Is going ivy a mistake?

i got into an ivy league school, felt it was the biggest accomplishment of my life, but now i don't know whether or not it was a big mistake. i can't get out of it because it's binding admission and now everywhere i look there are articles saying that ivy league graduates are snobs and losers. is it just a waste of time and money? will it even benefit my future? am i better off there than i would be at a state school near my family? my parents support me but they just like the bragging rights. i want to know whether or not i did the right thing

Is going ivy a mistake?
That decision is different for each person. My experience at Harvard was not one in which I met a bunch of snobs and losers, any more than any place else I have gone (med school, job market). On the contrary, I felt I had opportunities there to meet people that I might not be able to meet anywhere else.





You have probably figured out that a great education is available many places. It also costs less in some places. On the other hand, financial aid was great at Harvard (it cost me less than Ohio State). Benefit your future? It depends. It certainly stands out on a resume. That only matters depending on your field. It probably helped me get in to med school. It has also helped separate my applications at least enough to get them noticed (a difficult task at times).





A waste of time? That's up to you. "Make your lives extraordinary" What you do in college is up to you, within reason. It is one of the last times in your life you have so much freedom with so little responsibility. Suck the marrow out life while you are there. Can you do that at a local community college? Sure. It can be more challenging, though, if the resources and options are not there.





Did you do the right thing? Now there's the question. Are you fulfilled, or at least see a path toward fulfillment? Not are you happy...that is ephemeral at best. But does your school now allow you any avenue to embrace who you are? If not - leave and go elsewhere. If so, it's not bad to have IVY attached to you.
Reply:If you like the sheltered living then go ahead. I much prefer getting out in the real world with the majority of the population I will end up working with anyway. Besides that I don't suffer from an inflated ego, so a CSU and maybe Cal Berkeley as a graduate afterwards is more than fine with me.





If you go to an ivy league enter as a graduate. Less costly is the obvious decision when factoring in colleges.





Also it matters not what school you attend. Even the road scholars that attend ivy league schools know that all that matters is what you spend doing while attending. Those extra trips to the library is what makes you smart, picking up a book, basically going the proverbial 'extra mile'.





$9,000+ on tuition and various other costs associated per semester is a waste if you ask me. You can get the same anywhere else and probably a lot closer to home for less than $3,000 per semester
Reply:If you're relying on articles to give you an impression of the school, I'm guessing you haven't already visited, or didn't get enough exposure to the students while you were there. Either way, go take care of that ASAP once college is back in session. The benefits in terms of general education and prestige are indisputable, but only you can determine whether it's a good fit for you socially and in terms of what you want to study. (Ideally, you would have done that before applying, even if it meant waiting until the regular period, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and keep my fingers crossed for you that these are just jitters.)





Oh, and congratulations! You should be proud. Just remember, you've got a lot of life accomplishments to go - and if you were talented enough to get in, this is only the beginning regardless of what you end up doing in the long run.
Reply:You shouldn't be so concerned about what some article says, obviously there are some graduates who are snobs, but of course not all. Stereotypes and generalizations are simply idiotic.If you take full advantage of it, yes, an Ivy League education will benefit your future, they are all very good schools.





And I don't know where the person above me got the figure $90,000 per semester for tuition. The most expensive schools cost around $25,000 per semester including tuition, board, etc.