In addition to the nipping cold and the drifting leaves, the sight of Dartmouth tour guides leading packs of eager applicants and parents is a telling sign that the never-ending college admission cycle is in session. And now that I am a Dartmouth student, I have the luxury of viewing these potential prospies with a mix of pity and haughty disdain. Yet within the vast crowd, one student tourist particularly stood out, solely by his tactless choice of outerwear: a Brown University sweater.
Immediately, I wondered how he could demonstrate interest in both Brown and Dartmouth. After all, the two institutions occupy two distinctly unique points of the spectrum in terms of academic environment, education and temperament. Of course, there is one obvious commonality: both Brown and Dartmouth are in the Ivy League. And what does that equate to in the common, uninspired mind? Prestige and success.
What originally began as an athletic conference has become the fixation of many college applicants. Now, warranted or not, all the schools in the Ivy League are recognized as the international embodiment of academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, social elitism and, ultimately, success. In some countries, the mantra "Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University," has been drilled into the social consciousness as the epitome of postsecondary education.
But there's a problem with prestige: it's often arbitrary, subjective and dependent on conventional wisdom.
In fact, the recent column by Ethan Wang '13 ("An International Presence," Oct. 20) urged us to appeal to this international mob mentality by "[globalizing] our campuses," creating new partnerships and institutions throughout the world to "compete for international recognition." Wang, however, does not specify or mention the importance or necessity behind the actual matter of the partnership themselves, but rather bases his entire premise on the own hope that "prospective [foreign] employers recognize the name of the school on their resumes," like Harvard, Yale or New York University. Putting it briefly, Wang wants prestige.
Yet should we be expanding our resources to grasp for something so intangible? Does attending a "prestigious" institution guarantee success in the real world?
According to a study by The Wall Street Journal, 479 of the biggest public and private companies, nonprofits and government agencies favored graduates of state universities over graduates of the Ivy League and other elite liberal-arts schools when hiring to fill entry-level jobs. Investigators concluded that Pennsylvania State University, Texas A&M University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign best prepared their graduates for workplace success as employers place increasing emphasis on practical skills, rather than "soft skills," such as "critical thinking" and "communication."
This trend is not just limited to corporate business. In a study by Higher Education Data Sharing, researchers ranked undergraduate colleges by comparing the number of doctorates awarded between 1995 and 2004 to the graduates of each respective institution. According to the study, California Institute of Technology demonstrated the highest percentage of graduates attaining doctorates. In addition, two relatively "less-prestigious" institutions, Harvey Mudd and Swarthmore, placed second and third, while Harvard placed 18th, lagging behind small liberal arts colleges like Reed, Carleton and Oberlin.
Clearly prestige, by itself, has little advantage besides boosting our own weak egos. So, what really defines one's success? The answer lies within you, literally. Attending Dartmouth, or any other Ivy institution for that matter, is not a guarantee of future accomplishments. We may all benefit from the lessons learned and the connections made, but only you have the ability to shape your future and in extension the future perception of Dartmouth.
By heading out into the world, we will become the face of Dartmouth. We will apply the knowledge gained from our lives to make ripples for better or worse across the sea of human interactions. But neither prestige nor the College will define our success; rather, prestige will be the by-product of our collective accomplishments.
