one thing I like about Trump

Many on this board distrust graduates of so-called "elite private colleges". I think those institutions graduate many of our best thinkers (not all by any stretch, but many), and that we need to tap those sources heavily if we are going to stay great. I was concerned that the anti-Ivy backlash would lead to a cabinet that shut out candidates who are perceived as having been educated with the elites, especially east-coast elites.

That hasn't happened. So far, Trump's cabinet has 10 members. Three have degrees from Harvard or Yale (Mnuchin, Ross, and Carson), another (plus Trump himself) has a degree from another Ivy (Chao/Columbia MBA), and two more have degrees from other top-20 private universities (Puzder/Wash U., Kelly/Georgetown). A seventh (Chao) has a degree from Mt Holyoke, which is a damn fine school as well.

 

And then you have the Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. That BA in Business Administration from Calvin College will come in handy in her new role.

 

I think Trump values the Ivy League education. Look at where he and his kids attended. Whether he thinks they are a valuable education or a good networking opportunity doesn't matter.

 

The education, quality of students, and academic standards at Ivy League schools are higher. Even Harvard which hands out a lot of As do so in classes that are incredibly rigorous and especially so compared to the same class at other schools. The social elite argument as it applies to the Ivy League students today is pretty overblown. A lot of these students, yes, come from elite boarding and private schools, but that's just a proportional function of the public education system along the East Coast and New England. The Texans that go to Yale or Harvard are good mix of public and private school kids...probably not that much different from Rice.

Additionally, having absurd huge endowments, the tuition costs at these schools are just for branding. If admissions like your application and your family ain't rich, you'll get all the financial aid and scholarships to pay for your entire time there or at least make it as affordable as the flagship State U.

The problem with Ivy League schools today is the complete dilution of classical liberalism. Ivy League students are sharper, but they're getting sharper at writing stupid arguments and inventing dumb theories. And the traditional Ivy League experience, moreso than other schools, wasn't so much about learning a profession or even scholarship. It was about becoming a gentleman, developing character, and public service. That has completely gone out the window for the current students.

Given what is happening on the Forty Acres today, the Naval Academy would probably be the first school I would recommend for a millennial that really wants to learn about themselves, the World, and art and humanity.

The University of Chicago has also impressed me.

I for the life of me cannot figure out how Shelia Jackson Lee has a BA from Yale and a JD from Virginia. That is a mystery.



Just a warning...you have an inbound bogey coming in HOT on this thread.