Ivy league school are for “the elite” and only around 7% of applicants actually get in. These colleges are also incredibly more expensive than regular state schools. Nonetheless the title of graduating from one of these elite schools really isn’t really worth the having the thousand of dollars in extra student loans unless you are going into a highly competitive and highly paying job.

Ivy league schools are not worth it.

Ivy league schools have an average tuition of $42,136 per year compared to the average state school cost of $9,716 for state residents and $21,629 for out-of-state students according to Farran Powell, a writer for the US News. This is obviously a huge difference in price, but the ivy league graduates should make more in their jobs due to their prestigious degrees. Right?

Education to career (ETC) measures students average salaries a year after graduation, and takes into account student loans according to Carly Minsky, a writer for Times Higher Education and the World University Rankings. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scored the best out of all the colleges in the United States. While the average placement of the ivy leagues was a mediocre 206th place. So essentially ivy league graduates are worse off after college than state school graduates, as they are buried in student loans and don’t have considerably higher salaries from their expensive degree. And unless they go into a highly paying job afterwards like a doctor or engineer they are better off going to a cheaper well known college with a quality education.

In fact, you might receive a worse education at an Ivy league school. This is because many Ivy League colleges are more focused on maintaining their position as a top organization for academic research than providing a quality education Samantha Lindsay, a graduate from Dartmouth College, said, “Professors may be less interested in teaching than they are in their personal projects. You could end up with a better learning experience at a small, highly selective college that exclusively enrolls undergraduate students because the professors are there primarily to teach.”

It may seem as though Ivy leagues are superior due to their higher graduation rate, but it is more important to look at the people attending the college. The graduation rate for ivy leagues is 95.42% while state colleges have a 59% graduation rate (Engelmyer). However the people attending ivy leagues are elite. They are the smartest and most determined. In contrast those attending state school may be there just to party or to play a sport instead of receiving a quality education.

Students from Hershey High School should talk to their guidance counselors and do an ample amount of research before committing to a college, as they want to get the college that best fits them.