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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 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?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 06:01:01 PM)
If my memory of almost 20 years ago serves me correctly, the Ivies DO grant merit scholarships. In my case, I played a prominent role for my team in a televised NJ state high school Brain Bowl competition ("Jeopardy"-like) in which my team went to the finals. On TV, I expressed my desire to attend an Ivy; the director of admissions at Princeton was watching the series and checked me out through my HS counselor. He liked what he saw and invited me to tour Princeton. Perhaps my memory is faulty, but I and my parents remember my invitation to attend as being free (for the first year, at least). My qualifications were decent: 1410 SATs, 3.99 GPA, top 5% of my class, captaincies and distinctions on wrestling and tennis teams, and father was a name in international banking. Believe what you want, but the point of my posts were: go to an Ivy if you can get in. As AAs in a white-dominated society, you'll need every advantage you can get to succeed. It's worth it. And if you can, go to one that is more fun (not Cornell). If you want to read more into my posts than was intended..... who cares.
Hoboken_CornellGuy
Monday, July 08, 2002 at 06:32:37 (PDT)
I call bulls*** on Hoboken, "I passed up a free ride to Princeton, and I'll always regret it."
Could you please elaborate on that? Did you just mean you were a refugee from cambodia and were so poor that they offerred you 100% financial aid? If you really came out of an ivy, you'd know what IVY means. Ivies DO NOT give ANY sort of merit scholarships. No athletic scholarships; no academic scholarhips.
cheers
CAgentility
Saturday, July 06, 2002 at 00:48:33 (PDT)
Ivy but not necessarily home free:
Most on-campus recruiters have certain GPA cut-off's, usually above 3.0. So you might have to do extra job search, but the most important thing in the long-run, is your performance at your first job.
I've known people who were graduated with below 3.0 GPA and went on to become successful corporate execs. Be humble, find what job you could; kiss your boss' ass, watch your back because your friendly, smiling colleague is out to get you, and receive good performance reviews.
...feeling a bit sleepy, hope that helped ...
Idiot-savant
Friday, July 05, 2002 at 21:51:11 (PDT)
Just coz you're an Ivy, it doesn't mean you're home free,
"mediocre academic performance stunt my professional growth?"
Honestly I don't think so.
For grad school there are those essays, standardized exams, and interviews you still need to get through. Make sure to ace those standardized exams and provide a good performance at the interviews.
I think only a D in the final semester will negatively affect an acceptance for both grad and job.
"Will employers pass me over?"
I doubt that also. Most job interviews on campus are looking for particular behavior traits to see if you will make in their companies. As you advance in the rounds they test different things. A credit card company made me do problems that required linear algebra to solve. A consulting company kept asking me to describe and resolve human conflict issues.
Not once did they ask for a transcript.
AC Dropout
Wednesday, July 03, 2002 at 14:55:36 (PDT)
Just cos you're an Ivy:
Let me ask: are you studying what YOU want to study--or what your parents want you to study?
This can make a significant difference. If you feel like you're being forced to study something you don't want to study--of course, you're not going to want to study! Because of that, your grades will go down further.
If this is the case, you will need to rethink your options.
Asian Dominatrix
Wednesday, July 03, 2002 at 13:57:29 (PDT)
Still Frustrated AM in Ithaca,
You can drive the other way and head up to Montreal.
Man I feel for you. Don't go jumping off any bridges okay.
Is there anything to do in Ithica in the summer?
AC Dropout
Wednesday, July 03, 2002 at 10:25:53 (PDT)
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