The Ivy League Standard & Overqualified Students

In recent years, colleges have had a spike in student applications. Common App’s 2023 admissions data detailed the income, first-year applicants, and amount of application statistics. Figure 15 shows a trend spike from 3,256,024 to 4,035,270 from 2019 to 2023 application for private institutions. We can also relate this to the recent romanticization of the Ivy League or highly selective universities like Stanford and Rice. But why do we favor the achievable rather than community colleges that give students a free education? I believe it’s the fact that we are conditioned to recognize these schools as the best of the best--though the “top” schools are just subjective. 

These top 20 schools aren’t just achievable; they’re just fancy names on degrees. A prestigious degree doesn’t guarantee a spot on Goldman Sachs or an internship at Microsoft--rather, you have to network and schmooze your way into a life of success. In a commencement speech given to the Harvard class of 2000, Conan O’Brien, a Comedian and Harvard Alumni, shared his experience with finding a job post-undergraduate, he said, “I made damn sure that they knew I had been to Harvard, that I had written this thesis, and that I expected the very best treatment. And so the next day, I was sent to the Santa Monica branch of Wilson’s House of Suede and Leather.” O’Brien’s reversal of expectations makes this quote more puzzling, why wasn’t he immediately made a writer for the Simpsons or popular sketch comedy shows? O’Brien had the credentials, talent, and drive, but still, that big break seemed unattainable due to his limited job offers. Jobless and with an abundance of disappointment, O’Brien shares this piece of his life as a cautionary tale--Harvard would not ensure your future success, it would be your ambition to push yourself, to attain that prestigious job, to reach that internship.

Many bright-eyed students believe a selective education can guarantee prosperity and wealth, most of these students being from the lower income or first generation. The Ivies are seen by most students as the ultimate achievement in their high school career, the validation for four grueling years of work. But it’s becoming almost impossible for even an average straight-A student to have a chance at schools like Harvard. There's an emphasis on impacting your community and leadership while still having the expectation you’re at the top of your class. Though fictional, “Gilmore Girls”, a show made in the 2000s that follows a mother and daughter throughout their life, gives us a character perspective on the struggle of obtaining that Ivy-bound education. Paris Geller receives a letter on her Harvard rejection and shares her emotional breakdown containing the crumbling hard-work she faced, she states, “I've thought about nothing else for four years but this school, this big important school with all of its history and tradition and super teachers. I dedicated myself to it completely, heart and soul, believing in its power and ability to get me where I needed to go. Harvard.” What’s interesting about this quote is Geller’s use of “power,” Geller’s family is a 10-generation Harvard legacy; she had every opportunity to succeed, but Harvard is the only gateway she saw to prosper, to place her in a deserved spot.

Unlike O’Brien, Geller wasn’t accepted into Harvard and had to build a new path after her world crumbled before her. But Paris Geller was from a high-income family and was a Harvard legacy, so even if she was rejected--she would still have her trust fund to fall back on. For the majority of the applicants, this seems unreal and detached from society--but the realistic segment of Paris’ breakdown comes with the fact she doesn’t want to tell her boyfriend, Jamie, that she didn’t get into Harvard, upset it would lower her value as a person, she says, “What if he doesn't love me anymore? What if he doesn't think I'm special anymore? How am I going to tell him I didn't get into Harvard? What am I gonna do?” Paris spent her summers building homes, in soup kitchens, and at a summit in D.C. Her entire personality was getting into Harvard because it was an entrance into getting her where she deserved to be; a cancer researcher. She earned her spot, but did she deserve Harvard? Lots of students in the 2020s may only commit to extracurricular activities such as Student Government, Model UN, Debate, and NHS if it guarantees a solid place in the rigorous secondary education. 

In a 2006 documentary named “Ivy Dreams,” we are introduced to four spectacular students, but all of them share the same trait--being pressured into an Ivy League school. One of the students shown in the documentary, Diana, wants to attend the prestigious Yale University due to the disappointment of her parents. After completing a campus tour, she says,

“I don’t want to go to Harvard, but I’m applying there because it’s--like I have to do this for my parents.”

Though filmed in 2006, many of these thoughts are still shared today. Showing how, even as the education system has tried to push back on the pressure of academic perfection, there is still pressure to attend these universities. Unlike Gilmore Girls, these were kids who desperately wanted the approval of their parents, and especially the acceptance of the top three (Yale, Princeton, and Harvard) because, in their brains, these expensive degrees are the bridge towards a high-paying career. 

In the end, we shouldn't become overly fixated on these institutions. This is not to diminish the incredible efforts of the staff at Ivy League schools, but we should be cautious of the toxic culture that creates pressure to attend these universities. Ultimately, we should resist becoming overly fixated on these institutions. While the staff at Ivy League schools put in remarkable efforts, we must recognize the toxic culture that pressures students to attend these universities. It's important to prioritize a healthier perspective on education.