Behind the Ivy Leagues: a Survey

Ivy Leagues are a topic of many conversations, especially among the older grades. There’s a general conception that Ivy leagues are the ‘big schools’ in America that have exceptionally high standards. I went around Havergal to ask the student population what they thought about the Ivies. Many people I interviewed with the question “Would you go to an Ivy League?” talked about the Ivy leagues in a negative manner (“Even if I got in, which won’t happen, I feel like I would be way too stressed out and pressured.”). Equally, there were many students that spoke well of the Ivy leagues (“I think it’ll make me happy in the future”). In a couple instances, students voiced indifference to the schools and would only apply because their mothers want them to. One student expressed their disdain by saying “I couldn't care less about my future, but my mom wants me to apply, so I have no choice in the matter”. Clearly, the words ‘Ivy League’ invokes many different feelings within people.

Listen. I know what you might be thinking. “Yikes. Another pretentious article designed to make me feel motivated or something”. No, not really. There’s a certain sense of abysmal pain associated with Ivy Leagues that causes the general student body to wince. Certainly, with the recent university scandals, it seems more futile than ever to apply to these schools. It isn’t. Most people get into these schools through their skills and experience— something often ignored by widespread media in recent events. But what do we do with all our conceptions of the Ivy Leagues bringing success over all this static surrounding the topic? Let’s try to debunk it. In student’s accounts answering the questions “do you think Ivy Leagues are a measure of success”, many agreed in that there is skill needed to get accepted, but also shared the sentiment that Ivy Leagues only reflect success to a certain extent depending on each person. It seemed from my encounter with some students that there are people who think getting in might be a measure of success, but it doesn’t necessarily mean success— which lead me to my follow-up question: “Do Ivy Leagues mean success?”

In one account, a student said that success is dependent on individual beliefs. For example, one might think that a high income is success. Another might thing being passionate about a topic is success. The student goes on to say “Although one may be deemed as competent if they get into an Ivy League school, it does not mean that those without the degree are incompetent. There are many who live "successful" lives without going to an Ivy School, and various different individuals' strengths and weaknesses in the field of study should also be taken into consideration”. Asking around, I found out that many people thought Ivy leagues could be an ‘indicator of success’ but it won’t ‘guarantee success”. One important thing to note, said one student, is that “Ivy Leagues are good at different things”. As an example, MIT might be incredible at teaching STEM but could be lacking in the humanities.

To be honest, I think most of us grew up around this type of buzz at the mention on an Ivy League. It’s important to remember that our lives are in our control— and Ivy Leagues could just be experiences. Whether you get into an Ivy League school or not, keep in mind that Ivy Leagues aren’t who you are. We are more than students who “didn’t get into an Ivy” or students who “did get into an Ivy”. We are our individual personalities, our individual talents, and there is nothing that can stop us.