What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school?
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What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school?
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Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school?
#2I'm happy this is here. Anytime affirmative action, race issues, etc is discussed, someone will always say "it's a class issue! What about poor white people?" Well, here's an article about that.
Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school?
#3I was first from my family (poor) to attend a well known PUBLIC university in US. Like top 5 in US or world, in name recognition. I did not feel like I fit in.
Many of the kids at this public university just did not get into one of the ivys but definitely middle/upper-middle class.
Many kids in the school that came from poor families often went to a public high school where it was easier to get good enough grades to get into the university. Once they got in though, they were just not prepared for the rigorous competition to get good grades.
Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school?
#4"Disadvantaged students are accustomed to doing everything on their own because they rarely have parents educated enough to help them with things like homework or college applications, so they may be less likely to go to a writing center or ask a professor for extra help."
The author missed the much larger problem in this statement. The school system these students are from are often poor with incompetent staff[1]. The competent staff are mostly dealing with students with problems and leaving the bright students to look after themselves. Resource allocation is a harsh mistress.
1) as an example, $2,000 a year (1988 USD) down the tube because a school official couldn't be bothered to mail a letter.
Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school?
#5I was first from my family (poor) to attend a well known PUBLIC university in US. Like top 5 in US or world, in name recognition. I did not feel like I fit in. Many of the kids at this public university just did not get into one of the ivys but definitely middle/upper-middle class. Many kids in the school that came from poor families often went to a public high school where it was easier to get good enough grades to…
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Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school?
#6I was first from my family (poor) to attend a well known PUBLIC university in US. Like top 5 in US or world, in name recognition. I did not feel like I fit in. Many of the kids at this public university just did not get into one of the ivys but definitely middle/upper-middle class. Many kids in the school that came from poor families often went to a public high school where it was easier to get good enough grades to…
I grew up in Cupertino and went to UC Berkeley. I came from a well off family but I had to pay for school. I met a lot of the "work study" students while washing dishes in the cafeteria during my first semester. Wearing an uniform and a hairnet to serve fellow students doesn't give an 18 year old the best self esteem.
On the flip side, rich kids like my sister shadows their cousin during surgery, winter-breaks in Dubai, and studies abroad in France. It's a different life.
Assuming everything is the same, money still gives a stupid amount of advantages.
Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school?
#7I was first from my family (poor) to attend a well known PUBLIC university in US. Like top 5 in US or world, in name recognition. I did not feel like I fit in. Many of the kids at this public university just did not get into one of the ivys but definitely middle/upper-middle class. Many kids in the school that came from poor families often went to a public high school where it was easier to get good enough grades to…
One always has to separate what is best for you, what gets the best rating in an opinion poll, and the actual positive qualities of an institution.
Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school?
#8I was first from my family (poor) to attend a well known PUBLIC university in US. Like top 5 in US or world, in name recognition. I did not feel like I fit in. Many of the kids at this public university just did not get into one of the ivys but definitely middle/upper-middle class. Many kids in the school that came from poor families often went to a public high school where it was easier to get good enough grades to…
UoC? I went there for grad school, have a well paying job, and am from what I would call an upper middle class background... I didn't feel like I fit in. My peers were mostly from very wealthy families, a large majority of them treating the degree like a check mark on a resume to complement their other masters degrees.
Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school?
#9I attended an elite UK university having had a poor upbringing. This article reads painfully to me. I don't have the words to describe why, but I can try.
The closest I can come is to say that this idea of inclusiveness is terminally broken. It's a sort of bandage over a huge chasm of differences.
For a poor person to become wealthy requires them to discard their baggage. Change the accent, the clothes, the pop culture references, the 'back home...' stories. Avoid the discussions about parents. The list goes on.
My transition into adulthood at present is essentially a game of throwing away my connections to that past. Not intentionally, but because living a double life is just too difficult. Visiting my hometown I feel like more of a tourist each time.
Money is a huge divider, the gulf between the working class and middle classes in this regard is enormous.
I am hardwired to assume that people cannot afford anything. My basic instinct is to design activities that are free.
Wealthier people do not always appreciate this. They might want to go and do something more expensive - and why not? They can.
Friendship groups.
I could waffle on seemingly forever but words can't really express how odd I find all of this.
Different species...
Re: What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school?
#10I would caution against too much class consciousness.
My parents came to the west in a boat, much like the ones that are sinking every day in the med. They scraped together a living and tuition fees running Chinese food joints.
When I arrived in Oxford, I did realise there were some interesting characters around. One guy with a posh accent stuck waved his chequebook outside his room during a tuition fee demonstration, offering to pay for everyone's tuition if he could just be allowed some peace. There are dudes walking the street in top hats. There are kids with sports cars.
But why should you feel alienated from them? You can be friends with the ones who want to be. They are just as curious about you. Some of them actually feel a bit guilty about having ridden into a top uni on their fathers' coattails. There's also people who've had it worse than you. One friend actually fled from shelling, and was lucky to miss a boat that got sunk by helicopters.
When you meet people, start with what you have in common. You're all young, and academically gifted. You're in the same place, you speak the same language.