Why You SHOULDN'T Apply to an Ivy League School | What Nobody Will Tell You (2019)

[@connor.patrick]

Alright, fine. Me and my 0.1 gpa will take your word for it.

[@naoki.713]

same lol

[@orgen666]

How bout... work harder??

[@youdontgettoknowmyname802]

justdarylyeung take a joke

[@connor.patrick]

justdarylyeung I was joking but thanks for the tip.

[@red2802]

justdarylyeung Yo chill he was joking lol

[@_ssmna]

The Asian parents are not having it.

[@Traumatised311]

Dead

[@tahiyatchy]

First thought 😔

[@_ssmna]

Andres Porras Asians are prideful. You wouldn’t know. My comment was just a joke 😂

[@_ssmna]

Andres Porras dude wtf

[@_ssmna]

Shlaghya Chaturvedi I’m 12 years old too 😂 happy to know that a disgusting older man could say that to us 🙊 us twelve year olds are even more educated than that bitch

[@joegill9309]

I’m a second-year at UChicago and this video is really really really really on point. The toxic competitive culture and investment bank funnel are also in my eyes the dark side of these kinds of schools. I do love UChicago, but ivies and other elite schools aren’t all sunshine and rainbows. This is a video that needed to be made.

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, Joe!

[@maxinecyria.3979]

Would you be open to sharing the stats that got you into UChi?

[@RFJersey]

Joe Gill They are not meant to be sunshine and rainbows, they are meant to be rigorous.

[@kylegardner9950]

Damn, this gets me down about UChicago and dampers my hopes for good college vibes

[@calpoly123456]

Wait until post-graduation. This prepare students for the competitive and cut-throat environment in corporate America esp if you climb that ladder to the more leadership roles .

[@20thcenturytunes]

I applied to Harvard on a lark, just to see if I could get accepted - denied.

[@abhinavdevulapalli1648]

Eric Erickson how’d it go

[@dynasty33677]

abhitastic7 read the last word of his sentence.

[@abhinavdevulapalli1648]

@@dynasty33677 oh I thought he was saying he saw if he could get accepted or denied.

[@marcmcreynolds2827]

From an interviewer's perspective, I've found "on a lark" applicants sometimes make themselves easy to spot. The first words out of their mouth will something like "What city is it in?" or even "What state is it in?"... which would be especially funny if I interviewed for Penn ; )

[@17yogabbagabba]

🤣🤣

[@sethmachakos9926]

I think something people forget is that non-ivy league schools also can have very difficult workloads. For example, I attend a pretty low ranked liberal arts college which is made up mostly of local students. And yeah, our workload is seriously tough. Just be aware that college can be difficult wherever you go.

[@tdanielle23]

Seth Machakos exactly what I was thinking. I’m a Junior @ my local University and I’m in an accelerated degree program and the homework is insane. I do homework everyday and I also work full time. Very glad my school is 4 hours once a week but the homework makes up for the time we don’t spend in class everyday. I live on my own & make it work. My internship starts mid 2020 and I’ll be working/interning 7days a week for 6 months straight. It’s doable... you just have to sacrifice, which many people aren’t willing to do. But with my $50K student loan debt, I’m very much willing to sacrifice a social life for working my ass off in school. Lol

[@sphporsche355]

At y tf did u major in libral arts???

[@choerrim7745]

@@sphporsche355 Do you know what liberal arts is???

[@sphporsche355]

@@choerrim7745 yea

[@sethmachakos9926]

@@sphporsche355 for law school

[@Astra81]

Is this to reduce the competition at Princeton? Joking lol, nice videos.

[@torosk283]

Astra hahaha😂

[@RFJersey]

Astra You are joking but it’s true.

[@viviansa2222]

😂

[@RFJersey]

Philoctetes 82 No it is not

[@RFJersey]

Philoctetes 82 Naw

[@mashingwachine1342]

I'm still in high school and I'm crying already.

[@charumohonbagchi1146]

Workload I guess?😢

[@MustacheDLuffy]

Workload starts beung painful in high school and college it honestly depends on how you approach things

[@mashingwachine1342]

@@MustacheDLuffy what how om college?

[@awkward_chaos8322]

Mood

[@samanthapelayo9484]

Same :(

[@siwueofk]

Every college is craptons of work. Math is still math at a state school and at Princeton.

[@urbanpineapple6427]

siwueofk exactly.

[@marcmcreynolds2827]

As I like to put it, "There are no Secret Ivy League Textbooks." You either do craptons of work (wherever) and master the material however well you can, or you don't. The two years of community college Calculus I took while in high school substituted just fine for what I would have otherwise taken in my Ivy's engineering program, so I was able to skip their frosh/soph math sequence and load up on additional geek electives as a freshman. Where you will definitely see some differences is in upper-level coursework, especially for a technical major. An Ivy or similar will often include material along the lines of what might be seen in a first-year graduate program elsewhere, along with the corresponding rigor. Good if you are planning on a career in academia or research, but a lot of pointless effort for many others. Another example of why there's no such thing as the "best" undergraduate college -- just the one(s) which would be best for you. For most people, that's not an Ivy. You are always better off at a school where you can thrive instead of just survive.

[@mimijeet9921]

Sorry but it's not true , the quality teachers that you get at an ivy league school (like Princeton) will probably be better than the teachers you'll get in a state school. People who have discovered and created stuff teach there . Not that state schools don't have them , it's just that they're less in no. Well that's my opinion

[@marcmcreynolds2827]

> the quality teachers that you get at an ivy league school (like Princeton) will probably be better than the teachers you'll get in a state school < That was usually the case in my experience, which included several public college courses while in high school followed by Ivy undergrad. But for the sort of basic material taught during the first two years, it tends not to matter. An extreme example: My Ivy prof in an introductory lunar geology course had helped NASA pick landing sites for the Apollo missions. Then he taught geology to the Apollo astronauts before they explored the Moon. Then he was in Mission Control during the Moonwalks to help direct their activities in real time. Then later on he taught lunar geology to me... which was really cool, but I have nothing more to show for it than if it had been a community college teacher covering the same material. Whatever brilliant insights Mr Apollo might have to impart weren't anything relevant to our basic course, though presumably his grad students counted themselves as very lucky. At least as important as teacher "quality" are the huge differences between institutions in terms of willingness of the faculty to instruct undergrads. Brown is well-known as undergrad-friendly, with senior faculty teaching and engaging with even first-semester students. At another Ivy, the president was forced out after losing a fight with powerful department heads who didn't want their profs having to bother with teaching undergrads (no, you won't find that tidbit in their glossy tri-fold brochure at your local college fair ; ). Then there's the engineering prof at a well-regarded UC who never shows up for class, instead having a grad student play recordings of his lectures ("My job is to grade papers -- not to teach!"). So do yourselves a favor and heavily research any schools you are admitted to, because the Ivys aren't some monolithic commodity, and being admitted to one isn't some sort of prize -- maybe more like a marriage proposal. In either case, choose based on substance and a good personal fit, rather than perceived reputation and the notion that there can be a singular "best" for something so personal.

[@ayoubaswaray1856]

@@marcmcreynolds2827 thank you for this. You have no idea how much it helped me

[@sza6152]

One way to get noticed by ivy league. Be honest in your essay, be yourself, don't try to impress them, choose activities you are genuinely interested in, not a lots of useless stuff, if you have a real desire to succeed, it shows and that's attracts the selection panel

[@theowild2524]

what if what you're interested in is a bunch of useless stuff?

[@sjuvanet]

Theo Wild it's not about what you're into, but how you demonstrate your passion for it

[@marianacardenas3096]

Also make enormous donations

[@quasi-intellecual3790]

Firstly, have excellent grades, and have a trillion hobbies, then donate 1 million dollars to charity, and go on daily adventures. And last but not least, be rich. Then you can maybe think about your passions.

[@racer2312]

@@theowild2524spikes actually help……. A language which you’re an expert in, and if you have a translator’s internship it’s going to increase your chance.

[@xZaapKaT]

if u go into stem where ever, prepare to do a lot of work.

[@rudytreichel4266]

STEM

[@bikeshike]

Economics, management,medical, finance, law, linguistics - am i a joke to you

[@Avaricumstudios]

Arts have way more workload....and I study Engineering

[@abishansutharshan7089]

Brian Mwaura what college

[@dhruvmk3055]

@@bikeshike medicine is stem

[@justabbie3419]

I didn’t apply to any Ivys...why am I watching this? Oh yeah because i’m in quarantine and I’m bored

[@kims.adventures]

Same 🤣

[@AikiraBeats]

Same

[@davidbernalpianista]

Same

[@jasnanajeem5015]

You watch this when you are bored. !! ?? Classy even when bored !!

[@OrdenJust]

If you want to be the best, you will be putting an insane amount of hours studying no matter what school you go to. Perhaps the professors at Large State University won't be assigning as much, but you will be doing additional work on your own initiative anyway. So counting the hours of homework at Princeton is not relevant for one's choice of school.

[@CollegeAdvisor]

That's fair. I guess the difference is, at the state school, you are CHOOSING to put those extra hours in and you are studying things you are interested in and delving deep into specific topics, whereas at Princeton that kind of individual exploration and self-studying is near impossible due to the full workload you're already given. Hope this makes sense!

[@AmbitiousNoodle]

I would kindly disagree, any worthwhile college education is hard. The workload you described is pretty typical

[@elenacathalina3937]

Greg Smith I would fully disagree. I am in no way choosing to put in tons of work, I love my degree so in a way I do choose to but I am still tired a lot of the time, I am often very overworked. I go to a Dutch uni, so I don’t know what the us college system is like, but I would still contest that on a large scale! My uni for example is place 67 worldwide on the times higher education ranking and Dartmouth is 94. Just because a school is harder to get into doesn’t necessarily mean the academics are worse or easier! Which I think your video is kind of saying.

[@kayleg1861]

Keifer Weiland fr. I would rather have 1 assignment every week and a half that takes 12 hours to complete than have 5 assignments in a week that each take 2+ hours to do (which is what I have at a state school)

[@mattbutters6735]

@@AmbitiousNoodle Your so dam right. Any elite College you will have to work hard. I'm in high school and have a 90 hour work week combining everything like you did. School is for work, to get a degree so you gotta work.

[@marielar.7762]

I’m not at an Ivy League and I have 20 hours a week that I spend in class, and approximately 6 hours a week as a research assistant. Plus extracurricular activities, workshops and homework. College is hard, not just at an Ivy League.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

I completed my course while working full time, and I can concur. Even those that had far more free time than I did still struggled.

[@millioncola7367]

I mean... u got into Princeton and now u r trying to tell the students who hope to get into an Ivy League not to do so. I know the work load is heavy but that shouldn't be the reason to stop letting people applying to an Ivy League

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Thanks for the comment Suqin! If you watch until the end, I say that you should still apply to an Ivy League school but just to be aware of the downsides :)

[@MatthewPolitics]

Greg Smith OOF

[@guilleacq]

@@CollegeAdvisor But the title says Why you SHOULDN'T

[@xdrone8669]

@@guilleacq He also said WATCH TO THE END

[@guilleacq]

@@xdrone8669 I'm just stating the clickbait

[@qvackercity816]

“Don’t go to an Ivy League school for any reason! But also they’re great! But they also suck”

[@infamouscrusader3363]

They all suck.

[@clauce7953]

I studied at a public state university and we still had that amount of homework. Plus, taking bus rides to get back home, so it really is time consuming, but I loved most of my university years anyway.

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Glad you enjoyed, Clau!

[@nikinovelle4278]

Negatives of Ivy: Google will try to give you a six figure income Me: Confused

[@JC-zx6yf]

I'm a CS major at a public University and the workload for your systems class seems to be on par or even slightly less than my classes. It's not just the Ivy league

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Good to know!

[@lolunderstated533]

Computer science everywhere is about the same id say. Im not saying the quality of education is the same but CS major at the U of A or ASU is about the same amount of work. CS is a time consuming major.

[@FernandoR220]

@@lolunderstated533 lol I go to ASU not sure why people think it's an easy school

[@animalcrackers8880]

Mhm. I’m looking at Princeton and Cornell and their workload looks a lot like mine at CC and workloads from those I know that went to public uni👀

[@ipodtouch470]

@@FernandoR220 everyone that knows asu knows their engineering school is no joke and we’ll respected.

[@trumpetperson11]

I think people forget how hard a workload can be at any university if you are aiming for all A's. While the workload at a school like Harvard would obviously be a little more difficult, I do think that much of the perceived increase in difficulty is from the raised average student level. For example, at least 90% of the people that get into an ivy (other than the rich legacies) are students that are aiming to get all A's so of course the outward perception is that the work is rough. At my school for example, I am getting mostly A's as well and so my experience is very similar to your even though I am going to a "lesser" university. However the average student at my university is not trying to get all A's and such their workload will seem much less. The main difference is this community; at a "normal" university you would have to go out of your way to surround yourself with other students that are working as hard as you if you are this A student. While at an ivy, they are everywhere you look. This gives off the confirmation bias. When you think 'my work is really hard' and all of your classmates agree with you and have a similar work load, you may start to think that it is 100% the nature of your college rather than the nature of the students you are talking too.

[@TrulyHaja]

Hm

[@trumpetperson11]

@@Mohammed-cv6rr Somewhat ironicly, I actually did end up going to an ivy for my MS. My undergrad was at Buffalo, and my master's is at Columbia. And I can tell you that my original message is quite accurate. At least in my experience.

[@autumn99312]

But isn't the overworking environment a college construct at these elite colleges? Like I don't go to an Ivy League but I am studying in one of the top colleges of my country and in my experience ,it's the college that has incurred competition in majority of the students. Sure some are inherently workaholic but for most of them and me,it's the environment that sucked us all in cause we think 'we are not making enough out of the opportunities and resources available to us' and oh 'we are also falling behind others.' And also don't colleges and corporates feed on this insecurity of young confused minds?

[@trumpetperson11]

@@autumn99312 I guess, but I don't think that is unique to elite schools. People have to do a lot of work and get overworked at every school. The difference at elite schools is that a larger portion of the students is going to commit to this heavy workload lifestyle, so when you look around you will see more people doing it. At an average school, there will be many students who are content not working as hard to get worse grades, but at elite schools the students are more competitive. The work itself isn't more competitive, its the people that are. If anything, I worked harder and did much more work in my 'average' undergrad university than I did in my 'elite' grad school program.

[@autumn99312]

@@trumpetperson11 the students are more competitive because it's an elite school. Like,I have this friend from an average college and when I talk to her about college stress,angst and competition,she tells me that 'hey,maybe it's your college cause here in mine,we are pretty clueless about stuff and all". I get your point about students in an elite school taking on that workload,but this environment of workaholic students in elite school has been very organically created. Take for eg their hectic admission processes and low acceptance rates. Then inside there you are made to work your arse off academically and in co curricular activities. The confused mind of a student is taken advantage of by college authorities to fuel and boost their co curriculars and hence their reputation,sure they are a great space to learn but in my experience,I have seen ppl joining them mainly for things like CVs and just insecurity of not being or learning enough.Also,this is what I feel,I by no means want to impose my opinion on you,lol,I m happy we are having a discussion on this :)

[@SriReddy]

Thanks for being so authentic and genuine.

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Thanks for the lovely comment!

[@oliviacloud4815]

I dual enroll at a community college and my schedule is exactly the same lol, 3 -4 classes each day no school on fridays. That’s just college in general

[@oliviacloud4815]

GlamBarbie I agree but at first it seemed like he was just complaining about when he had classes

[@oliviacloud4815]

Lawrence L. I’m a dual enrolled student. I’m a high school student dual enrolled at a community college through a collegiate high school, so I will graduate from high school with an associates degree. I have a 4.0 gpa, and I’m about 125 pounds, so I really don’t know where your getting “chubby” from. Also, I’m so sorry you have such a poor image of yourself. Maybe if you stopped watching videos that are meant for high schoolers, you would feel a little bit better. Just a suggestion :)

[@trevorvance3056]

@@oliviacloud4815 Weird flex but ok chubby

[@oliviacloud4815]

Lawrence L. I hope it takes off, oh wait, it didn’t

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Olivia, you may be missing the point of the video, I talk about many things other than class schedule (in fact, I point out that my class schedule itself is less than that of a high school student) -- make sure you watch the whole thing!

[@celeste1291]

I was honestly expecting a lot worse, but good to know so I prepare myself better for college.

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Great!

[@elyserho3287]

Thank you for making this video. I go to a very competitive high school, and it’s really turned me off to schools with ultra competitive, toxic environments. I think that competition is important, as well as hard work, but not to the point where you’re just suffering and hating yourself.

[@gabi3742]

i feel you there. all my friends at my old, highly-ranked highschool are obsessed with getting into ivy league, but people in my new public school are different. they're healthy and happy, which is all i can ask for in life. my last school almost killed me and my friends from overkworking us and im not willing to suffer like that again.

[@erikaweber_]

Collaboration is more important than competition

[@johnobo4381]

For your Q and A: 1) How do you study? 2) How do you manage your time? 3) How do you heal yourself after stressful times in college? 4) How do you pay for college? 5) Where do you go to get help on work and keeping up grades? Don't worry, this is the last one.... 6) How do you make friends???? (this is extremely hard for me rn)

[@davidsngr5363]

Crazy how the University of Illinois - Urbana- Champaign has a better CS program than Princeton yet they are public

[@davidsngr5363]

tough girl, No really search it up on US News Ranks you’ll see UIUC (University of Illinois Urbana Champaign) it’s ranked at #5 while Princeton is at #8. www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings

[@jy7213]

@@davidsngr5363 It's because schools like Carnegie Mellon and UIUC have many more CS subfields, who do research in all the different subfields of CS. Ivies like Princeton, Columbia, or Harvard have good programs but do not cover all the subfields. UIUC and Carnegie Mellon also have more graduates and so are better known in the field while the Ivies don't produce as many CS graduates. But it's harder to get a job as a CS professor at Princeton or Harvard and the average CS student at Princeton or Harvard is better than a student at UIUC or Carnegie Mellon. They looked at where the computer science professors at top 50 programs went to college, and UIUC had 18 graduates, while Princeton had 32 graduates. Harvard had 66 bachelors degree graduates who became computer science professors, and they are second only to MIT.

[@MrUnknownuser164]

I went to community college straight out of high school. Best decision that I ever made.

[@juhi_ghosh]

@Rohan Rajan Google says, the main difference between a community college and a university is that most degrees at a community college only take two years to complete, while degrees at a four year university take four years to complete.

[@greenlemonboy9762]

What did you end up making?

[@emjay2045]

@@greenlemonboy9762 he made two babies and $20k in debt

[@BiG-JuPO1O1]

@@juhi_ghosh Yeah but bigger and well-known universities will give you more opportunities. Penn State has the largest alumni network and job fairs there are amazing.

[@elodie6695]

@@emjay2045 community is free smart one

[@nickahn7054]

Surgery resident passing by here. Our "restricted" work hours are 80 hours a week. That's 80 hours physically inside the hospital on clinical duty.

[@nickvarra740]

Thanks for all your hard work, Dr. Ahn!

[@cornelxbox25]

You look sorta like a young Conan O'Brien. Must be the eyes.

[@Pcarnevaaa]

the lizard eyes ya mean.

[@chimichangazzz4966]

Hair, eyes, and facial structure

[@zachmeyer2718]

Conan did go to harvard

[@amylee9]

my son goes to an elite high school and his workload and competition sound a lot worse than what you mention here at Princeton. He's basically working from the time he gets up until midnight. Everyday. For 3 years now, including summer and breaks. I think it's insane, not healthy, not needed, toxic, sad and unnecessary.

[@dawsonwagner112]

Do you wish you would’ve gone to a different school? Regret the decision?

[@CollegeAdvisor]

That's a tough one... I'm not really sure. To be honest, I wouldn't have started this channel if it weren't for Princeton, and this is something I love to do. Also, I met my girlfriend of over a year here, and I love her dearly. But, the pressure to go into a high-paying field like investment banking is super high, especially because of the difficulty my parents are going through in paying for my education. So, it's really difficult to say.

[@AfxtionateMuse]

I'm a college student, and honestly, this went right along with the assumption I had about Ivy leagues...tbh, my high school was one of the best in the entire country, and the workload pretty much mimicked that of a top college. I already felt imposter syndrome, exhausted, clueless about who I truly was, and had my esteem shattered in that kind of environment in HIGH SCHOOL. I couldn't imagine going another 4 years doing that...so I'm quite happy with my tiny liberal arts school, even if I was certain I would've been accepted into an Ivy, but no debt and I'm a big fish in a small pond, so woo hoo!! :) This is a wonderful video and I'm glad you gave your candid opinion, I can't imagine how helpful this will be for students who are applying.

[@paramedic79ca]

Went to a really great state school... majored in biology.. graduated with honors... graduated with absolutely zero debt... No regrets!

[@DinnerForkTongue]

HELL TO THE YES! You go, my dude! 🤟🥳

[@lauren7006]

Hi 👋 sorry if this is late but I was wondering how you managed to graduate with zero debt? I’m curious because I am also trying minimize the amount of student loans and debt. Any advice would be helpful😄

[@jkdee647]

​@lauren7006 go to community college and then to a state school. Big one is rent and food. If you can live at home or relative for free...there ya go. You now have reduced your costs. Also, eat cheaply. I ate a lot of spaghetti in college. Also worked as a server, and would get meals for 1/2 costs. And that would take me 2 days to finish. Food costs, fuel, rent can eat away at your budget. It can be done. must be mindful, and very proactive with how you are spending.

[@roccopolimeni811]

I know for me personally, the amazing financial aid is also a great reason to apply to an ivy. Students who can't afford many top private institutions will probably get quite a decent financial package if lucky enough to be admitted into one of these amazing institutions. Also aspiring computer science major at Princeton here! We'll see on Thursday if that hope comes to fruition!

[@termite_qween8222]

So how did that go🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

[@ignacio2763]

Thats just college man, especially CS

[@alibaba888]

Ignacio del Peso Sanchez +

[@justjoanluthuli8164]

Honestly my parents wanted me to go to Harvard but I wanted to go to Howard University and I'm in Howard now and I'm as happy as I could be there

[@emilyblevins3584]

So... If I generally have 7 hours of homework a night, I should be fine? 🤷

[@MustacheDLuffy]

I think you should get far less than that, 7 hours is way too much still

[@juliettel7227]

Sameeeee

[@zeydalynn8634]

Is it the actual workload or just how long it takes YOU? If you take a long time on homework then that 5 hours is going to be a lot more...

[@splzxh4361]

Mustache D. Luffy the pirate king of mustaches

[@kayleg1861]

Yeah when he said 5 hours of homework a night I was like “dang that sounds nice”

[@PeterPuczko]

Couldn't agree with you more. The amount of work my son has to do at another Ivy is just insane. And on top of that he is an athlete, which adds another 20+ hours per week (during season). First semester was brutal, second is a lot better. We will see what next year brings. Classes are not getting any easier, so ...

[@arianagrymski2692]

I am an athlete and went part time to college. Sometimes school has to give. IMO, an Ivy League wants you to be all about academics, not have other interests. For some people this may be what’s best if school is their only “thing”.

[@leahvandyke]

hey, just watched the video and it's just too true. I go to UPenn, have a lab job, am librarian for the radio station, and am in Girl Scouts. It may not sound like a lot, but just work and activities leave me with only a couple hours on the weekends for free time. My friends and I LIVE in a study room, and spend at least 5 hours a night (not including daytime work/ homework in your own rooms or libraries and class time) sitting in the same room, just doing homework. I am not complaining, this is exactly what I signed. up for, and I found a family and home away from home. However, if this isn't the "college experience" students want, then don't sign up.

[@alexciss]

I’m hoping to get into UPenn

[@avastars3393]

Ikr. Like I love to go to a private college cause I love studies and homework

[@jp_2448]

Thank you for your video. There's one thing I think is worth mentioning. I currently attend community college part time and spend more hours doing homework than I do in the classroom. That's normal in college. I found your video informative towards the end of it when you mentioned that these large companies will use your brain and work you to your limit. Great video! Good luck to you!

[@starkille10r72]

Not sure if they do it in other states, but in VA if you go to community college for your freshman and sophomore years basically, and carry a GPA of 2.5 (3.0 for UVA and maybe a few others, not sure off the top of my head), you are guaranteed acceptance into any state owned university. So JMU, CNU, VT, VCU, ODU, UVA, William & Mary, and any of the other 32 public universities. Also, you pay by the class, and they usually have options for no material classes (don't have to buy textbooks). So if your looking to save a few grand, it's not a bad option. Plus, if you decide college isn't for you, you've only lost a few hundred to a thousand rather than tens of thousands. Also, community colleges often offer trade training, so if you decide to learn a trade instead that is an option as well.

[@sergigilamowsky2400]

The last point is a really important discussion we need to be having. This video needs to go viral.

[@havenbastion]

"Learning" at that pace basically ensures you won't remember most of it, but academic credentials prove compliance, indicate knowledge, and say nothing of understanding.

[@WomenLovePower]

Yalie here, and I absolutely agree with everything you said. First of all, my mental health was at its WORST in undergrad. Secondly, while I am grateful for my undergrad education, and I didn’t go into the most demoralizing job after college (I became a TV reporter) I watched a lot of my friends go into the high paying, yet draining, jobs and then kind of have to figure out what they really were passionate about later on in their careers. Many had to pivot. Also if you’re not careful the Ivy league can separate you from your authentic self, and check your confidence. I became a full-time entrepreneur about three years ago, but It took a while to give myself permission to pursue my calling because it wasn’t the traditional post ivy pursuit. Nonetheless, if you can make the most of the education and friendships while you are there while staying true to your self it’s definitely worth it.

[@thomasmorrison3279]

I studied Mechanical Engineering at a state school and it was the hardest time period of my life to date. I went to a private law school after Engineering school and it was easier.

[@charlesmann4553]

I’m in high school and I have an 8-5:30 school day with 11 midterms and finals and I also live in New York which means I have regents.

[@swow5210]

Mechanical engineering major at a state school and.... I’m in the same boat, but I enjoy my field so it’s no big deal.

[@tokyoboy4515]

I'm a Japanese and I'm going to apply Japanese university and never been planning to go to US or Ivy League school or whatever. why am I watching this

[@posysdogovych2065]

Grade inflation is a problem at a lot of top schools. I got into grad school at Michigan, and their attitude is that if you were worthy of getting accepted, everything else is a mere formality. I can't speak for all academic programs at Michigan, but for the one I entered, getting above a 30% was all you needed to pass each course. This only applies to grad school though, not undergraduate.

[@MSN539]

What grad school and undergraduate?

[@cloroxbleach5687]

Bro did nothing but explain college to us lmfao while patting himself on the back

[@sapnagaikwad950]

LMAO

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Get Very Affordable Advice From TOP Harvard, Yale, Stanford, And Other Top School Advisors On Your Application ➤ collegeadvisor.com/gregsmith

[@adinamujica7090]

With academics and activities taking up the majority of your time, how do keep in contact with your loved ones, if at all? How has this taken a toll on your mental health personally?

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Hi Bridgit! I actually stopped using Patreon after about a month or so, I should probably go fix wherever I said that I use Patreon-- where did you find this? That said, thank you so much for expressing interest in contributing to my channel. If you still want to, shoot me an email at [e-mail] and we can figure something out.

[@CollegeAdvisor]

@Angelina Chen I don't know Angelo, sorry.

[@winteriscool597]

Greg Smith How many years of language did you take in High School? Does choosing two languages in High School come off as a benefit or just a mere waste of time?

[@nameisamine]

You Americans need to come to uni in EUROPE!!!! Forget IVY LEAGUE, European universities are so much cheaper and rank higher than a lot of Ivy’s! Even if you get into Oxford or Cambridge It’s about 15000-20000 per year, half the price of US unis. Better education at a cheaper price - and a lot of U.K. unis are actually above IVYs in world rankings!!! I don’t see why there isn’t a mass exodus of American students applying to European universities...!

[@devonshrestha3279]

Dude, you just described college life in general. Any “good” school requires that amount of school and schoolwork. Everyone I know in college, including myself, would say the exact same about their own schools. The only difference is that you suffer through that same amount of work as anyone else but graduate with an Ivy League label on your degree, which objectively lends itself to giving you the upperhand in the job market (as you described) and overall distinguishes you from us non-ivy grads. Now, I understand the point of your video. Your argument is not just limited to what I’ve pointed out. But telling people not to apply to Ivy’s just because it won’t inherently make them “happy” is kinda bs, because wherever they end up going to school they’ll face all the same challenges but without the golden prize at the end of an Ivy League degree. College is difficult, no matter what school you go to, and no college in itself will make anyone happy. So why not be challenged at an Ivy League?

[@jonufrak1]

Greg, Really good analysis of how this system works. You have tremendous insight.

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Thank you!

[@ankitparmar2003]

Are international students at a disadvantage when applying to highly selective schools or is everyone considered in the same applicant pool? Also, if my school does not have an AP program, will this affect my application?

[@sisirinagandla9914]

it only affects your chances if the schools is need aware for international students. Princeton is one of the exception to this so international students are in the same boat as others

[@NegativeAccelerate]

I know in the UK you have to pay more money 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@abdullahahmed3843]

@@NegativeAccelerate why are you gae?

[@emersoneducation3819]

@@abdullahahmed3843 why are u not 😳

[@lisanne9441]

I’m going to apply to colleges as an international student (Germany) this year. From what I’ve heard (and I did tons of research!!!) it’s mostly more difficult for international students than nationals. If you’re going to apply for financial aid it’s even harder. Furthermore, my school doesn’t have AP classes either, but for most colleges this isn’t a problem.

[@thenothingking]

“I want to be 100% transparent with you” *forsenCD*

[@brandonrparsons]

In terms of workload, that matches up pretty well with even non-ivy league schools. I was basically doing stuff for school from 10-7 M-Th and probably did about 4-5 hours of homework on the weekend each day.

[@jonygreenberg]

Unfortunately a lot of people think once I’ve worked really hard in high school and get into a great university that that is the hardest part of life. In truth, college is just the beginning and you will have to hustle hard for the rest of your life if ur trying to make it to the top. Hopefully you can find a field that you are at least somewhat passionate about so that it’s not a drugery for the next 30 years. Also if ur going to be an engineer the ivys are a complete waste of money. Very rare to see engineers from elite schools in the real world. They all go to the banks and consultants and hate their lives.

[@chelseanguyen5825]

What are some factors that you wished you researched before applying to a college? I love your videos, they are very helpful!

[@ashtonezell5283]

I attend a community college and most people probably think “community college is sooo easy” well every semester I’ve been in my physical class for 30 hours a week. (Im an architecture major) I spend about 25-30 hours studying, doing homework, or learning about my classes outside of the class time. outside of that, I’m in a club which takes up 4 hours per week, I volunteer which is 5-6 depending, each week. So on average, I spend almost 65 hours a week on all that. So although I go to a community college, it’s still really rigorous and I get a lot of homework. I’m not that happy during the semester cause I can’t hang out with friends (that aren’t in my classes), I barely hang with my family, I can’t go out, I barely have time to sleep. It’s hard but I push through it

[@TWN321]

8:30 - 8:42 is all you need to know. Everything else is typical of any other competitive university you could attend - except for recruiters wining and dining you, offering 6 figures straight out of school. College is an intellectual and academic grind. It is supposed to be.

[@anthoniegriffin]

I’m applying to the United States Military Academy and I’ve heard the work load is similar on top of all the strict rules of the academy. Great video fitting it all into under 9 minutes

[@DaughterOfTheKingdom16]

tbh I dropped out of high school got my GED then went to a community college graduated with a 4.2 GPA in Early Childhood Education with a focus on Special Education have been teaching Pre-school for almost 10 years now, and now I have a business I started and my mentor/coach is a multi-millionaire. TBH when I was younger I really wanted to go to an Ivy League because my mom went to Columbia and she wanted me to follow in her footsteps, but I always hated the idea of how educaiton was taught in schools. I was the kid who rebelled but still got good grades, even though I dropped out. I was like I want to be an entrpreneur and I do not want to work for someone else for the rest of my life. Even though I sometimes wish I had more of the "college" experience, I am glad with the results that I have made. I am now 30 and to be honest, I make more money and help more people than most of my friends who graduated with Bachelor and Masters who work at Starbucks. but no shade to college, I think education is wonderful, it's just not for everyone. My ivy league would've been Brown though that was my top choice.

[@infamouscrusader3363]

Nice. Goes to show that you don't need to make get a Bachelor's or Ivy League to leave be decently. There are plenty like you so don't worry.

[@icanspotliarsandincelsnido6408]

*copy pasted in another of mine so don't be surprised if u encountered this BUT YEAH.... My friends went to the Seven Sisters Colleges, the sister schools of the Ivy Leagues when they didn't admit women. They have the teaching styles of Ivy League Universities, but it felt safer and well um... feminist in a good way.

[@pegmama8]

It’s not just Ivies with insane workloads! Any sort of engineering degree at most universities is a 50-80 hour per week commitment, and that’s without additional clubs, sports, etc.

[@sagebauland4276]

I hate parents who think the college application process is only a success if you get into a top school I keep trying to explain to my friends how getting into a top school isn’t at all a reflection of your value as a student as even great students get rejected due to legacies, rich students, and random things. Also in hindset, most people who want to go to college can’t because they can’t handle the workload or afford it. So from that perspective it’s pretty snooty to assume that only getting into a prestigious college makes you successful when just attending college is a huge step

[@tworfling]

I really like your mindset on this.

[@JV3Player]

I think parents have too high of expectations nowadays, I believe your children should be more successful than the parents, slightly more successful reflection of the parents. Doesn't matter where you attend college, the highest level of socioeconomic status is being a successful entrepreneur. Example, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs.... The real world does not care about your college, the real world cares about your business.

[@organichotdog3807]

For computer science, engineering and other STEM majors, things are tough all over. It's no easier at a state school, and often tougher. At a state school, often times you're basically teaching yourself. Some of the the "professors" are just teaching assistants. Research is their primary focus, and teaching is just a side hustle. At least at an Ivy, you can get the quality teaching and personal attention you expect. But those points aside, it's your major that determines your college experience. STEM majors have less free time. And I totally agree that sometimes you do so much work that you don't even get a chance to determine if your chosen major is right for you. That's why internships are important. Unfortunately, by the time you get an internship, if you realize you don't like your chosen field, it's really too late to switch majors, at least without adding time and money to your college journey.

[@foreverfuturebound]

Literally just do community college, it's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna take cybersecurity/developing classes, and that's only for two years. Cybersecurity + developing are six-figure incomes, and desperately needed careers.

[@frankchen4229]

plus you can also transfer credits into a similar field to hustle in a bachelors and transition into other fields with a masters later

[@kellykim3684]

I’d like to add that it’s not only the Ivy League that this pertains to. Swarthmore, UChicago, and Johns Hopkins are a few elite schools that deflate grades and are more than rigorous. My son attends one of these so I should know. Even amongst the ivies not all area equal as you mentioned Harvard inflates their grades and yes, Princeton is known for grade deflation

[@erink8434]

No joking but my high school workload takes same amount of time as yours

[@CollegeAdvisor]

That's one crazy high school!

[@tchit8792]

Honestly I’m in high school and take 6 APs and yeah it takes a lot of time but that’s because we’re kinda just thinking only about our ecs and grades and colleges, but I always wanted time in college to make a business or do research or learn how to invest on my own and find a career that works for me cause I have to be prepared for the actual world but it’s kinda hard when there’s that much work.

[@mollyo2407]

Lmfao that’s the IB program

[@thedankside2552]

Takshil Chittuluru wow 6 APs? Which ones are you taking?

[@tchit8792]

@@thedankside2552 AP Lang, Stat, Macro/Micro (combined class), US Gov, Psych, and Chem lol it be a fun time

[@Foxie635]

Just because you got in does not mean you will like it or thrive there.

[@stephane1623]

Despite the workload, the benefits outweigh the suffering...for the most part.

[@anipacify1163]

Believe it or not education is on the same level in ivies and other top colleges not in the ivies. The only thing u will be doing extra at an ivy is 1) fulfilling your pride 2) taking huge loans and being in debt If u have the money go to an ivy .

[@aa-to6ws]

What!? The most prestigious colleges actually demand you a lot of work? Who could´ve knew!

[@tc2979]

4:24

[@nkdiarrassouba]

i go to a college-prep high school and even though this vid is directed toward actual college , and the ivys at that , i feel like this holds true to my school too . the amount of homework given is insane . they expect us to be “well-rounded ppl” , but the only way for a person to get outstanding grades at my school is to work 24/7 and have no hobbies or social life . im unhappy here bc school consumes most of my life . you forget that you’re a person with your own dreams/ambitions and not some robot . but i’d like to thank you for this video and for being honest . it helped me put some things into perspective , especially the last part :)

[@jbrooks2786]

Black people be like.

[@dereklouther9372]

I read the description so basically your telling us to be versatile within the 4 year tenure of our high school career

[@CollegeAdvisor]

In a nutshell, yes-- I have a ton of other videos on this though

[@dereklouther9372]

That's hardd

[@jeremyandrews3292]

Honestly, the competitive environment is the main reason why I don't think I would like an Ivy League school. It's kind of a shame, because I do think I'm fairly intellectual and have a disciplined mind, and that I would appreciate that level of academic rigor in the classes... the difference is that I'd rather it be an academic rigor applied to a more cooperative goal and without the feeling that my value as a person is based on succeeding in some kind of sink or swim environment. Plus the focus on networking and extracurriculars would be too much for me if I had a lot of work... my natural tendency would be to focus all my energy on the courses and not have time for people. I couldn't "do it all," it would have to be one thing or the other. Then again, I probably wouldn't get into such a school anyway. Still, I would love to see what the classwork looks like and whether I could understand things at that Ivy League level. In reality I'm just a community college student that likes taking classes for intellectual stimulation, and have no real goal, but sometimes I wonder what could have been if I had some kind of passion and drive to achieve.

[@sza6152]

If you are passionate about something, long hours will never bother you, it separates the ones who really succeeds from those who just try

[@ranenaschemann8782]

That’s what you signed up for bro. Be thankful you have the opportunity, you can have a bright future ahead of you if you can get over your own victim complex.

[@2380Shaw]

My 12th great grandfather was the grandfather of Dartmouth College's founder Eleazer Wheelock. Found this out recently in ancestry research.

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Fantastic!

[@Troutmaan]

How tf did you get into Princeton if your so uncomfortable with a 70 hour work week?

[@matthewhrmich5350]

Because that is not the admissions criteria.

[@Famousbryant]

thanks for sharing Greg, in High School, I wanted to enjoy High School, but didn't, turned down activities, I realized if I am struggling to put all this together and I'm not happy to get into a great school, I need to step back

[@stephen8797]

when applying for a job they care more about experience than what college you went to so just dont stress if you have a bad gpa or you arent the smartest just try your best and enjoy life. Dont stress your life going to an ivy league school

[@madeline6414]

This is great. Thank you for being so honest!

[@SaraswotiProduction]

But in comparison to youth who is not getting any jobs, isn’t it somehow good that employers are coming to offer you jobs? I just wanted to see both sides of the coin

[@raphaeldesbordes2217]

Thank you for this video !! 🤗I am in a high-ranked university in France and your experience resonated with mine. So thank you to put into words this reality and to show the negative feelings some students have in this top university.

[@Psi01]

I'd still recommend going to a in-state public university over an ivy league school, at least starting out. Being a student at an ivy league school is exclusive, but most of the things that can learned at an Ivy League school aren't exclusive. It's not as if there are publishing companies that sell certain textbooks only to Ivy league schools. I think one of the more important aspects of post-secondary education that people tend to overlook is the total financial cost given an expected time of completion to obtain a degree. If you come from a rich family or if your parents invested in a 529 college savings plan starting from your birth, then yeah the liability of w.r.t. to the cost of attendance can be mitigated to manageable levels or be completely eliminated if you can graduate debt-free, but for most people they will have to borrow money to pay for school, and if debt is too high, it can significantly delay other aspects later in life like buying a home or retirement.

[@jessicovers69420]

I guess this makes me feel better... I super scored 1410 on the SAT (which as you probably know, isn't very high comparatively), but I felt like such a failure when I couldn't get into any scholarships for any ivies. I just couldn't raise my SAT because I was taking college classes at that time as well, and I was unmotivated. I still regret that I couldn't get into any of them, but I'm not giving up. I have dreams that I can chase with or without ivy leagues. It's their loss. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@raszberry8541]

damn. My friend is a freshman at Princeton this year and is on the women’s lightweight woman team. She always tells me how much she is struggling with the workload and how unhappy she is. This video REALLLLY showed that

[@mamtapandey9206]

What it's like for a international students in normal college vs elite colleges

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Oooh. Interesting, I'd have to do some research to answer this one

[@mamtapandey9206]

@@CollegeAdvisor actually I am stranded... I wanted to study wildlife biology as an undergraduate and it's my last few days of my school left ant I came to know that there is bot a single college that have this subject so I am worried.. 😔

[@FrankY-w9n]

Greg Smith why you didn’t make any videos about international student’s application last year when I applied to Cornell 😭

[@ethanstechworld207]

One thing you said about "not knowing what you want to do" I just think it's a little odd to go to an ivy league school and not know what you want to do for a career. It's like being accepted into M.I.T and not knowing what you want to do.

[@nandinipatel1108]

Question- 1. is America a good place to study for international students 2. Did u apply for any universities in Uk 3. Which one is better uk or USA for international students

[@bruh-fn5dh]

Studying in US can be expensive for international students as they are not entitled to federal and state aid. Unless you're covered by scholarships, expect to spend $20k-60k per year depending on the school

[@nameisamine]

You Americans need to come to uni in EUROPE!!!! Forget IVY LEAGUE, European universities are so much cheaper and rank higher than a lot of Ivy’s! Even if you get into Oxford or Cambridge It’s about 15000-20000 per year, half the price of US unis. Better education at a cheaper price - and a lot of U.K. unis are actually above IVYs in world rankings!!! I don’t see why there isn’t a mass exodus of American students applying to European universities...!

[@agert6416]

This sort of thing is also why IV league schools shouldn’t accept kids fresh out of high school. No way would I be able to keep up prior to age 22 I’d say

[@aishahb3754]

Really helpful video! Princeton ‘23 here🐯🧡

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Thanks! Welcome to Princeton :)

[@ttown918]

Moreover, for most people (e.g., middle class, etc.) the chances of getting in are next to nil if they aren't a legacy, an athlete, a minority, a few first gen / economically disadvantaged folks, big money donor kids or an international student. After accounting for those categories, precious few spots are left over.

[@monlon9328]

What is one class you suggest everyone should take in high school?

[@jakec463]

mon lon This ^

[@johannesschneider1457]

ML Striker Calc BC because I imagine most majors require it and if you can get it out of the way in high school, then that’s one less class to worry about in the future.

[@fely.y]

mon lon Ap/ Psychology. Economics. Human rights

[@FrankY-w9n]

What you are interested in

[@bendikarbogast1229]

I'm currently attending ETH Zürich. It is exactly the same at elite schools over here in Europe including the daily McKinsey and Google job offerings xD

[@user-sb7gr4vw5h]

Were you actually interested in Computer science or were you forced or something. And what does make computer science special, at least to you. I wish you and the subscribers all the best

[@CollegeAdvisor]

What did you mean by the first sentence? And second question is a great one. Will answer in next vid.

[@user-sb7gr4vw5h]

@@CollegeAdvisor sorry, let me add the missing words and restate it. " were you interested in computer science or were you forced by your parents or someone else."

[@miketernoey7484]

The only reason anyone chooses IVY league schools is because they didn't do too much research on career paths. This is because they are too busy. The top fortune 500 companies, in food, manufacturing, mining, only hire locals for their selection of candidates for important positions. Ivy league schools are in states with few stable engineering jobs, just start up gigs, and take a look on linked in to verify this.

[@susansong963]

Your video is so important and the only one out there like this, thank u!

[@googleknows339]

Ivies are the fast track to lucrative careers. A lot of people just want to become rich and prestigious companies recruit from them, so if that’s what you want then it makes sense. For example, popular companies for Harvard graduates are Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, and Google.

[@Oniki382]

How’s the campus life? Are people stuck up? Do they party a lot? Spill the tea about these Ivy Leagues 😂

[@CollegeAdvisor]

Yasss im boutta spill some tea next video

[@carlr03]

Greg Smith What??

[@alexsmith6914]

I forgot this was a thing because I applied to the school I wanted to go to and was accepted. How it was explained to me: “You are attending an Ivy League school for a name on your degree and the professors in those environments spend the semester telling the class how great they are and what they’ve done. You will spend the semester learning everything on your own.”