Irvine School District too Competitive and Backfires?
- Thread starter wacoonist
- Start date
NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
THIS. So true.
I went to a good academically ranked high school aka majority of students were Asian. I did well in high school but no where near the top of the class. I was in the AP track but obviously my competition was tough. I never applied to an IVY but applied to Stanford and got rejected. Got into every UC though and ended up at UCLA. I was premed and I was now competing with a couple thousand premed students fighting to the death to get into medical school. Our classes were graded on a curve so it was a constant competition and I was up against students like myself and certainly those more intelligent.
During this moment in my life I was so glad that I went to that competitive high school, the one where I was challenged, and where I learned from some of the best students on study strategies and learned to not falter under the intense pressure of competition. I am pretty confident to say that had I attended a subpar high school I would not be a physician today. I wouldn't be as prepared to get the grades I needed to in college to get into medical school.
Now nobody cares where I went to undergrad. Everyone cares where I went to medical school and that I trained at one of the best medical centers in the nation. And truly that it what matters in my career in the long run.
So I want my kids to be among the best, learn from these students, be challenged by these students. That skill set is what will matter in the long run and lead to a more successful life path. And I work with colleagues that went to IVY leagues and we work at the same place, do the same thing, make the same $$. I just had less school debt to pay back with my state funded college education
I will print this out for my kids.
TLDR; Doesn't matter if you go to an Ivy, you make the same and owe less.
You should already know this. 8)
I think the real answer is, "it depends". Obviously, if you are going into a field like medicine, the undergrad really doesn't matter. MCATS and board scores level the playing field eventually.
However, I would argue undergrad is very important for other fields, where networking and being at the right place at the right time are huge factors in career success. Much more important that the contacts you made at an Irvine HS.
I have friends who went to Stanford and can directly attribute many of their jobs and success based on having friends/dormmates who start their own companies, or know some people who did.
I also have friends who went to stanford and took a job at google or yahoo(back in the late 90s) who only took the job because they couldn't get an ibanking job and that was their backup. An example of being at the right place at the right time.
The point is, the networking effect is very real at these prestigious universities.
If you're good at what you do you'll still do ok. My hubby was accepted to Cal Tech but chose to go to UCI to get a degree in computer science (when that degree was part of a department, not even it's own school within UCI), not well known, etc. He wanted to stay in the OC.
Never one to network or toot his own horn so that was of no help when Symantec (when they were THE antivirus company back in the early nineties heard about something he had developed on his own time to speed up coding for his own use). He never would have left his no name company that he was working for because he was happy there and it was close to home.
He was later recruited by several start ups (and more well known companies including yahoo and google) because other people knew of his work at Symantec.
He doesn't network. If he's at a job he's happy at he'll stay even if it means no raises and except for one time when he was part of a massive lay off during a down economy he has only changed jobs because he was recruited.
Would he have been better off with a degree from Cal Tech? Who knows. All I know is he's happy with his bachelors in computer sci and MBA from lowly UCI.
This is my brother in law's company. He is one of the five founders and nope........ no expensive education involved. Just good at what they do....
http://www.5plusdesign.com/
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
So is this why those condos in the towers off a Jamboree skyrocketed so high years ago (IHB Reference: Korean Towers)? Aren't they zoned so Santa Ana school district.
#IrvineLifeSantaAnaSchools
#IrvineLifeSantaAnaSchools
zubs
Well-known member
My job is only to get you in. How you stay in school is up to you. Although you can use money to overcome it.http://unemployedprofessors.com/
These guys just did an AMA on reddit if you want to read it. Quite interesting. Cheaters all of them!https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2fu6ey/we_are_phds_who_as_a_result_of_the_economic/
These guys just did an AMA on reddit if you want to read it. Quite interesting. Cheaters all of them!https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2fu6ey/we_are_phds_who_as_a_result_of_the_economic/
usctrojancpa
Well-known member
I think it's more about getting kids properly prepared for college is more important than if they can get into an IVY school. I remember back at UCLA there were those top performers from the ghetto schools that had a hard time keeping up even with the help of free tutoring. Yeah getting into the IVY schools is great but it's not the be-all-end-all. Going into a UC school or a private school like USC is nothing to be ashamed of. The school on the resume only gets your foot in the door for the interview, the rest is up to who you know and how good you are.
Sunnyirvine
Member
All schools in Irvine under TUSD/IUSD are great. Most of the Irvine school kids attend private tutoring, additional academic classes and has support/pressure of motivated parents so that means, it is not only schools teaching making kids excel in academically. In my opinion, most of these schools are as good as your child is.
Paris167
New member
nyc to oc said:
THIS. So true.
I went to a good academically ranked high school aka majority of students were Asian. I did well in high school but no where near the top of the class. I was in the AP track but obviously my competition was tough. I never applied to an IVY but applied to Stanford and got rejected. Got into every UC though and ended up at UCLA. I was premed and I was now competing with a couple thousand premed students fighting to the death to get into medical school. Our classes were graded on a curve so it was a constant competition and I was up against students like myself and certainly those more intelligent.
During this moment in my life I was so glad that I went to that competitive high school, the one where I was challenged, and where I learned from some of the best students on study strategies and learned to not falter under the intense pressure of competition. I am pretty confident to say that had I attended a subpar high school I would not be a physician today. I wouldn't be as prepared to get the grades I needed to in college to get into medical school.
Now nobody cares where I went to undergrad. Everyone cares where I went to medical school and that I trained at one of the best medical centers in the nation. And truly that it what matters in my career in the long run.
So I want my kids to be among the best, learn from these students, be challenged by these students. That skill set is what will matter in the long run and lead to a more successful life path. And I work with colleagues that went to IVY leagues and we work at the same place, do the same thing, make the same $$. I just had less school debt to pay back with my state funded college education
zubs
Well-known member
So to address the topic @ hand,
Your child @ IUSD will have a harder time getting into a good college,
However, the high pressure schooling will give your child the important life lessons to be successful in the future.
Certainly society would prefer services from a doctor or engineer that had to compete for their position rather than someone who gamed it.
Your child @ IUSD will have a harder time getting into a good college,
However, the high pressure schooling will give your child the important life lessons to be successful in the future.
Certainly society would prefer services from a doctor or engineer that had to compete for their position rather than someone who gamed it.
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
Paris said:nyc to oc said:
THIS. So true.
I went to a good academically ranked high school aka majority of students were Asian. I did well in high school but no where near the top of the class. I was in the AP track but obviously my competition was tough. I never applied to an IVY but applied to Stanford and got rejected. Got into every UC though and ended up at UCLA. I was premed and I was now competing with a couple thousand premed students fighting to the death to get into medical school. Our classes were graded on a curve so it was a constant competition and I was up against students like myself and certainly those more intelligent.
During this moment in my life I was so glad that I went to that competitive high school, the one where I was challenged, and where I learned from some of the best students on study strategies and learned to not falter under the intense pressure of competition. I am pretty confident to say that had I attended a subpar high school I would not be a physician today. I wouldn't be as prepared to get the grades I needed to in college to get into medical school.
Now nobody cares where I went to undergrad. Everyone cares where I went to medical school and that I trained at one of the best medical centers in the nation. And truly that it what matters in my career in the long run.
So I want my kids to be among the best, learn from these students, be challenged by these students. That skill set is what will matter in the long run and lead to a more successful life path. And I work with colleagues that went to IVY leagues and we work at the same place, do the same thing, make the same $$. I just had less school debt to pay back with my state funded college education
I will print this out for my kids.
TLDR; Doesn't matter if you go to an Ivy, you make the same and owe less.
irvinehomeowner said:Paris said:nyc to oc said:
THIS. So true.
I went to a good academically ranked high school aka majority of students were Asian. I did well in high school but no where near the top of the class. I was in the AP track but obviously my competition was tough. I never applied to an IVY but applied to Stanford and got rejected. Got into every UC though and ended up at UCLA. I was premed and I was now competing with a couple thousand premed students fighting to the death to get into medical school. Our classes were graded on a curve so it was a constant competition and I was up against students like myself and certainly those more intelligent.
During this moment in my life I was so glad that I went to that competitive high school, the one where I was challenged, and where I learned from some of the best students on study strategies and learned to not falter under the intense pressure of competition. I am pretty confident to say that had I attended a subpar high school I would not be a physician today. I wouldn't be as prepared to get the grades I needed to in college to get into medical school.
Now nobody cares where I went to undergrad. Everyone cares where I went to medical school and that I trained at one of the best medical centers in the nation. And truly that it what matters in my career in the long run.
So I want my kids to be among the best, learn from these students, be challenged by these students. That skill set is what will matter in the long run and lead to a more successful life path. And I work with colleagues that went to IVY leagues and we work at the same place, do the same thing, make the same $$. I just had less school debt to pay back with my state funded college education
I will print this out for my kids.
TLDR; Doesn't matter if you go to an Ivy, you make the same and owe less.
You should already know this. 8)
Paris said:nyc to oc said:
THIS. So true.
I went to a good academically ranked high school aka majority of students were Asian. I did well in high school but no where near the top of the class. I was in the AP track but obviously my competition was tough. I never applied to an IVY but applied to Stanford and got rejected. Got into every UC though and ended up at UCLA. I was premed and I was now competing with a couple thousand premed students fighting to the death to get into medical school. Our classes were graded on a curve so it was a constant competition and I was up against students like myself and certainly those more intelligent.
During this moment in my life I was so glad that I went to that competitive high school, the one where I was challenged, and where I learned from some of the best students on study strategies and learned to not falter under the intense pressure of competition. I am pretty confident to say that had I attended a subpar high school I would not be a physician today. I wouldn't be as prepared to get the grades I needed to in college to get into medical school.
Now nobody cares where I went to undergrad. Everyone cares where I went to medical school and that I trained at one of the best medical centers in the nation. And truly that it what matters in my career in the long run.
So I want my kids to be among the best, learn from these students, be challenged by these students. That skill set is what will matter in the long run and lead to a more successful life path. And I work with colleagues that went to IVY leagues and we work at the same place, do the same thing, make the same $$. I just had less school debt to pay back with my state funded college education
I think the real answer is, "it depends". Obviously, if you are going into a field like medicine, the undergrad really doesn't matter. MCATS and board scores level the playing field eventually.
However, I would argue undergrad is very important for other fields, where networking and being at the right place at the right time are huge factors in career success. Much more important that the contacts you made at an Irvine HS.
I have friends who went to Stanford and can directly attribute many of their jobs and success based on having friends/dormmates who start their own companies, or know some people who did.
I also have friends who went to stanford and took a job at google or yahoo(back in the late 90s) who only took the job because they couldn't get an ibanking job and that was their backup. An example of being at the right place at the right time.
The point is, the networking effect is very real at these prestigious universities.
Ready2Downsize
Well-known member
Rtlguru said:Paris said:nyc to oc said:
THIS. So true.
I went to a good academically ranked high school aka majority of students were Asian. I did well in high school but no where near the top of the class. I was in the AP track but obviously my competition was tough. I never applied to an IVY but applied to Stanford and got rejected. Got into every UC though and ended up at UCLA. I was premed and I was now competing with a couple thousand premed students fighting to the death to get into medical school. Our classes were graded on a curve so it was a constant competition and I was up against students like myself and certainly those more intelligent.
During this moment in my life I was so glad that I went to that competitive high school, the one where I was challenged, and where I learned from some of the best students on study strategies and learned to not falter under the intense pressure of competition. I am pretty confident to say that had I attended a subpar high school I would not be a physician today. I wouldn't be as prepared to get the grades I needed to in college to get into medical school.
Now nobody cares where I went to undergrad. Everyone cares where I went to medical school and that I trained at one of the best medical centers in the nation. And truly that it what matters in my career in the long run.
So I want my kids to be among the best, learn from these students, be challenged by these students. That skill set is what will matter in the long run and lead to a more successful life path. And I work with colleagues that went to IVY leagues and we work at the same place, do the same thing, make the same $$. I just had less school debt to pay back with my state funded college education
I think the real answer is, "it depends". Obviously, if you are going into a field like medicine, the undergrad really doesn't matter. MCATS and board scores level the playing field eventually.
However, I would argue undergrad is very important for other fields, where networking and being at the right place at the right time are huge factors in career success. Much more important that the contacts you made at an Irvine HS.
I have friends who went to Stanford and can directly attribute many of their jobs and success based on having friends/dormmates who start their own companies, or know some people who did.
I also have friends who went to stanford and took a job at google or yahoo(back in the late 90s) who only took the job because they couldn't get an ibanking job and that was their backup. An example of being at the right place at the right time.
The point is, the networking effect is very real at these prestigious universities.
If you're good at what you do you'll still do ok. My hubby was accepted to Cal Tech but chose to go to UCI to get a degree in computer science (when that degree was part of a department, not even it's own school within UCI), not well known, etc. He wanted to stay in the OC.
Never one to network or toot his own horn so that was of no help when Symantec (when they were THE antivirus company back in the early nineties heard about something he had developed on his own time to speed up coding for his own use). He never would have left his no name company that he was working for because he was happy there and it was close to home.
He was later recruited by several start ups (and more well known companies including yahoo and google) because other people knew of his work at Symantec.
He doesn't network. If he's at a job he's happy at he'll stay even if it means no raises and except for one time when he was part of a massive lay off during a down economy he has only changed jobs because he was recruited.
Would he have been better off with a degree from Cal Tech? Who knows. All I know is he's happy with his bachelors in computer sci and MBA from lowly UCI.
This is my brother in law's company. He is one of the five founders and nope........ no expensive education involved. Just good at what they do....
http://www.5plusdesign.com/
usctrojancpa
Well-known member
There are a lot of factors that go into being successful (and the definition of that can vary wildly from person to person). I was in the top 3 of my 600 person class at a large co-ed OC high school, played sports, did volunteer work ,and was in student government yet I still got rejected by the big 3 IVYs and Standford. I was definitely a bit bitter about it thinking that the only reason why I didn't get in was because I was white. But I got over it and fast forward to today, even though I have an MBA/CPA, I'm a realtor. And to think that it all happened because good friend of mine told me about this online real estate forum called Irvine Housing Blog that I should follow back in 2007 since I owned an Irvine condo at the time and the rest is history. So sometimes it comes down to getting lucky, being at the right place at the right time, and of course some hard work and hustle along the way. I could have saved myself a $100k in undergrad and grad school costs if someone would have told me that I was destined to become a realtor, but I do like knowing that I'm one of very few highly educated realtors with a CPA out there. haha
Keep in mind that the top student at a lousy high school may not be as good as an above average student at a top high school. Once you get into one of the most prestigious Colleges in the country, you want to evaluate whether you are going to be a competitive student? Getting a 2.0 GPA at Harvard is not going to do you much good IMO.
If you get a master degree in geography at Harvard vs a JD at UCI, I think the law degree generally will be a better career path for financial security. So, what you are majoring in always count. I have to say, anyone who do their best and enjoy what they are doing is the key. Life will take care of itself if you have the positive attitude, responsible and willing to keep learning and improve yourself. You don't need to take an antidepressant if you get rejected at Harvard or Yale alike.
If you get a master degree in geography at Harvard vs a JD at UCI, I think the law degree generally will be a better career path for financial security. So, what you are majoring in always count. I have to say, anyone who do their best and enjoy what they are doing is the key. Life will take care of itself if you have the positive attitude, responsible and willing to keep learning and improve yourself. You don't need to take an antidepressant if you get rejected at Harvard or Yale alike.
Loco_local
Active member
It's probably more important where you end up going to graduate school anyway. You can go to a second tier private school, get to know your professors, do relevant internships and end up in a top grad program.
Or you can go to a state school, start your own business, show some initiative and people will come flocking to you.
Or you can go to a state school, start your own business, show some initiative and people will come flocking to you.
?I did well in high school but no where near the top of the class. I was in the AP track but obviously my competition was tough. I never applied to an IVY but applied to Stanford and got rejected. Got into every UC though and ended up at UCLA. I was premed and I was now competing with a couple thousand premed students fighting to the death to get into medical school. Our classes were graded on a curve so it was a constant competition and I was up against students like myself and certainly those more intelligent.?
You didn?t realize you unintentionally used the same strategy to get into med school. If you had gotten into Stanford or any of the IVY leagues you probably wouldn?t have become a physician today. By attending a less competitive premed, you got yourself into med school. The takeaway is it matters knowing what your end game is.
?That skill set is what will matter in the long run and lead to a more successful life path. And I work with colleagues that went to IVY leagues and we work at the same place, do the same thing, make the same $$. I just had less school debt to pay back with my state funded college education .?
I?m pretty sure your ?privileged? IVY league colleagues would say otherwise (not in front of you though). Meanwhile you can laugh at them counting zeros in your bank account? The important thing is you have the right attitude and did the best you could.
?I think the real answer is, "it depends". Obviously, if you are going into a field like medicine, the undergrad really doesn't matter. MCATS and board scores level the playing field eventually.?
Agree 100%. Medicine is one of the exceptions to the rule - undergrad is only the beginning of a long academic span. But I?d think that if you are in dermatology or plastic surgery, networking probably matters even in premed?
As for the other fields, let?s say in engineering - I have friends that didn?t go to the best high schools and were at a disadvantage in the 1st or even the 2nd year, but eventually the playing fields level off and they shine thru. After all, the learning env in college is very diff than in high school (very restrictive and caters to certain type of personalities). Ppl who excel in high school are not always the same ones who excel in college.
?But the life long richie rich friends at Irvine High may benefit you more in the future than the poor ghetto high kids.?
You don?t have to be that extreme and lower the bar all the way to Santa Ana for example. Most ppl are talking about TUSD or SVUS which aren?t exactly ghetto districts. The skillset you acquired in a good SVUS won?t be that much different than in IUSD. Some would even argue that the pressure cooker style of IUSD is unhealthy and the marginal benefits are questionable for the long run. The point is to gain a slight advantage to an otherwise ?imperfect? admittance system without sacrificing too much of the learning env.
---
Extreme scenarios aside, the important thing here as parents are to maximize the opportunities for our kids. At the end of the day you got to ask yourself the honest question: Would you have denied it if you were given the opportunity to go to an Ivy League alike? And what is more important to you: be a C+ Prestige or A+ elsewhere?
You didn?t realize you unintentionally used the same strategy to get into med school. If you had gotten into Stanford or any of the IVY leagues you probably wouldn?t have become a physician today. By attending a less competitive premed, you got yourself into med school. The takeaway is it matters knowing what your end game is.
?That skill set is what will matter in the long run and lead to a more successful life path. And I work with colleagues that went to IVY leagues and we work at the same place, do the same thing, make the same $$. I just had less school debt to pay back with my state funded college education .?
I?m pretty sure your ?privileged? IVY league colleagues would say otherwise (not in front of you though). Meanwhile you can laugh at them counting zeros in your bank account? The important thing is you have the right attitude and did the best you could.
?I think the real answer is, "it depends". Obviously, if you are going into a field like medicine, the undergrad really doesn't matter. MCATS and board scores level the playing field eventually.?
Agree 100%. Medicine is one of the exceptions to the rule - undergrad is only the beginning of a long academic span. But I?d think that if you are in dermatology or plastic surgery, networking probably matters even in premed?
As for the other fields, let?s say in engineering - I have friends that didn?t go to the best high schools and were at a disadvantage in the 1st or even the 2nd year, but eventually the playing fields level off and they shine thru. After all, the learning env in college is very diff than in high school (very restrictive and caters to certain type of personalities). Ppl who excel in high school are not always the same ones who excel in college.
?But the life long richie rich friends at Irvine High may benefit you more in the future than the poor ghetto high kids.?
You don?t have to be that extreme and lower the bar all the way to Santa Ana for example. Most ppl are talking about TUSD or SVUS which aren?t exactly ghetto districts. The skillset you acquired in a good SVUS won?t be that much different than in IUSD. Some would even argue that the pressure cooker style of IUSD is unhealthy and the marginal benefits are questionable for the long run. The point is to gain a slight advantage to an otherwise ?imperfect? admittance system without sacrificing too much of the learning env.
---
Extreme scenarios aside, the important thing here as parents are to maximize the opportunities for our kids. At the end of the day you got to ask yourself the honest question: Would you have denied it if you were given the opportunity to go to an Ivy League alike? And what is more important to you: be a C+ Prestige or A+ elsewhere?