Ivy Leagues: Are they worth it?

Ivy leagues were first created as a group of schools to compete in sports in 1954. Now, when one hears the term Ivy League, they think of elite schools in America, specifically in the northeast. Many say that Ivy Leagues are overrated and are no better than state schools and community colleges, while others argue that they are the generators of the next generation to lead the world. Both of these views are correct because although the college experience may be drastically different depending on what college you attend, the individual courses will cover the same material (there are always good and bad professors in every school). What sets Ivy Leagues apart from other colleges are the connections you make in your classes, around campus, or in your dorms. Once you get out of college and begin your professional career, these connections will help you land jobs and move up the social structure. However, this is not exclusive to only Ivy League schools. There are top colleges other than the 8 Ivy Leagues, such as Stanford, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, etc. These top colleges offer the same opportunities and resources as the Ivy Leagues and are equally as good. The only reason you would constrict yourself to only going to Ivy Leagues is to have the clout and be able to say you got into an Ivy League, though anyone who is slightly educated will know that it literally doesn’t matter. For example, Johns Hopkins is not an Ivy League and they have the highest budget for research out of all the colleges, spending 2.9 billion, second only coming in at 1.5 billion.

In conclusion, it is not worth it to just aim for Ivy League schools. However, in aiming to get into Ivy League schools, you are also preparing for other top colleges that are on par with the Ivy League.