|
|
|
|
|
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 ivies.
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?
This interactive article is closed to new input.
Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
CONTACT US
|
ADVERTISING INFO
© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.
|
|
|
|
WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 06:01:02 PM)
What if you go to an Ivy League and your GPA is poor? I've had some emotional/psychological issues that I've had to get treatment for. In the meantime, my grades have suffered greatly. We're talking below 3.0. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I am an Ivy Leaguer with poor grades. I did superbly in HS, but somehow the pressures and personaly issues caused me to fizzle out. Sure, the prestige and connections may help, but will my mediocre academic performance stunt my professional growth? Will employers pass me over? I am considering a career in law/public policy/business.
Just coz you're an Ivy, it doesn't mean you're home free.
Wednesday, July 03, 2002 at 01:47:16 (PDT)
AC,
Dude, NYC is at least 4-5 hours away from Ithaca by car. The gas money would drain all my college funds. No-can-do. I am enjoying my summer here in LA though. This city (my home) f***en rocks!!! I shoulda gone to Stanford or UCLA something... California weather does a number on your academic motivation... haha.
Still Frustrated AM in Ithaca
Wednesday, July 03, 2002 at 01:43:12 (PDT)
Cornell 2004,
What college are you in? The party scene differs significantly depending on what school and department you are in. The Architects party with the architects (who are mostly offspring of white/jewish yuppies), the ILR kids are HELLA jewish, and the Human Ecology students tend to have a strong black presence. Many of the engineers are Asian, so the social scene in that school is around other Asians.... I could go on. It's kinda sad that Cornell is so segregated, isn't it? I'm a 4th year at good ol' Big Red, btw. How ya doin my man?
Going back to Cornell in August....
Wednesday, July 03, 2002 at 01:40:04 (PDT)
Being a student at one of the "top 10 universities", I can honestly say that attending one of these schools is an invaluable networking tool. Although one is not necessarily smart or qualified for any given job merely by virtue of attending one of the aforementioned institutions, it is true that the most prestigious companies tend to recruit on their campuses. This means that over the years, the i banks, the consulting firms, and the lucrative tech companies (which obviously are dwindling in number) have stocked their ranks with alumni from these schools. Having ties with the alumni in any way possible (through mutual friends, school clubs, etc.) gives one a huge advantage over those who have do not have these same opportunities. Thus, I feel that attending a top 10 school is something for which career conscious AA's should strive, not for the prestige, but for the connections.
Additionally, I'd like to mention that people who attend these schools also tend to party just as much (or more) as students at any public university. I've spent a great deal of time at other universities and their respective surroundings (UCLA, UW, Berkeley, etc.) and I've found that the parties in and around the top 10 schools I've visited are just as good. In fact, I would argue that since people at top 10 schools tend to be wealthier and have more prominent connections, they have increased access to a variety of random social scenes.
Top 10 AM C/O 2004
Monday, July 01, 2002 at 14:18:49 (PDT)
College is only 4-6 years of your life, but the implications of your alma mater reach far into the future. I know how tempting it is at 18, to pick a more fun school over an Ivy. But Asian-Americans in corporate America are already passed over for first choices in management and prestige promotions; believe me, I've been on Wall Street for 12 years and I've seen it. Most of the Asians I've seen eventually get pigeonholed in IT or other non-manegerial positions. In all those years, I've only seen 1 other Asian executive with real decision-making power (and I just met her this year!). If you're ambitious and want an upwardly mobile future, you have to fight for it. And having an Ivy Leagure degree is just one of many weapons us Asian-Americans can access to move up. Many of us are already smarter than the whites we encounter, why give up another qualification for you to be denied promotion at a later date? If you have a choice, stick with the Ivy League toil. If you have a choice, go to Princeton (I passed up a free ride to Princeton, and I'll always regret it). And if you're worried about your sex life..... well, I have way, way more women than I can handle. Power and prestige is something women will never tire of. Trust me, your parents are right. Get into the best college you can get into!
P.S. All Ivy Leaguers are not created equal. My Aryan Youth WASP blueblood frat brother went to Harvard Law.... and was one of the first to get laid off at his company. It is almost a year later and he still has no job. I had the worst GPA of all my classmates, yet am doing the best. Why? That's where luck and the intangibles of your personality come into play for your future......
Hoboken_CornellGuy, Class of 1988
Monday, July 01, 2002 at 13:40:10 (PDT)
Idiot-savant,
Grass is always greener on the otherside attitude.
I use to bum out at friends campus when I had the chance. 9/10 it was all the same. It's not like a "Girls Gone Wild" video and I walk into a frat house and girls are flashing me.
I called it my Columbia to Berkeley experience. 9/10 times when I got onto a friend's campus their preparing their HW and exams. 9/10 they're pretty sane and parties only occur on weekends.
AC Dropout
Monday, July 01, 2002 at 11:46:36 (PDT)
NEWEST COMMENTS |
EARLIER COMMENTS
|