Ivy league universities in USA much snobbier then UK rebricks?

[Mommymoments]

In my opinion the USA is much snobbier than the UK & it's Ivy universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Columbia etc are more stuck up?

Also the private education over there is eye-wateringly expensive even compared to the UK..

Ivies are Oxbridge equivalent, not red brick.

But even at that I gather that they are much snobbier & the intake is very wealthy. Even the scholarships to the Ivies have cost parents hundreds of thousands over the years in the kids chosen sport eg rowing, lacrosse etc or in music lessons.

Harvard puffers amazing financial assistance. If you earn under 100k a 0aremt would be expected to pay a penny towards tuition or accommodation/catering. Student would be expected to work on campus and earn 3,500 a year to cover some costs.

I would actually say it's likely the opposite. I grew up and went to uni in the US, but work in the UK university system now. Getting into Harvard, etc. you need to be very clever and to have lots going on for you in terms of being well-rounded, volunteer work, etc. but there is much more social mobility in the US, so people who go to Ivy League schools, yes, need to be able to afford it (very expensive loans that at 18 you don't really appreciate will be incredibly difficult to pay back one day), but there is a lot more diversity in terms of social class.

At Oxbridge, you are as an undergraduate more likely, in my experience, to find other students who all have a very similar class background. Obviously, not exclusively, but there is a certain 'culture' that comes through parents and family and access to private education in the UK that is a bit more difficult to break into. There is less social mobility in the UK and I think you see that at Oxbridge. Less so at other universities (I work for a Russell Group uni that is not Oxbridge). The difference though is that university in general in the UK is more affordable. So if you can get in to Oxbridge and you fit in there and are happy, it will be easier to afford.

@mindutopia but being well rounded costs a hell of a lot of money unfortunately..

Yep, it is a system of privilege either way, in both cases wealthy parents buy their kids a place by providing them with very good private education and lots of opportunities for developing other talents.

Both in the US and the UK it is pretty much about being able to pay the school fees or being able to afford a house in the expensive catchment of an excellent state /grammar school.

And that is where it ends because in Britain everyone pays the same fees regardless of how good or bad the university is, everyone has access to tuition fee loans (not necessarily maintenance loans) and the use of contextual offers is practically standard.

If you live in a society where your intrinsic value is your financial worth, it us no strange for people there to assume that the fact they are paying tens or hundred of thousands a year in education makes it necessarily better even if that is far from being the case.

@mindutopia you are right. I think in America you are judged by your wealth rather than your class. So a poor smart kid that does really well in tech or banking can climb the social ranks easier in the states.. Whereas here a penniless toff with a crumbling pile will be held in higher esteem than the new money tech millionaire or footballer.

@Mommymoments The crumbling pile doesn't help them get into university. Oxford and Cambridge only care about one thing - how likely are you to get a first class degree? There is no need to have a CV as long as your arm recounting all the amazing extracurricular achievements you have under your belt before the age of 17. When I was there I had an extremely diverse group of friends from all over the UK and from a variety of different socioeconomic backgrounds. The vast majority were state-educated. They are old universities with old buildings, but they are first and foremost, academically competitive institutions who want to get the most promising candidates.

Yes but the USA is so different especially the East Coast especially with the Extracurriculars

I think it's also influenced by the sheer size of the USA and it's much more common to go to a uni in your home state unless you're able to get in to one of the top Ivy League schools.

I don't know about the atmosphere on Ivy League campuses but I worked in Kenya for 4 years, supporting high achieving Kenyan students from very challenging backgrounds to apply to US Ivy League universities. Over 40 of our students were given full scholarships at universities from Harvard, Yale to Princeton and MIT. One had lived unsupported on the streets for ten years; several were supporting all their younger siblings through school; over half were the first in their family to finish secondary school. All but three came from schools which didn't have more than 200 books total in the school libraries (generally textbooks) and none of the schools, nor the pupils, had computers or internet access before they were 18. (This was 9 years ago).

My students were very high achieving, incredibly resilient, and did US SATs and applied through normal procedures. But for them to be awarded places at US Ivy Leagues and fully funded - and to integrate happily in such a different context, as the vast majority did - is something I think would be far less likely at UK redbricks (which I know well).

Remember the Ivy League is actually an athletic league which consists of Brown, Cornell , Dartmouth, Harvard ,Penn, Princeton, and Yale.
Schools like MIT and Stanford while great schools are not part of the Ivy League and never will be.

This ^

I agree with @mindutopia 100%. I grew up in the states, went to Columbia and Yale. I also studied for my Master’s degree in the UK.

I do not come from a family that has generational wealth. I come from a two-parent immigrant household that valued education and instilled a strong work ethic. I did not grow up doing loads of extracurriculars, however I played for the school team at a particular sport, which was free.

I find that in the US, social mobility is more possible whereas in the UK, it’s a bit trickier.

I think the use of SATs (aptitude tests) in US admission system allows for some more social mobility than the UK system which bases offers almost solely on grades - achieved or predicted.

I understand that in US system, students that get very high SAT scores can get into ivy league schools without high grades? So this presents some opportunities for intelligent students with a rubbish highschool or a disruptive home life who have grades that do not show their potential.

Old thread but bumping! My niece is thinking of applying to an ivy...