An article criticizing and praising the Ivy experience.

Vice reports.

Going to an Ivy League School Sucks

There have been few things in my life that I’ve wanted as bad as admission into an Ivy League school. Many students, especially children of immigrants (like me), conflate the American dream with going to an Ivy. At 17, I was averaging two all-nighters a week, kept alive on a depraved cocktail of Adderall, Percocet, and coffee. The only light at the end of my tunnel was visions of the “Congratulations!” letter from Columbia University, my dream school.

On average, the Ivies accept about 8 percent of applicants. I still remember the shock I felt when I got into Columbia. In my freshman orientation program, we had a discussion about what it meant to attend an Ivy. The greatest artists, politicians, scientists, and entrepreneurs had walked through these halls. “We’re the elite,” one girl said. “We’re not like other people.” She pointed to the passersby outside, visible through the barred windows. “We’re going to change the world.”