money to do things, the quality of conversation, the pace of classes, all much higher at Yale.

Then of course, there's the intangibles. You won't be rooming with a senator's daughter at the publics. There is also definitely something to be said about the value of that name in opening doors.

OP Here

Thanks for all the responses! Any UNCCH/UVa/Duke/Columbia/Brown-bots on tonight? Care to comment about the caliber of the classes/facilities?

>>2441986
Too many hipster liberals and anarchists in my school.
FUCK. I want to go to an East coast college and have a real debate.

>>2441908
Nice schedule. If you had an english class in there, it would be suicide.

Go public and kick ass at it

I'm rather happy with my Ivy League/top tier private university education. I don't regret the student loans I'm still paying off.

But it depends on what you want to do.

>>2441908
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Dude, seriously, take it from someone who knows: with that schedule, you're setting yourself up for failure. You have eight semesters to get all this shit done; if you have to, take summer classes, but no one in the work world will be impressed that you took 17 credits your first semester but averaged a C, and stressed the shit out of yourself. College is like a workout; you should warm up before you jump into it. Also, that many math courses, no matter how well yo do in math, will stress you out of your mind/fuck with your head. Regardless of your math skills.

Seriously, consider my advice, it might save you a meltdown/ dropping a course.

>>2442436
Ah, posted without fully reading. Nevermind, lol.

OP, what are your stats like? Do you think you have a good shot at making the Ivys?

nope. immune. too old.

>>2442579
Race: Imperial
Birthsign: The Thief
Class: Explorer

Level: 30
Health: 269
Magicka: 136
Fatigue: 270
Days Passed: 301
Active Quests: 4
Quests Completed: 134
Skill Increases: 564
Training Sessions: 49
Novice Skills: 7
Apprentice Skills: 6
Journeyman Skills: 5
Expert Skills: 1
Master Skills: 2
Bounty: 0
Fame: 124
Infamy: 62
Days Jailed: 54
Items Stolen: 1849
Items Pickpocketed: 18
Trespasses: 39
Assaults: 55
Murders: 25
Horses Stolen: 2
Largest Bounty: 5040
Creatures Killed: 1416
People Killed: 571
Places Found: 170
Locks Picked: 317
Lockpicks Broken: 110
Souls Trapped: 21
Ingredients Eaten: 19
Postions Made: 8
Oblivion Gates Shut: 11
Horses Owned: 1
Stores Invested In: 1
Books Read: 409
Skill Books Read: 20
Artifacts Found: 5
Hours Slept: 1768
Hours Waited: 2353
Days as a Vampire: 8
Necks Bitten: 2
Jokes Told: 210
Diseases Contracted: 5
Nirnroots Found: 62

>>2442579
I don't want to post my exact stats because people will probably recognize me, but:
SAT - 2300+ with an equivalent ACT score
top 5% of class
Tons of extracurriculars, academic and community service
Tons of in-school awards
Few in-state awards for academics
Couple national awards for APs, PSAT, etc.
I play one sport

Ivy league is no longer worth it unless you become a politician

>>2442643
Impressive. I think you have a decent shot.

>>2442675
Yeah, admissions are never a guarantee, no matter what one's stats may be. I just gave it my all in high school, and I figure "Why not try for an Ivy?"

>>2441710
Pretty much this.

I'm 100% sure one's education from a community college is as good if not better than the other who sits in a 400 person auditorium.
You will eventually get into that school anyway, and you probably will pay less as well going this route. As well as having more face time with instructors and most likely better grades while all the credits still count.
However, people's perceptions define you unless your life goal is to become a hermit in the Yukon. So you will most likely receive trouble going this route depending on your major.