Pros And Cons Of Ivy League Education In High School

757 Words2 Pages

Ruan 1
Evan Ruan
ADV LA 6
Ms. Galler
5/28/14
Is the Ivy League Dream a Lie?
“If I’d gone to the University of Maryland, I’d still be in Science”
-Caroline Sacks
In a competitive job market where a good education is key, an Ivy League education seems to be a necessary component for success; but is it? An Ivy League education is not needed for success. Looking at math, science, and technological degrees handed out at high and low grade colleges, the percentage of degrees handed out are roughly equal. With that in mind, the money you pay for an Ivy League education just is not worth it. Also, getting into an Ivy League school introduces a new type of competition not known to high school students.
Some may argue that a person who goes to an Ivy League school gains more prestige due to its history. But is prestige everything? An education is why you go to school, not the attention from the institution you go to. Major pharmaceutical, manufacturing and engineering companies have even started leaning towards accepting students from colleges such as the University of Illinois rather than Ivy League schools (Jobs).
In a modern economy where a science, math, and/or technological degree are helpful for success (David and Goliath), an Ivy League college seems to be a good place to get one. But is it? When we look at Harvard University, which is one of the best universities in the nation, and Ohio Wesleyan University, a small, liberal arts college located in Delaware, Harvard seems to be the better college (usa.news). Harvard’s top SAT math scores averaged 753 and Ohio Wesleyan’s averaged 591. These numbers seem to indicate that Harvard students would receive more science, math, or technological degrees (STEM) than Ohio Wesleyan students. H...

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...e, and 1.5 percent said they attempted suicide in the past 12 months (Huffingtonpost). This shows that many students feel extremely overwhelmed with the workload. The extra stress from and Ivy League school only makes the stress worse. When Caroline Sacks was asked what would have happened if she had gone to the University of Maryland, she replied, “I’d still be in science.” (David and Goliath)

Ruan 3
Going to an Ivy League college is not needed for success in today’s economy, no matter how prestigious the university is. An Ivy League college may offer a more prestigious degree, but with public college education catching up, the rising cost of college, and the extremely competitive and stressful environment, an Ivy League degree is not worth it. So before you make that “easy” decision about going to Harvard, take a few minutes to think about your “easy” choice.

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