What's so special about top universities?

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Who cares , it's harder to get in , there's more competition , more pressure , more anxiety.
Marks tell you how good at hardworking you are in things you don't like by following directions as they don't reflect intelligence.
I'm an underachiever who overachieves in math. I don't care about other subjects unless there vigorously math orientated.
It's not about 'oh hey I got my PhD at Princeton' , its not about the university you get into , its about what you do there.

Makes it easier to get a job if your degree is from a well-known uni. They're known for good quality teaching and stuff I guess.

What's good quality teaching supposed to look like? Compare the worst and best for me

Well-known through research , they make the best off a few handful of students..

Well if a teacher barely knows the subject, or has no real-world experience of it, they're probably gonna be s**t, for example. I'm sure there are many other variables but I don't have the relevant experience to go into any more detail.

I doubt they'll hire teachers who don't know anything about thier subject. Most of them are PhDs in thier subject - but teaching is a whole other thing.

And a crap university may very well hire a crap teacher who got their qualification from another crap university.

What if they did really well in thier crap university? Wouldn't they be good students . they would make good teachers?

Depends. If they got all their information from the crap university, possibly not. If they did a lot of independent research, then perhaps. But one must question why they were in a crap university if they were so smart.

If you're one of the freak minority who are keen to learn stuff, at a top university you'll be supported and have likeminded people around you. Most universities care about learning as much as most students do.

Information from a crap university? , I'm sure the literature isn't any different.. You'll still learn the same thing.

School grades do correlate with intelligence some bit .. If your attitude includes persistence , interest in school and a willingness to study you will succeed and your IQ would go up because of this.
If they have a High IQ but don't have this attitude , then they would be at a crap university.

They do independent research , they have PhDs. But that doesn't make them good teachers nor does it make one a top university one either.

Duney, I share your skepticism about the worth of going to the most prestigious schools. My understanding is their curricula are often below that of many of the better state-run institutions.

At one point in time, the Ivy League schools really had the best curricula, and they attracted the most talented teachers and students alike. They stay on top, despite their current academic deficiencies, because, with the exception of affirmative action candidates, they only take the most gifted students--those most likely to excel in life. So, these schools keep their good names regardless of what they actually teach.

Most employers jump at the chance to hire graduates of the finest schools because they have the most gifted students.

Professor Moriarty, if I may ask, what is it you profess?

Last edited by Dunnyveg on 04 Jan 2012, 11:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

It's a Sherlock Holmes reference, I am not any sort of real professor at all. Unless you count years of forum experience, in which case I'm a professor of internet and I've certainly earned by PhD

That's okay. I never was impressed with pedigrees except for dogs. I'm impressed with what somebody knows and can do.

Very wise.

I went to an Ivy League school. My partner went to a state school. I believe we had the same education.
The only thing a top university gives you is $184,000 of debt.

You get to mix with children of rich and influential people, who normally go on to be rich and influential themselves. Knowing them is an advantage in the job market, as they like to have friends around them.