The IVY League

[jonriv]

Came across this earlier in the thread, just now have some time to post it:

http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/ivy-academic-index/

The discussion after is probably more interesting than the article.

When DD applied at the earliest possible date and the first round of decisions were made (early October), she got a personal call from the Dean of Admissions congratulating her - followed by a "likely letter". If the recruit doesn't get in, the coach gets to make the call

DDs coach told us she doesn't recruit for the lower end of the AI range any more. She did that when she first started there but had to make too many of the bad news calls.

I am always amazed at how many "smart" people forget(or chose not to remember) that the Ivy League is a sports league. How they also forget that athletics was always considered an important aspect of a well rounded classic liberal arts education. That's why it s required at Prep schools and the Military Academies.

I do like the comment from the former Swarthmore Dean(Swarthmore is a very tough academic DIII school in PA) that a larger percentage of the students at Swarthmore(40%) were Varsity Athletes thn at DI Michigan(I think it was 3%) Also that Harvard offered more Varsity sports than any other school in the country- interesting

[as the world turns]

I know brilliant students that have no desire to go to an Ivy, a personal choice. Students are bombarded by a faculty that votes for and supports 90% progressive liberals. Where is the balance in education? Going to Harvard is more and more becoming an elitist status symbol. I feel sorry those who went for an education instead of status. They get painted with the same brush as the indoctrinated.

Read about Senator Ted Cruz and his experience at Harvard.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/03/we_have_ted_cruzs_list_harvard_law_really_islittered_with_communists.html#ixzz2MhCEMcZF

[90066DAD]

I know brilliant students that have no desire to go to an Ivy, a personal choice. Students are bombarded by a faculty that votes for and supports 90% progressive liberals. Where is the balance in education? Going to Harvard is more and more becoming an elitist status symbol. I feel sorry those who went for an education instead of status. They get painted with the same brush as the indoctrinated.

Read about Senator Ted Cruz and his experience at Harvard.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/03/we_have_ted_cruzs_list_harvard_law_really_islittered_with_communists.html#ixzz2MhCEMcZF

You are absolutely right! In general, the administrators and faculty at the Ivies have been lined with left wing zealots for many years. A notable exception... The Wharton School of Business at the Univ. of Pennsylvania.

[jonriv]

I know brilliant students that have no desire to go to an Ivy, a personal choice. Students are bombarded by a faculty that votes for and supports 90% progressive liberals. Where is the balance in education? Going to Harvard is more and more becoming an elitist status symbol. I feel sorry those who went for an education instead of status. They get painted with the same brush as the indoctrinated.

Read about Senator Ted Cruz and his experience at Harvard.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/03/we_have_ted_cruzs_list_harvard_law_really_islittered_with_communists.html#ixzz2MhCEMcZF

Be careful with broad generalizations. Harvard Law is very Liberal-The Harvard Buisness School is not. Where Columbia isusually viewed as a left leaning place-Princeton is a vastion of conservatism. As with any school-your major will dictate the political leaning of your profs. I am sure the Sociology department even at the University of Texas id pretty liberal. My own experience are like this:

Sociology, Music, Phiosophy, fine Arts- Liberal
Literature, English- Liberal(some smattering of conservatives)

History- Mixed

Political Science(split down the middle)- must have some fiery dept meetings

Business- Very conservative

Science-depends who is funding or cutting off the funding of their grants

As far as a "status symbol" perhaps..., but one that can carry a lot of value. I for one enjoyed the diverging views of my proffessors and loved the face of my Sociology Professeor when I came to class in my BDU's on my ROTC day(wed.) I also learned to frame my papers based on the audience, something that was very usefullater on in business



Poilitical Sciece

[93players]

The discussion about whether the Ivy League colleges are full of communists is misplaced. Most schools, yes even state schools, have a number of liberal academics. But they also have conservative academics. It is a good thing for students to take a class taught from an extreme point of view -- of course, not an entire education.

Ted Cruz talks about Harvard Law being full of Critical Legal Studies professors. Yes, Harvard in the 1980s hired those CLS left leaning profs. None of those profs are communists. They would not embrace the policies of the USSR or China, they simply believe that law has no meaning beyond politics. Judges don't have legal principles to decide cases, they simply vote consistently with their political views. CLS is so passé -- those male and female profs are about as hip as a furbee or Barney. They are old hippies.

Ivy League colleges do not have CLS scholars. It is a law thing. They are not full of communists. Ask the executives who run corporations or hedge funds. You can get a great education there or as anywhere you can get a lousy one if you take the wrong classes or don't attend.

Cruz is also a huge grandstanding politician whose rhetoric is so extreme. He was elected to push less government and from what I see he wants more of TED in everything. As usual, he is coopted by power.