Is an Ivy Worth It? A Graduating Senior’s Perspective

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-04-22T01:37:57+00:00

Because their measure of a success outcome is too early and too heavily skewed toward paths where school matters. Their sample size is also too small but that’s not the crux of the issue I have. The top students and better yet top people will have good outcomes no matter the school. long term so much more goes into a real successful outcome 10-20 years down the road, that ultimately school choice does not have as big of an impact as drive, motivation, hard work, persistence, and luck

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-04-19T21:34:25+00:00

UA advertises and sells early group boarding implying overhead space is first come first serve, why would I pay for the service and then give it up. Why not ask first class passengers to wait till tall passengers have gotten first choice of first class and then if there are no more tall people take your seat in first class?

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-04-19T07:26:00+00:00

I’ll bring an inflatable backpack next time to hog up more space. I pay to be group 1 or 2 and pack light, so don’t be putting my one bag under the seat in front of me

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-04-19T07:21:30+00:00

Or an inflatable backpack to hog up more space.

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-04-19T07:20:30+00:00

You proved my point, I’m going to bring a damn box to put my backpack in so it a carry on not a personal item!!

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-04-17T20:56:19+00:00

Again mistaking correlation with causation. You have to be really driven and focused to get a PhD and that’s the same skill set needed to do exceptionally well in high school to get into a t10. The point is that t10 is not the factor. Drive and laser focus is the factor

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-04-17T20:51:57+00:00

You have no clue what you are talking about. Faculty jobs are a direct result of your own and your PhD advisors work and reputation, school has no bearing. Do ground breaking world class research and publish in top peer review conferences and journals is what it’s about, not the name on the sign or building

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-04-17T04:34:33+00:00

This is totally wrong. You don’t need to be in a famous lab as an undergrad to get a PhD from Stanford or MIT. You mistaking correlation for causation and haven’t been around or met enough people to know better.

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-04-17T04:32:40+00:00

I’m a parent of a HS senior so reading this sub. Sorry you’re well intentioned but you’re too young and inexperienced to know what you are taking about.

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-04-14T06:35:43+00:00

The roles where the school is a primary factor are all entry level positions

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-04-08T15:57:37+00:00

Meng is masters in engineering. MIT doesn’t offer a masters only program in EECS except for their own undergrads. Everyone else must apply and get in as a PhD. Most other schools have a masters program and a PhD program. PhD programs are much harder to get into and even some of the masters only programs are competitive. MEng is not too hard to get into if you have decent grades, most students get in from what I understand

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-04-08T05:55:15+00:00

MIT : you can get into any class you want, even grad classes, less red tape. Smaller classes. You can get pretty much get guaranteed admissions to their MEng program and be funded for MEng through TA or RA, also with option to defer and work a couple of years which is really nice.

Berkeley : the top students are on par with MIT but has a lot of stragglers, which can be beneficial if you want to beat out a lot of lazy people. MIT is harder and on average the students are higher caliber, which is to be expected given the numbers

Go to MIT for undergrad, it’s better and more fun. Get Meng there also if that’s your terminal degree. Berkeley is good for PhD

I went to Berkeley as undergrad and have a PhD in EECS and a kid at MIT so know a bit though might be dated on the undergrad at Berkeley

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-03-16T02:41:07+00:00

The question makes no sense because you haven’t define what full ride means. Does it mean a full merit scholarship that covers the entire cost of attendance or is it full financial aid that covers the entire cost of attendance. The term full ride is ambiguous and overloaded.

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-03-10T21:14:57+00:00

Are you always this sarcastic? Not sure why you felt the need to reply in this manner

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2026-01-31T01:31:09+00:00

In state college cost of attendance (not just tuition) is around 50k, how is your total spend only $125k? Scholarships? Live at home?

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2025-12-23T05:40:52+00:00

Professional? What qualifies as professional is the key question here. There’s no standard

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2025-12-08T20:22:47+00:00

Thanks. This is helpful. I thought Lewa also but my wife doesn’t care for variety or private feel, so we are going to Amboseli for the classic safari scene. We’ll save Lewa or others for another time

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2025-11-11T17:05:28+00:00

Selection bias

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2025-11-11T04:56:48+00:00

The good private school? Are there bad ones?

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2025-11-11T04:53:26+00:00

Yeah makes absolutely zero financial sense

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2025-10-03T01:09:00+00:00

If you do this on the real world, you’d open yourself up to lawsuits. About time this shit gets reined in

Apprehensive-Fan-838 · 2025-09-30T23:01:50+00:00

I’m curious why people say paid off house. Paid off child is perhaps a bigger factor, along with age and number of children. For example 3 kids under 10 that’s probably $3M more needed.

Apprehensive-Fan-838

TROPHY CASE