have you ever known someone whose gone to Harvard vs. other top private schools.....

[AnnieW625]

Just curious?

This came up last week in a mommy group post about kindergarten/school districts on our mommy group website (a local yahoo group). In my area there was an article in our paper that said one student a few years back went to Harvard. We live in suburban LA County and I was really proud that this student came from our home high school, which is home to one of the district's applied technology program, and the arts program, not the regular high honors program or the high honors math or science program (those are at two other schools) and well one of the moms said in not so many words that she wasn't that impressed that a school which graduates about 900 to 1200 students per year was only able to produce 1 student to go Harvard straight out of high school. Granted there could be more in the district or the school, but the article wasn't talking about grads who've gone to Harvard from other schools. It was just about the success of scholarship awardees from the high school of the last 5 or so years.

IMHO this is a big deal and it's most likely the small town girl in me, but I have never met a person who has gone to Harvard right out of high school. My high school had 1700 students max. in the mid 90s. I have been to three high school graduations since including two at hoity toity private schools in Pasadena, CA and I don't recall seeing a Harvard acceptance listed next to the students name at either my sister's graduation or the other two.

I've known more people who've gone to Brown (3 or 4) for Ivy League, 1 that went to Villanova, 1 to Johns Hopkins,, 2 to USC, 1 to Loyola Marymount-Los Angeles, 2 to Boston College, and then 2 to Stanford. For non private I have known the most people who've gone to Cal or UCLA right out of high school. I did have a friend from high school who applied to Harvard but didn't get in. He's now an oncologist in Connecticut. He was no dummy. He went to Cal right out of high school, and then UCLA med.

ETA: not all of these were from my high school class. Most of them are people I'm related to or known through out the years. In my class most people went to UC or CSU schools (like myself). One friend went to the Univ. of Oregon honors program. One from high school, the year before me went to Brown. I am sure a few got into USC, but I don't recall if anyone went. Most people from my class either went to UC Davis, UCLA, Sac State, UCSB, Cal Poly SLO, UCSD, San Diego State, or Cal. My only friend that went across the country for school went to Valpraiso on a swimming scholarship. I think one person got into Cal Tech too, but I can't remember who.

(darn it where was the Harvard/some Ivy league school no debt policy when I was in high school. I would've loved Cornell's food/hotel management program. I would've worked my butt off to get that top SAT score for that; my parents would've qualified for that program!)

[ourbabygirl]

I transferred to a private high school to take academics more seriously (and not feel like I had to hide the fact that I wanted to be a good student & not be looked down on for getting good grades) and so I know of many people who got into top tier schools (from my graduating class and later). I went to a good school and while it's not Ivy League, I feel like it was pretty cool at the time. However, I don't know that I would want our kids going there just because it's so much money- I'd rather have them go somewhere where they could pay for part of tuition and not have astronomical loans when they graduate. Granted, my majors didn't really justify me going there, but when I graduated from high school I didn't know what my ultimate career situation would be. I also know quite a few people who got in to places like Harvard & Princeton but didn't end up going there (due to money reasons or otherwise). I think a big part of it is related to what part of the country you're from, if your parents went to a certain school, and what your economic status is.

[kijip]

I graduated from a magnet school where a large number of kids in my class and the years closest to me went on to big name schools, including Ivy league schools. One girl was accepted to Harvard but opted to Swathmore instead because they gave her more aid (this was before Harvard had their no debt thing for low to moderate income students). I think any educational acheivements are wonderful, regardless of how many people I know with great educations. I was accepted to a couple of very competitive schools myself but stayed in state so as to help my family financially...I worked and went to school. While I don't doubt my original plans would have been awesome and wonderful, I do appreciate being 29 and not owing anyone any money for my education. I have friends with Ivy educations sitting under six figures of student loans with modest incomes. One of my friends who did graduate from Harvard does not list it on initial applications because she had issues with people not calling her for jobs because they assumed she would move on to something bigger and better immediately...she works as a social worker with non-profits.

[WatchingThemGrow]

My (guy) cousin's BFF went from a po-dunk hs in KY straight to Harvard. He later married girl cousin (the sis) and we were with them last weekend for Christmas. Not sure about the $$ or any family expectations, but he does live near a HA store :) He's as normal as can be.

In our PG, there are a decent number of PhD's, plus a ton more with Master's and other advanced degrees. It's funny b/c I *totally* don't think of any of us anything other than mommies right now.

[writermama]

Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Naval Academy, competitive honors programs at UVA and other big schools ... all in my class at my public high school.

Where I grew up, the public schools were better than the private schools.

[mamicka]

Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Naval Academy, competitive honors programs at UVA and other big schools ... all in my class at my public high school.


Similar story here. It isn't that unusual from my perspective.

[arivecchi]

I know lots of people who went, some were high school classmates and others were law school classmates. DH also went there and he went to a small public school in WI. Many of my classmates also went to other Ivies. I was more impressed with my friends who got into MIT because they were massive math nerds and that is just impressive to me. :D

[Lovingliv]

I can think of about 10 people from my graduating class that went to Harvard....and maybe another 10 from classes below me.

I grew up one town over from there....

[AnnieW625]

I can think of about 10 people from my graduating class that went to Harvard....and maybe another 10 from classes below me.

I grew up one town over from there....

you mean Boston, or from Long Beach? Just curious?!

[smiles33]

Yes, we usually had a few Ivy League-bound kids per class from my public high school. It's consistently in the "Top 100 Public High Schools" in the country list that some magazine publishes (Newsweek?). For what it's worth, I am more impressed by those who go to an elite school for graduate degrees, as college admissions are often based largely on potential and just the demonstrated aptitude from a random high school. Once you're at the graduate school level, you've had 4 years of rigorous college curricula with the most competitive students.

[citymama]

I have several friends who went to Harvard straight from high school. One of them was home-schooled!

[arivecchi]

I thought top colleges only accepted at most a couple of students per class from one high school, as in 2-4 per school.

[maestramommy]

I've known a couple of people who went to Harvard right out of high school. One from my own, one from my sister's HS, and a couple of my students from a private girls college prep. I remember talking to the college counselor at the school where I worked about getting into Harvard. She said you have to show in your "resume" that you are a leader. So it's not just about grades, SATs, and activities. One of my students who ended up going there was not someone I thought would necessarily be a leader, but she went into HS with the sole goal of getting into Harvard, and built a resume around it. As far as that goes I respect her for it, because she wasn't totally brilliant (although very bright), but she was DETERMINED.

[KpbS]

Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Naval Academy, competitive honors programs at UVA and other big schools ... all in my class at my public high school.


:yeahthat:
I went to a public magnet school. It had many teachers who were very good, but more importantly the ones who went to competitive schools (Ivy and otherwise) were hard workers and were very smart.

[jenmcadams]

No one from my high school (small rural area), but I went to an elite liberal arts college and met a number of people who chose our school over Harvard for undergrad. Then I went into management consulting and met tons of Harvard, Stanford, etc. grads at my firm. Finally, went to business school at Northwestern and actually turned down Harvard and Stanford and had a lot of Harvard, Other Ivy undergrads in our program. It's funny, no one from my family or anyone could believe when I didn't go to Harvard for business school, but none of them had ever met anyone who had the opportunity to attend. In certain circles/industries, it's not as unusual as it seems in everyday life and I've gotten a little more cavalier about it since meeting lots of people through work and grad school who attended...

[C99]

I am pretty sure that there are some Harvard grads here.

There was one person I can name from my graduating class (suburban Chicago school) who went to Harvard, and many more who went to name schools, whether public or private. In my adult life, I've known so many people who went to well-known schools that it no longer has the cachet for me that it once did and I really don't think anything of it. At this point in my life, in my particular career path, where you went to school (or even if you went to school) really doesn't mean that much.

[brittone2]

I have several friends who went to Harvard straight from high school. One of them was home-schooled!
Many Ivy League schools not only accept homeschoolers, but actively recruit them. Harvard is one that actively recruits from what I've been told. Stanford has its own admissions counselor for homeschooled students, which can make it easier to catch someone's eye.

That said, I don't particularly aspire for my kids to attend an Ivy League school.

eta: and yes, I know several people IRL who attended Harvard or similar schools.

[codex57]

Yes, we usually had a few Ivy League-bound kids per class from my public high school. It's consistently in the "Top 100 Public High Schools" in the country list that some magazine publishes (Newsweek?). For what it's worth, I am more impressed by those who go to an elite school for graduate degrees, as college admissions are often based largely on potential and just the demonstrated aptitude from a random high school. Once you're at the graduate school level, you've had 4 years of rigorous college curricula with the most competitive students.

Same here. I went to a top school (it's not in that top 100 list at Newsweek, it's one of the "others" they made a special list for cuz it had too many high achievers :rolleye0014: - at least it just got recognized as the #3 school on some other list). Each class typically has more than one person who gets into Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. I'm more impressed when people get into the top grad schools. I think the requirements to get into Harvard's grad schools are tougher than Harvard undergrad.


That said, I don't particularly aspire for my kids to attend an Ivy League school.

I do. Certain schools, such as Harvard and Stanford, are known to have grade inflation at the undergrad level. I'd certainly like my kid to have a 4.0 from Harvard when applying to grad schools and competing against other kids who don't have such high GPAs cuz their school doesn't have as much grade inflation. :p

[sste]

I turned down Harvard. :) In my opinion, Harvard is over-rated. Not that it is not a very impressive institution but there are bigger research powerhouses out there particularly in the sciences. And for grad its non-phd grad programs are very large and somewhat factory-like.

[jse107]

Similar story here. It isn't that unusual from my perspective.

Same here. Grew up in a suburb of Rochester, NY. Pretty much everyone went to college--and there are plenty of kids who went to top tier schools.

[bubbaray]

Lots of people from my private snooty English-style prep school went to Harvard and other Ivy league schools.

[boolady]

Same here. Grew up in a suburb of Rochester, NY. Pretty much everyone went to college--and there are plenty of kids who went to top tier schools.

Me, too. I went to a good public high school (not tip of the top, but very good). I know plenty of people who went to Harvard, Penn, Naval Academy, and other top tier schools. My sisters did, too. I don't know if it's because I'm from the northeast, and lots of those schools are nearby (but not all, of course), but it isn't rare around me.

[Laurel]

Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Naval Academy, competitive honors programs at UVA and other big schools ... all in my class at my public high school.

Where I grew up, the public schools were better than the private schools.

This is my experience as well.

[elliput]

I know several AF Academy graduates from my high school (different years) and one family I knew sent at least 3 of their 4 children to Dartmouth. There was also Harvard, Standford and MIT bound graduates from my high school.

[ast96]

Yes. I went to Princeton, and I knew several kids from my public high school who went to Harvard.

I'm surprised to hear some of you think Harvard's grad schools are more elite. I know SO many people who went to Harvard for grad school, I think of it as not that elite at all! But maybe it's because everyone I know who went to Harvard for grad school went to undergrad with me. ;)

I personally didn't apply to Harvard and had no desire to go there. it's not my type of university.

[codex57]

Yes. I went to Princeton, and I knew several kids from my public high school who went to Harvard.

I'm surprised to hear some of you think Harvard's grad schools are more elite. I know SO many people who went to Harvard for grad school, I think of it as not that elite at all! But maybe it's because everyone I know who went to Harvard for grad school went to undergrad with me. ;)

I personally didn't apply to Harvard and had no desire to go there. it's not my type of university.

You went to Princeton. Arguably the #1 undergrad in the country. Yeah, I think being surrounded by the elite might make going to Harvard a bit more commonplace then most of the country. :p

[AnnieW625]

Where I grew up, the public schools were better than the private schools.

This has been really interesting topic (so glad I asked!). I am originally from the same area as Laurel and yes the two public high schools were really the only option unless you were a male and could go to the all boys Catholic high school in Sacramento. I was always really suprised that in our mixed class area (lots of college grads, lots of farm workers, lots of old farmers with money, and working lower or middle class people) that soo many kids went to college, and most of them all went to 4 yr. universities or at least the junior college.

[brgnmom]

I went to Stanford, which is like a Harvard yet on the west coast. I went there for college as well as for grad school... and I still chose to be a SAHM. One of my close mommy friends went to Harvard for college, and she is also a SAHM.

The public high school I attended is well known and several of my classmates were able to get into other competitive colleges.

[egoldber]

My brother went to Dartmouth and left after his freshman year. He was miserable there. As a kid from a non-elite high school from a working class family, he felt very out of place.

I know a lot of really incredibly bright people who went to Harvard and other Ivys. And a lot of incredibly bright people who didn't.

[Moneypenny]

I know many people who went to "top" schools. I don't really even think anything of it, and I work in college admissions, lol!

[wencit]

My cousin went to Harvard. I distinctly remember my mom getting a call from my aunt one day, then excitedly telling me when she got off the phone, "E got into Harvard!!!" As an 8-year-old, I couldn't care less, nor did I know what Harvard (or college!) was for that matter, but for some reason, I still remember it to this day.

I went to a fairly rigorous public high school in this area, so plenty of students went to Ivys as well as Stanford. One of my classmates who got into Harvard also had the distinction of getting a perfect 1600 on his SATs.

While I think that getting into a prestigious college certainly doesn't hurt, I do believe that future success in life has more to do with how hard you work to achieve your goals, as well as how dedicated and passionate you are about what you do. JMHO.

[mecawa]

I know a lot (well, 3, maybe, lol, 2 of those are from the same family) of people that went to Harvard straight from high school. I know some that went to MIT( including DH), I have a cousin that went to Yale, etc. I sure didn't, I'm a state school girl (for undergrad anyway).

[ThreeofUs]

You know, when you grow up on the East Coast, honestly you generally know quite a few people who go to Harvard as well as the other Ivies. Harvard's a good school. Frankly, though, there are a ton of great schools in the region, each of which has it's own culture and strengths.

[ett]

Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Naval Academy, competitive honors programs at UVA and other big schools ... all in my class at my public high school.

Where I grew up, the public schools were better than the private schools.

:yeahthat: I grew up in MA and know lots of people from my school and church that went to top tier schools for both under and grad. It's not that unusual among the people I know.

[pb&j]

Yes, I know many who went to the Ivies and Seven Sisters and the like, from both public and private schools. Since I grew up in VA, I know TONS of people who went to UVA, including lots of Echols Scholars, and a couple Jefferson Scholars as well.

[vludmilla]

You know, when you grow up on the East Coast, honestly you generally know quite a few people who go to Harvard as well as the other Ivies. Harvard's a good school. Frankly, though, there are a ton of great schools in the region, each of which has it's own culture and strengths.

Yes, I agree with this. I know many people who have attended or are attending Harvard and other Ivies. This area is jam-packed with top 100 high schools and the best private schools. I believe that a majority of the students admitted to Ivies and top-tier schools come from this region.

[michellerw]

Yes, I know many who went to the Ivies and Seven Sisters and the like, from both public and private schools. Since I grew up in VA, I know TONS of people who went to UVA, including lots of Echols Scholars, and a couple Jefferson Scholars as well.

Same here. This makes me laugh, but my husband actually turned down an offer of an Echols Scholarship to go to William & Mary instead. When he told me this, I think my jaw hit the floor.

I went to a high school where, due to the historical ties of the nuns that ran the place had to the Jesuits, Boston College and Georgetown were considered "safety schools" we sent 5/53 to BC my year and any number to first tier SLACs and Ivies as well as schools like Rice, UVa, Chicago, etc.

[mommylamb]

Most of the Harvard/Yale/other Ivy grads I know went for grad school, not undergrad. My intern is a Harvard student though.

[BigDog]

My DH and I attended the same catholic HS; DH went to Penn on a full scholarship (thank god!); I went to a nearby private college but spent most of my time at Penn (so naturally I consider myself a Quaker). DS will be going to Penn, too (if I have any say in it, haha!).

[pb&j]

Same here. This makes me laugh, but my husband actually turned down an offer of an Echols Scholarship to go to William & Mary instead. When he told me this, I think my jaw hit the floor.


My high school sweetheart turned down a Jefferson Scholarship (prestigious 4 yr free ride!!) to take a year off and go backpacking!! He ended up going to a "top" school, has an advanced degree, and is now a college professor.

[jent]

Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Naval Academy, competitive honors programs at UVA and other big schools ... all in my class at my public high school.

Where I grew up, the public schools were better than the private schools.

Pretty much the same here. Also, my town was a town that people moved to, and paid higher taxes, "for the schools." I know my parents did. So a lot of us were expected to apply to the Ivies and top tier liberal arts schools.

[EllasMum]

I went to school (from kindergarden through grade 12) with a guy who ended up going to Princeton on a hockey scholarship. He was very intelligent, and while the hockey thing didn't work out (due to injury), he did end up becoming an orthopedic surgeon and now is the surgeon for the Toronto Blue Jays.

[kijip]

My brother went to Dartmouth and left after his freshman year. He was miserable there. As a kid from a non-elite high school from a working class family, he felt very out of place.

I have a few friends who did the same- they couldn't handle the old money stuff based on where you went to prep school and who your parents were or the constant invitations that required spending a lot of money and ended up transferring to different programs. And I know more that stayed but felt uncomfortable to some degree. Some of this is economics and some is class/regional background. Even some very well off kids from my city felt socially out of pace with the NE social scene. Some transferred to top west coast schools just to feel more at home.

[DrSally]

My brother went to Dartmouth and left after his freshman year. He was miserable there. As a kid from a non-elite high school from a working class family, he felt very out of place.

I know a lot of really incredibly bright people who went to Harvard and other Ivys. And a lot of incredibly bright people who didn't.

I agree it can be very hard to be from a working class background and be at an Ivy or something akin and barely be able to afford a winter coat, while you see students with BMW's and not worrying about money at all. I really believe that working your way through builds a lot of motivation and character though. Even though it s#@ks at the time.

I do agree with pp's that there is a lot of grade inflation at Ivies. I think you can get a great education at many public research universities. But, one thing about an Ivy that gives you a leg up in life is the network you build! They tend to be self-perpetuating.

[salsah]

i probably know more people (from my high school) who went to top ranked universities than not. i went to a big public high school so there was a little bit of everything from those who struggled to get into jc's to those who were accepted into every ivy-league. among my friends, we all went to top universities and a large number went to stanford simply because their parents are alumni.

[MelissaTC]

DH went to a small, Catholic college in NY. He had the grades to go anywhere but he loved the school and that is where he went. He later went on to Columbia for grad school. If you ask him, he will tell you that he preferred his little Catholic college. Columbia had its perks for sure and definitely opened up a lot of opportunities for DH. But he still loves his Manhattan College better. So there you go.

[nfowife]

I don't really think much of it. I have friends who went to an Ivy, I went to Vanderbilt, DH went to USNA and most of our circle of close friends are USNA grads and their spouses. We are East-coasters as well, maybe that has something to do with it? I think it's not so much where you went but what you make of it :) .

[boolady]

I think it's not so much where you went but what you make of it :) .

:yeahthat:

My mother used to say this about many experiences in life, and now that I'm old enough to realize (or accept) that she knew what she was talking about, I think you are 100% right.

[parelle]

I went to a Philadelphia Main Line prep school so yes, there were 2-4 kids a year who went to Haaaarvard while another 12 or so went to one of the other Ivies (the majority of those, like me, went to Penn). There were also plenty of people who attended one of the small liberal arts colleges too. That said, impressive is our local public school, where my sister went - who also went to Penn too, after all, without the price tag of my prep school. If you were in the top 10 people there, you'd have a very good chance at going to an Ivy (needless to say, I wouldn't have been - hence the prep school).

That said, I've come around to my husband's position that unless you're going into business, law, or medicine where those connections really matter, go some place you can afford for undergrad and save the big name for grad school. He went to the University of Kentucky's honors program, went to Penn for his PhD, and most of his friends from college went to similar places for their graduate work.

[mrgdess]

Similar story here. It isn't that unusual from my perspective.

Same for where I grew up.

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I have a niece at Harvard Law and had someone who worked under me at Abercrombie who was Harvard Business. I don't think he was any too happy about working under someone of the same age who went to Iowa State :).

[dcmom2b3]

In my HS class there were folks who ended up at Hopkins, Smith, Stanford and Wellesley. But I know more people from "elite" schools, including Harvard, by having gone to college in New England, and having a social circuit that included other campuses within a day's driving range. (We had to, there weren't enough AA students to get a party going unless we all made road trips).

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

I think the best school anyone straight out of my HS went to was UC Davis... I have a cousin who went to Stanford after turning down Cambridge. I know people that went to Berkley, Stanford, Cal Poly, etc. West Coast prestige... I went to a high minority, very blue collar HS. One friend went to Temple Med school, probably the most Ivy from my HS my year at least. Most dropped out of Community College, and like me are in their 30's going back to school. A lot is where you come from...

[lizzywednesday]

When I was an undergrad at Rutgers, I met a grad student in the Linguistics department who'd done his undergrad at Harvard.

I asked him all kinds of questions, including differences in student expectations.

In his opinion, kids at Rutgers worked harder for their degrees than kids at Harvard did, but the average intelligence of a non-honors undergrad was probably about the same at both schools.

I don't recall if he'd had it to do over if he'd have chosen Rutgers over Harvard, but, either way, he'd chosen RU for grad school because he wanted to study with one of our Linguistics professors.

[hez]

I spent a summer on an internship at BU (Boston University) so I met a few Harvard and other Ivy League kids while I was there. We have a few friends who've gone back to get their MBA's from Harvard and the like.

Unfortunately, my HS wasn't all that great, so I can't think of anyone who went to an Ivy out of my HS-- one of my sister's classmates did go to MIT, though, and we had a few Academy (West Point, Naval, Air Force) grads, too. And I think my college alma mater wasn't too shabby, either ;)

[doberbrat]

I turned down Harvard in favor of another elite school. The summer I was touring colleges, some of the freshman dorms at Harvard were closed for fumigation b/c of rats. The student giving the tour gave a very vivid description of the rodent issue - it is very common in Cambridge but I freaked. Not paying 35k a year to live w/vermin. kwim?

It was hard going to an elite school having come in from a ps in the south and being very working class. I was that kid who had to work through school and couldnt afford all the winter clothes I needed. but it def makes you stronger.

[ast96]

There used to be a lot of grade inflation at the Ivies, but in the past ten years, that has changed drastically. Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are actively deflating grades. It's been tough on the students because not EVERY school is participating in grade deflation, so it does affect how their resumes stand up again someone from, say, Stanford, where I believe you can still strike courses from your transcript if you fail them.

I do believe that most of college is about putting in what you want to get out of it. However, I do believe my education at Princeton was exceptional. For one thing, it is a university completely dedicated to undergraduates -- not the grad schools -- so the very best professors are teaching the freshman seminars. Toni Morrison was teaching freshmen. I had the managing editor of People magazine teaching me for my seminar on writing about popular culture and the former curator of the Whitney teaching me about art and culture in the 1960s in America, giving me a private tour with my seminar classmates of the museum and the exhibits and inviting Allen Ginsberg to read "Howl" to us. When I wrote my senior thesis in part on a Joyce Carol Oates short story, I actually had Joyce Carol Oates to talk to about her own work. I don't believe I could have had the same education at my state school (a school I do love, support, and respect).

My peers and my friends from college are amazing too. That doesn't mean my peers and friends who went to other colleges are not, but there are differences.

My younger brother went to our state school and to a local law school, and he is in exactly the same career as my husband, who went to snooty prep schools and Princeton with me. So do I think that Ivy League schools are essential for a lofty career or success? No way. But do I think they are different and offer something more in the way of education, maybe a quality not utilitarian but more intellectual because it includes wider ranges of experience and resources? Yes, sometimes. I mean, my younger brother watched some of his courses on television. I had precepts, with one-on-one teacher interaction, for every lecture course.

Maybe this belonged in the other thread, but I couldn't read both. Too busy baking and wrapping! I just wanted to offer my experience. And yes, by the way, I am a SAHM. But I am a SAHM with a dang fine education! LOL.