USA schools - how beneficial are they?

[CommeDesEnfants]

My mom's been going on about getting me to do the SATs and get accepted into an Ivy League. She believes that it'll improve my life and paycheck in the future, as opposed to me attending a school in Canada. While I wouldn't necessarily oppose doing them, I'd have to cram it in to the October and November examinations later this year, and who even knows if I'll get a good mark, since that will also be the beginning of Year 2 for me. Plus, I always have CAS and piano that I have to do, and I don't necessarily have lots of time to be studying for SATs too, on top of all that.

So, I was just wondering - to what extent is the rumor true that going to American schools is so much more beneficial than schools in every other country in the world?

[Abu]

In actual reality, an ivy league might help you get that foot in the door on your first interview, but after that it'll be your own individuality that will increase your paycheck. So no, the university you go to will not govern your jobs/paychecks for the entirety of your life.

[bohemian03]

Well with Ivy leagues, because they are so famous and known around the world, it might be slightly easier to get a job if you graduated from Ivy leagues but that applies to schools like McGill.

You should ask yourself whether you would be happy at an Ivy league if you were to be accepted.

[emmak]

From what I gather, Ivy Leagues DO have great educational standards, but mostly, it seems like it's an impressive name on your diploma. Personally, I would rather go to a smaller university that I connected with, and that had the right program for me. It seems like there's more pressure put on you once you get accepted to an Ivy League school, just because I guess everyone expects you to be wonderful and perfect all the time. I couldn't take it!

[Vvi]

The amount that you pay for an Ivy League education as an undergraduate is not worth it. You can always apply for their post-graduate programs, which still give you the label of "Ivy League student" but cost less since they are shorter. Most employers look at post-graduate studies anyways, as they increase your skill level and education.

[Forester]

If you have the ability to get into an ivy, you will succeed in any university you go to.

People assume that going to ivy = big paycheck

While that is true, going to an ivy isn't as simple as just taking the SATs and doing well in them.

I would say if you can wriggle your way through the admission system of an ivy league school, you will have the X factor needed to get a big paycheck later in life.

[CommeDesEnfants]

The amount that you pay for an Ivy League education as an undergraduate is not worth it. You can always apply for their post-graduate programs, which still give you the label of "Ivy League student" but cost less since they are shorter. Most employers look at post-graduate studies anyways, as they increase your skill level and education.

Hm, that's what I was thinking too, Vvi. People all around me often say things like, "Undergrad doesn't matter" and "I'll probably go to the US for post-secondary education."

Then again, would you have to have top marks in university classes to get accepted into an Ivy League for postgrad? I want to do med school, so I'd probably have to be pretty top notch by then.

[Forester]

^ Med schools in the US (especially ivy ones) for international students are nearly impossible (under 5% for sure) to get into.

[faith]

^ Med schools in the US (especially ivy ones) for international students are nearly impossible (under 5% for sure) to get into.

On top of that, because in the U.S med schools are all graduate institutions, it will normally take someone eight years to finish college and med school. The system is quite different in countries such as Australia and U.K, where it will take about five to six years to finish a medical degree.