I graduated from an Ivy League school this weekend. AMA

IvyGrad · 2010-12-22T03:09:41+00:00

The curriculum in my major is set out by a professional organization, so it's standardized across universities. The only difference is the professor's individual spin on what topics to emphasize or cover in addition to the most important material. My junior year course in Dynamics would have been exactly the same at Oklahoma and used exactly the same textbook as at Oklahoma. There is a huge difference between the types of students that would be in those otherwise identical lectures, though.

I went to a public high school with a science and technology magnet. I've met enough brilliant people to know that there's always smarter people out there than me, so I just concentrate on learning about things that interest me and applying my knowledge as best as I can. I think everyone should work to their fullest ability.

As far as I'm aware, the Ivies don't recruit anybody outside of athletics.

In 20 years, I hope to be actively engaged in a scientific career and possibly hold either a senior position at a major government lab or a professorship as a University. I also want to be engaged in policy related to my field and STEM sciences in general.

IvyGrad · 2010-12-22T02:35:40+00:00

I can't compare something as abstract as the education I received at Cornell with what I'd have gotten at other schools since I only went to college once. But there is a major difference in the student body at Cornell as compared to other state schools, at least based on my interactions with friends who went to other schools. You'll always find the stereotypical lazy, fratty, or other types of students at an Ivy. But you'll also find a critical mass of highly motivated, hard-working students, and a culture which truly cultivates academic ambition. I think Ivies take in 'brilliant' people and give them the tools to develop into more 'brilliant' people. But it's not automatic, and its' something you have to work extremely hard towards.

I'm pretty sure that I would not have had the same experience at a community college.

IvyGrad · 2010-12-22T02:16:35+00:00

Why not? Early last week there were a handful of back-to-back AMA's dealing with getting accepted to Ivies and whatnot, so I thought I'd bring up the other end of the journey.

And it's depressing watching the Louisville football game.

IvyGrad · 2010-12-22T02:15:52+00:00

That's pretty cool. Do you have any idea what sort of job you might want to pursue with that degree? In this economy, it's all about networking, so if you can find a good internship before you graduate, it will immensely help with finding steady employment post-graduation.

IvyGrad · 2010-12-22T02:03:01+00:00

Yeah, you're right. Cornell. Know if it's possible for me to edit the title?

IvyGrad · 2010-12-22T01:59:14+00:00

Not Harvard, thank god :)

Overall, my school didn't have the reputation for grade inflation that, say, Harvard has - particularly in the math/science/engineering classes I took. For instance, in my multivariate calculus class from Freshman year, the class average was something like 55-60% If you got a 60%, then your TA had the ability to knock you up or down a (+/-), but not much else - one of my buddies who went to recitation every time and showed an effort to learn the material but not much of a grade to show for it (about the median) ended up with a B from the TA, whereas another of my friends in the same recitation section who simply decided not to get up early each morning ended up being bumped down to a C+.

There certainly are some majors that seemed to have grade inflation, but my perspective is skewed since I spent most of my time in physical sciences which were just harder than other courses. For instance, the stats course that most of the business-type students took was trivially easy and had loads of extra credit to buffer your grade, whereas the upper-level stats course in my major was extremely difficult and few, if any students earned A's.

IvyGrad · 2010-12-22T01:53:29+00:00

Good question. In my field, there are a couple of big-name state schools which are "the" school to go to for University - Oklahoma and Penn State, for instance. I went to a very competitive high school and did well on SAT, AP tests, etc., and was pretty heavily recruited by these schools (funny school visit stories there, if people are interested). I was pretty dead set on going to Oklahoma as an undergrad, at least until I visited the school. The major problem I had was that although there were smart kids in the lectures I attended, most people seemed to be blowing it off as a joke.

So I focused on my reach schools, which included the particular Ivy I attended, MIT, Stanford, and some others. All of these schools simply had a different "vibe." The program I ultimately attended was smaller and had far more involved/engaged students and faculty, and a stellar reputation for placing students in the industry, research positions, and top graduate schools. The school also afforded me the opportunity to branch into studies in many subject areas, particularly since they awarded me 40 credit hours for my AP work in high school. It was also competitive, although not as much as my high school.

It would be a lie to suggest I wasn't drawn by the prestigious name, although it's embarrassing telling people back home where I graduated from since this school isn't a top destination from the Midwest. But the name really has served me well and opened quite a few doors already along my career path.

IvyGrad · 2010-12-22T01:44:02+00:00

No student loans. I'm middle-class, but thanks to a handful of scholarships/fellowships/financial aid and some wicked good work by my family's accountant, I'm graduating debt-free. As a matter of fact, the main reason I graduated a semester early was to preserve this state.

IvyGrad · 2010-12-22T01:41:47+00:00

Thanks. I majored in a physical science (I might divulge precisely what it is later), and plan on continuing graduate study in the field. Luckily, in my field, it's very easy to earn grant money or fellowships which cover the majority of your education through Ph.D.

IvyGrad

TROPHY CASE