Ivy League College: A Part Of The American Dream

Attending an Ivy League college is undoubtedly seen as a part of the American Dream by many who believe that those who attend these schools end up with more success and opportunities after they graduate college. Ivy League colleges are characterized by their social elitism, selectivity in admissions, and academic excellence. In theory, the conclusion makes sense, but it also begs the question of whether or not those who attend these colleges are indeed given an advantage when it comes to becoming successful and attaining a fuller life. Out of the 81.4% of students that graduated from high school and went on to college in the United States during 2014, only 22,720 in total were accepted into an Ivy League school (Harvard, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton, or UPenn) (America’s Health Ranking).
One of the most essential points of the American Dream is that those who wish to live it must reach their highest potential, which does not realistically happen just by being accepted into a certain type of school.
Those that believe Ivy Leagues are the ticket to the American Dream often believe this because, just like Walter Youngster, they perceive success as a measure of how much money you make per year. Even if the American Dream were based on money, these people would still be incorrect in thinking that Ivy League graduates always make more than those from other
universities. It is commonly thought that Ivy League graduates make as much as $50,000 and upwards more than those who graduate from state schools and those with higher acceptance rates as suggested by websites like the Washington Post. In their article, it was stated that ‘Ivy League education pays off’ and 10 years after starting college, those who studied at Ivy Leagues make about $125,000 annually, compared to the lower ranked schools that make only a little over $50,000 (Washington Post). Through data from PayScale, it was determined that the most successful Yale alumni made about $59,100 at their starting jobs after graduation. Funny enough, it was also shown that the most successful alumni of Virginia Tech (a university with a 70% acceptance rate) made about $53,500 at their starting jobs after graduation, only $5,600 less than the amount earned by the Yale alumni. Furthermore, the 90th percentile alumni of Yale made about $126,000 10 years after starting college, whereas, after the same amount of time, the 90th percentile alumni of Virginia Tech were making $163,000, which is $43,000 more than those from Yale (Bloomberg Business). Many successful people who reached their highest potential didn’t go to Ivy Leagues and in some cases didn’t enroll in college at all. There are many examples of famous people who fit under this category but sited could be Leonardo Da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Isaac Newton, and Oprah. ‘Genius’ is a word that is thrown around much too often in this day and age, but Leonardo Da Vinci is truly deserving of this title. He never attended a college yet he was an expert in all subjects including science, mathematics, art, architecture, anatomy, botany, and many other subjects. One could be incredibly confident in saying that with only the education he was given by his father and the knowledge he gained by constantly asking questions, he reached his fullest stature. Though not everyone is a ‘Leonardo Da Vinci’, he certainly is proof that a certain type of education is not the deciding factor in whether or not you will be deemed successful and reach your highest stature. With the aforementioned evidence, it can be understood that a college diploma is not a ‘make or break’ factor in living the American Dream, and if a diploma is used as a boost for someone to reach their highest stature, the school it is from makes no difference.