Each year, millions of acne prone anxiety induced social media addicted crazy teens apply to college to propel their future.
Whether they want to or not, they are expecting a rewarding ROI.
It’s the biggest journey of their lives stepping into adulthood and most couldn’t be more excited to escape the trauma of high school. Despite constant nervousness, dread, angst and comparison, in the fall of their junior year, they buckle up their seatbelts, close their eyes and begin the dreaded lengthy application process.
As someone who grew up in an upper-class neighborhood with the Coke grandson in my graduating class, NFL daughters in my classes and the Kennedy family a few blocks down the road, I got a sense of what college means to the elites. There’s no doubt education lays the groundwork for success and there’s a strong correlation behind knowledge and power but what about the type of education delivered?
I’m not even talking about the degree or type of major because let’s be honest, there are only a select number of majors that will put you in the top marginal tax bracket to make a comfortable living in coastal cities if you really want to be honest.
These include:
-Mechanical and chemical engineering
-Computer science: engineer, product manager, data scientist
-2–3 years into finance (finally)
-Film/TV/entertainment (fingers crossed)
Clearly there aren’t many options.
What I’ve identified from prior graduating classes at my school and my own is that families are obsessed with where the degree comes from since money, anticipation, family rituals, hope and bragging rights are all on the line.
Ruling the Ranks
Since their creation, institutions have been competing for the prized spot. Just like the bulge bracket banks, they are competing against prestige, endowment size, alumni support, competitive sports, donations, philanthropic amounts, successful of alumni, how many Forbes 500 nominees have graduates, how high they can hike the tuition while lowering acceptance and most importantly how successful 90% of alumni will be and where they will end up.
Realize there’s no mention on happiness, financial aid, fulfillment, health or long-lasting marriages. Desire and image only seems to infiltrate their minds as college have become the most competitive they’ve ever been. Today these old-age institutions are finally realizing, a little late but better than never, standardized tests aren’t everything and are purely there to make money off of kids digging them into a consumer debt hole from tutors and books before the real burden arrives from student loans that linger on with graduates until parenthood.
A few weeks ago, I came across a documentary on Netflix, “Varsity Blues” based on the top 10%+’s actions towards hacking their child’s way to prestigious schools.
What was fascinating and bewildering wasn’t just that these students, mostly children of celebrities paid their son or daughter’s way to school and felt no shame or frankly, stupidity in pasting their faces onto athletes bodies for years, but the history behind what these institutions represent and value is shocking.
The more money one has, the better chance they have at being accepted. They are obsessed with the check-size. Money is power since college is a business after all and not fair to most.
Institutions, even by the name sound frightening, are ranked based on prestige. Every year US News & World Report comes out with a ranking of the best schools based on reasons listed above. Majority of them haven’t changed and you guessed it, at the top are the IVYs.
Oh and what may IVY mean by the way?
Not what you think it is.
Monetary and emotional support, personalized success, likability of teachers, diversity of the student body, happiness, encouragement, fulfillment, entrepreneurism, Noble Prize, world peace, equality and alike don’t come into play.
When this list first came out in the early 20th century, it was mainly based on image and is still the same just like the classes. From how the students dress to the specific unique intricate extracurricular classes are ranked which is completely objective.
As an NYU student, this is beyond disappointing to hear considering that every school has their own style and way of doing things. It’s like comparing Colorado College to NYU. It just can’t be done.
So why do they continue to be ranked and screw with HS students’ perceptions on success?
Go Time
When it comes time to making the final list of decisions and submitting the application, students take into account a variety of factors, usually the ones parents don’t always agree with. Depending on the age and how the parent grew up, they could also be ignorant and sidetracked by the allure of the school instead of the real impact down the road, especially high-net worth parents who prefer to throw money at the problem.
From my experience, I didn’t factor these in since my immigrant family taught me better yet after 4 years hanging around with teens who only spoke about colleges, this is what they considered when making the decision:
-What my friends and family will think looks good
-What will make the resume shine
-Where I can have the most fun and look cool
-What school will help me the most and pave the way towards success
-Where the most sororities are located and cheap food
This list isn’t extensive, just a general scope of what you would hear from a typical teen. This is clearly beyond disappointing. It seems like colleges and students alike care about image.
Truth
Ultimately the sad truth behind this system is that it’s rigged. We’ll never know if it will end since alumni, professors and faculty are behind the decisions. No robots and hence they have bias.
Although I try to never take anything personally because most things are unimportant, getting rejected by anything is always rough and hurts because of the emotional toll we put into it. It doesn’t even have to be that serious or your ultimate option but the way you perceive and control the process, it’s extremely draining when you don’t get the results you want.
Students beat themselves up because they believe a college is the end all be all and the destination determines where they’ll end up. Family expectations and salary are overwhelming. Applicants don’t realize 99% of the rest of the word is applying to the same school so rejection is only part of the process. Your hard work from HS wasn’t a waste, although I would argue majority of it probably was.
Now I’m no expert but according to my network, billionaires of the world, Fortune 500 nominees, my colleagues, friends, neighbors and majority of the world, the school you go to DOES NOT determine where you go.
Elite schools perpetuate privilege and exacerbate inequality mobility.
I could say it over and over but that won’t stop kids from applying for that prize.
Not every school is the same but it usually ends up being so since students don’t know what to look for in it and waste those precious years.
Why do schools not determine your future?
-What you put in is what you get out
-Industries and companies are relaxing (little late) Harvard doesn’t mean you’re brilliant and a rocket scientists anymore it could easily mean you inherited the seat
-Degrees aren’t necessary anymore
-College is too easy for kids
-You can learn anything anywhere psielcaly for free
-Companies care about character and if you’re able to work/deal with people all day. There are training programs for a reason
-References (not from family members) get the best, meaningful and lasting employees
Of course, this isn’t always the case but from all the people I know who currently attend and have graduated from the Harvards have personally told me they feel like a nobody. What a shame. You go to a great school to please your parents and live up to your family’s expectations.
Nothing is tougher than that.
Structure
Bottom line: You get out what you put in.
Pick a school, stick with it and move on. You do you not what someone else wants because they aren’t living your life. Personally I went to NYU because I’m a life long New Yorker. Born and raised here and whenever I wanted to chill and meet someone new, I would go to my favorite spot, Washington Square Park, a.k.a NYU’s hub and just hang out.
I would be amazed by the students and listen in to the conversations they had on the lawn. I wanted to be immersed in NYC, take advantage of internships blocks away, meet professors that also worked part time in the industry and meet the most diverse international students in the world!
Going to a school 60 miles away from civilization guarded by fences and sororities was not my jam.
Finances always comes first and that is the main reason people go and do something. I don’t tell people I got into 3 IVYs because first off, no one cares, second of all, I have nothing to prove to anyone. They’re all so similar at the end of the day.
Along with NYU’s diverse offerings, they gave me the best financial package of 4 free years as the ultimate selling point. Not image or praise. This school keeps me grounded, humble, thankful and excited to learn.
For those who are graduating HS, starting the treacherous application process, wrapping up those nonsense standardized tests, realize this is your life and the school you go to doesn’t determine your future.
It can if you really cared but do you really want to put all that pressure on yourself?
Looking a few years down the line, will you second choice vs first choice really make a difference? Now of course it will but will it really later? There’s so much out of your control.
What will your 2060 self say about the decision you make today? Remember, college is only a few years but it’s quite an expensive trip and a lot of time that could be waisted. Choose wisely.