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What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school? (2015)

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Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school? (2015)

#71

Post by yummyfajitas »

mustacheemperor wrote: post #56
yummyfajitas wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aren't students with wealthy families literally attending school thanks to the contributions of others? It would be ungrateful and counterproductive if such students felt resentment towards their parents, no? Don't grad students typically earn a stipend working a job anyway? I earn a salary by working a job which aims to make customers happy (same as when I was in grad school on a stipend). However, I don't feel rese…

I don't remotely follow the logic you're applying here. I did not suggest anywhere that these students feel resentment to their sources of financial support, but rather that highlighting class divisions in a university will breed resentful attitudes among students towards each other. Do poor students somehow owe something to wealthier ones just for attending the same school? Please describe in clear terms exactly wha…

Wealthy students (or their parents) pay full price, supporting the university and all it's operations. Many of them pay more than full price via donations and such. One of the things they are paying for is support/scholarships/etc for the poorer students.

I don't think a grad student's stipend is a handout, just as I don't think my salary is. Nevertheless, grad students should be grateful to the undergrads/taxpayers who are supporting them, and I should be grateful to my employer's customers (I am).

Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school? (2015)

#74

Post by tgb »

rconti wrote: post #59
tgb wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a poor grad student at an ivy, and I have to say that I find just under 30k a year far more than enough for myself. The whole starving grad student just doesn't hold up in rich private institutes. I live in a cheap house with four others, but my peers have apartments in some of the nicest buildings around. I cook my own food most of the time, but many grad students eat out twice a day, even if only at a food truc…

I thought the stipends were more like $12k/yr and it was not allowed to seek outside work (though everyone did and had to, to get by).

My offers for stem PhD programs at ivy-type private research institutions were about 30k, one was more like 35k. At university of California schools, the stipend was more like 19k (and a higher cost of living). My current stipend is the standard here and not due to unusual scholarships or grant money. We're supposed to ask permission for outside work, but the department will actively help you find people to tutor.

Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school? (2015)

#75

Post by Retric »

ido wrote: post #70
Retric wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I worked near a 'nice' high school whose parking lot was filled with BMW's. Which is not really 'rich' but dual income in that area often meant 300+k family income by the time kids where in high school. Economically this meant a 5 year old car that might have been 50k new was not really unusual. In many ways the gap between 30k / year and 300k/year is larger than the gap between 300k / year and 3 million per year. PS…

In old movies, you definitely see "millionaires" as the definition of "rich". $1m in 1950 is about $10m today, so that seems like a pretty safe bet for "Hollywood rich".

1950 1m as the gateway for millionaire ~= 10m today so having 6m is close, but not quite there yet.

Considering there are 1,810+ billionaires globally you have not heard of most of these people. But, if someone is defined as unusually rich not just 'comfortable' that seems to be the new movie millionaire.

Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school? (2015)

#77

Post by zebrafish »

wflynny wrote: post #50
zebrafish wrote: post #44

I'm having a hard time understanding the issue or being empathetic. If somebody invites you to go to dinner and a movie, why cant you explain that you cant afford it or would rather not spend the money? Would you rather them not invite you? I've always found that rich people are not trying to put you down by talking about their boats, clothes, or businesses. They just live with a different set of parameters that peop…

Not necessarily disagreeing with you, but I think part of the issue is not just that you can't afford to "go to dinner and a movie"; some aspects of the Ivys' cultures are built upon wealth and being poor inherently sets you apart. Anecdote: at my wife's Ivy medical school, there are several events each semester in which students are encouraged to drop several thousand dollars in a single 4 hour event. One example is…

I suppose it is naive of me to expect 18 year olds to have the maturity to understand the differences between people.

I'm just hopeful that the poor kids would understand that the merit of their hard work has at least placed them on equal footing with the rich kids when it comes to educational opportunity and resume credentials.

I hope that there is a mentor on campus who can show them that this is something to be proud of.

Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school? (2015)

#78

Post by acchow »

sethammons wrote: post #42

I can relate. I did not go to an Ivy League (though, maybe I should have at least applied). I grew up poor and outside of town. No school activities, ever. I could barely get rides to AP exams and SATs. I had a kid at 15. I would steal food from the cafeteria and sell it cheaper to other students so I could afford to eat that night. I believed my only way out of poverty was a college degree. I worked my ass off over…

Thanks for sharing your story.

To get some more context, can I ask a few questions?

1) What part of the country was this in? 2) Population of town or metro area? 3) Your ethnicity and sex? 4) Are you religious?

Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school? (2015)

#79

Post by zebrafish »

thex10 wrote: post #48
zebrafish wrote: post #44

I'm having a hard time understanding the issue or being empathetic. If somebody invites you to go to dinner and a movie, why cant you explain that you cant afford it or would rather not spend the money? Would you rather them not invite you? I've always found that rich people are not trying to put you down by talking about their boats, clothes, or businesses. They just live with a different set of parameters that peop…

> I think it's wrong to expect Harvard to provide a "safe space" for poor people. Is anyone asking for this? What a disingenuous comment. > Instead of being self-conscious about what makes you different, embrace the differences and expand your world view. Sure. But that can be a risky endeavor. Embracing differences isn't all sunshine and roses. So what might practicing this mean in practice for the poor student. "Su…

> Is anyone asking for this? What a disingenuous comment.

I suppose I should have used a less politically charged term despite the nature of my intention. Maybe the quotation marks triggered your response. Safe space was simply a convenient term to describe:

> the First Generation Student Union, pushing for a better understanding of challenges financially disadvantaged students face.

Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school? (2015)

#80

Post by rconti »

tgb wrote: post #74
rconti wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought the stipends were more like $12k/yr and it was not allowed to seek outside work (though everyone did and had to, to get by).

My offers for stem PhD programs at ivy-type private research institutions were about 30k, one was more like 35k. At university of California schools, the stipend was more like 19k (and a higher cost of living). My current stipend is the standard here and not due to unusual scholarships or grant money. We're supposed to ask permission for outside work, but the department will actively help you find people to tutor.

Ah. My sister was in the humanities at an Ivy, so that could be the difference.
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