A Different View on College: The backward truth about holding “prestigious colleges” in a high esteem

“Have you started thinking about where you want to go to college?”

My middle school self would’ve answered this question without a second thought: “Yale, Harvard… maybe Princeton.”

Even at this age I knew these were probably only a dream due to their single-digit acceptance rates and notoriety as academically rigorous schools whose graduates all went on to become presidents or Nobel prizewinners — don’t blame me for my unrealistic expectations, I was 13. What self-respecting, over-eager academic like me enrolled in a whopping four “advanced” classes at Indian Hills Middle School wouldn’t want to attend the best and most exclusive universities?

When going through the college decision-making process, it’s easy to fall into the mindset of idolizing Ivy League universities and viewing highly selective colleges as the peak of academia and equating low-acceptance rates to status and success.

This is a backwards, untrue way of thinking about post-secondary education and is entirely unfair to high school students navigating their future. Forcing high school students into this way of thinking that only “famous” colleges are acceptable isn’t only limiting to their scope of their post-graduation worlds, but detrimental to the self-esteem and mental health of those who don’t aspire or have the opportunity to go to top universities.

In my experience, students may be influenced to aim for the Ivies because they’re put on a pedestal by their teachers and parents alike — especially high school students enrolled in higher-level programs such as AP and IB.

From a young age, students are told to strive for academic success by emphasizing the importance of grades and test scores as far back as middle school, especially at East. But success doesn’t look the same for everyone. For most this idea of academic success conjures up images of grand lecture halls, studying at marble-topped library tables and taking walks through the quad during a New England autumn. However, many neglect the fact that academic success could also look like studying at larger, public colleges with higher acceptance rates, and such schools should be viewed as legitimate and respected options for high schoolers.

And this doesn’t even begin to account for the admission inequities that occur in Ivy League universities. A vast majority of Ivy League students are high-income, generational white students with the privilege and access to resources allowing them to get into these colleges easier than their minority counterparts, according to The Washington Post. This limited worldview is far less prevalent in schools with high acceptance rates and gives the student body the diversity it lacks in the Ivies.

Smaller schools with larger acceptance rates tend to have lower professor-to-student ratios and professors are more willing to help students learn the material instead of only focusing on their research, according to retired New York Times education editor and longtime independent college counselor Loren Pope. Swapping out massive lecture halls holding thousands of students for small classrooms is a valid and understandable choice.

This rejection of such a deep-rooted belief system was a foreign concept to my 13-year-old self, but one I understand more now as I evaluate what I value in my college education these next two years. College should be for the individual student’s educational wants and needs, not just a prestigious emblem to show off in an Instagram bio or brag about in a conversation. I shouldn’t put Yale on my college list just to impress my parents or teachers.

So the next time you’re asked what colleges you’re considering, don’t automatically go with the lowest acceptance rates. Think about what you want to get out of your college, and don’t reject lesser-known schools based on their low U.S. News rating or high acceptance rates. 

You could possibly be overlooking your actual dream college.