A College by any Other Name

This is most recent NYT article about the 07 admissions season. I think it's a pretty convenient illustration of what I was talking about earlier.

Despite what it says, these "second tier" colleges DON'T compare to the Ivies in terms of their prestiege, at least not among my friends. Top schools like Emory, Vanderbilt, any of the UCs, etc. can't even compete with the NAME of schools in the Ivy League, though this says nothing of their quality in my opinion. However, any kid you hear saying that their prestiege is comparable is generally bitter because he or she couldn't get admitted into one of the Ivies. Counselors and other adults may sincerely believe it, but I don't know.

This phenomenon assumes many forms. People say "I would never want to go to an Ivy League school because X is better about this other school." Often, they are telling the truth. However, a small number of people say this, although they themselves have applied to Ivy League schools. In that case, it's a cop out, a defense against being hurt in the event of rejection.

I do the same thing myself, although my journey is done. When people ask me where I'm going to college, I'm tempted to say "Well, I would have gone to Columbia, but it was too expensive. So I'm going to UNC Chapel Hill with a full ride." Why don't I just say "UNC Chapel Hill"? The name of the school was so important to me! I want to let that person know that I could have gone to Columbia, but I was actually too smart for that! I chose money! What a load of crock. I chose UNC Chapel Hill, and the reason isn't important. If the name didn't matter to me, I wouldn't say Columbia.

My first piece of college advice is: Don't let the name of a school matter to you. But if it does, don't pretend like it doesn't.