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GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
ARE IVY DEGREES WORTH THE SACRIFICES
ending their kids to ivy league universities is the dream of every Asian American parent. Or so it seems. And there is no shortage of young AA willing to oblige. As of 2000, Asian Americans made up 12-19% of the undergrad enrollments of the top-20 ivy league universities.
No one questions the prestige associated with ivy degrees. In fact, sneer critics, that's the only thing bought with the extra money. And even that, they add, is wearing thin in a nation in which he cultural center of gravity has shifted to California.
It's true that investments in high ivy tuitions often don't show up in career earnings when compared with graduates of public universities of comparable student body profiles. But the criticisms run deeper than return on investment. Some Asian Americans who have attended ivy league colleges have come away regretting their decisions for other reasons.
Foremost is the sense that the ivies are structured for the benefit of legatees, the progeny of blueblooded alumni. Comprising upwards of 40% of some ivies, the legatees are often exempted from stringent admissions standards. The result is that AA students with excellent credentials are the workhorses preserving the institutions' high academic reputations, thereby giving a free ride to undeserving legatees.
Another common complaint is that the deck is stacked socially against Asian males in a system designed to preserve the princely status quo of the scions of WASP families. A disproportionate number of attractive AA females are admitted by the ivies, some have observed, while far fewer attractive AA males are admitted. This subtle bias, suspect critics, is implemented in the screening interviews used by most ivies.
Then there's the Eurocentric worldview imposed by the courses. Not to mention the lousy weather, bland food and having to put up with locals hostile toward Asians. Contrast all this against the majority-ease lifestyles enjoyed by the AA in, say, the UC campuses.
The bragging rights an ivy education affords parents, conclude critics, are far outweighed by the psychic and emotional sacrifices exacted from their kids.
Does an ivy education provide rewards commensurate with the sacrifices? Or is it a trap for AA with overzealous parents with old-world views?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 06:01:20 PM)
hey lavender,
go to buffalo and do well, then you can go to an ivy league school for graduate studies. that is what i did. i went to rutgers for undergrad and then columbia for doctorate. going to a decent state school saved me alot of money. i could have gone to boston university or nyu as an undergrad college but wasting that kind of money for non-ivy school would have been a waste of money. shit, i knew someone who went to community college and then transfered to univ. of pennsylvania's wharton undergraduate program. just study hard and READ alot.
toe jam
toe jam's words
Thursday, December 13, 2001 at 19:10:07 (PST)
You're a funny guy Harvey Mudd, but let's get back to reality, as opposed to ethnocentric ranting. My roomate(who is a Japanese-Amer) read your post and just had to see what I'd say to your comments, as an Italian/German-Amer. Trying to minimize the greatness of great minds like Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Heinrich Hertz, and countless others just because your "Asian pride" needs a boost is weak. It was Europeans who invented things like the radio, the battery, and much more. Many of the greatest inventors were just no-name guys with a lame job and a bright idea. It wasn't high-priced schooling that produced them.
The idea of learning from previous generations is something *plenty* of Asians do. The Chinese got Buddhism from India. Then came things like Zen and so on. Countless theories and such regarding the arts of war were handed around and passed down in Asian cultures. At one time China was one of the most progressive cultures in existence. So clearly it's not as if they were never at a "high point". Certain cultures fell behind, while others(like Japan) moved ahead. Alot of that has to do with who has a progressive attitude and who doesn't. Europeans dealt with the same problem. Countless Euro cultures demonized progressive thinking, yet some didn't(Italian culture for ex.).
As for research institutions, I support anyone who works hard. However I think you'd better take a look around. *Much* of today's hottest researh(as far as next-gen technology) is happening *outside* of Asia, not in it. At the top of the list would be nanotechnology...hardly being powered by Asian researchers. The bit about 1.2 billion Chinese producing geniuses is quite an exaggeration. Given the high number of Chinese people who never even see a college, your statement becomes hard to prove. It becomes laughable when you sit there talking about how Einstein stood on Newton's shoulders, then talk about China producing prodigies with the help of technology being built in the *West*.
I'm quite proud of my European heritage. And don't take kindly to bigoted rhetoric regardless of who's saying it. Asians are cool, regardless of which ethnic group they're in...but racism masked as pride is stupidity. On the whole I think there's a great deal of innovation already in Asia, but if you can't speak of it without bashing everyone else then you're just an ethnocentrist riding on the coat-tails of Asians who actually *are* doing somethig productive(after all, it's rather obvious since you're sitting around waiting for other Asians to invent great things and doing nothing yourself).
DV8 Ragazza
Thursday, December 13, 2001 at 18:51:46 (PST)
lavender,
Going to one of those specialized high school NYC, I know what you mean about the preasures of going to an elite school or feeling like a failure.
But in hindsight since I've graduated already. I will have to admit, if you are planning to be employed by a big company after graduation, your GPA and a "name brand" degree will be helpful. However, it is not a necessity. After graduating I was hired into a big name company and met up with high school classmates that went to SUNY's who were hired that year.
You should really spend the time in college to explore what you enjoy and maintain your GPA. So this way when you leave you at least know what you like to do in life. 90% of undergrads get jobs outside of their majors. I think a major is just an expression of what you enjoy learing. Whether or not it equates a career is another matter.
Large companies just want to hear examples of how your did your college experience corrolate to analytical skills, poblem solving skills and communication skills during the interview process. You can major in basket weaving and if you are poised enough at the interview you will ace it.
Doing really well is a fact no one can deny. I made the mistake in college by thinking if I go to a top 25 school instead of a top 10 school the acedemic competition would be less in the undergraduate. I forgot to factor in not all smart people can afford to go to most expensive and elite schools. But if you come out with an honor degree, a multi-major, or some breakthrough demostration of leadership on campus, companies will take notice during the interview. But keep the GPA up or you won't be able to get your foot in the door.
______________________________________
Ivy - refers to the plant that grows on the walls of the 8 univeristies that have been there so long. Most of these univeristy were created before the USA was even a nation.
AC dropout
Thursday, December 13, 2001 at 14:10:39 (PST)
[That "plant" happens to grow on the walls of countless institutions, many not even in the New England states. Trust us when we say we have seen much ivy. We use "ivy" in the sense it is understood by most people who don't attend the 8 colleges in that athletic league. Keep in mind that serious prestige is not confined to those eight. --Ed]
Hello all,
Are there any smart, motivated high school students (esp. of Asian/Asian American descent) who are interested in the field of Social/Public Policy Analysis/Government (at the State or local level) at Cornell University? If so, please contact me at the below e-mail address. I am a third year City and Regional Planning student at Cornell, and my advisor has asked me to help recruit highschool seniors for the Fall 2002 - Spring 2003 academic year. Preference is given to serious candidates who want to make a difference in society, whether it is in America or overseas -- we need more Asians and other minorities in the fields of Government and Public Policy.
For more info on City & Regional Planning and admissions, go to our department's website:
http://www.crp.cornell.edu/
Thanks, and have a nice day!
Jake Yu
sy76@cornell.edu
Thursday, December 13, 2001 at 10:25:28 (PST)
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