| Yes, this it absolutely true. Thus the past-tense in the quoted section. They "were" differently motivated and the slide that began much longer ago in the other schools (and was always present for the 'legacy' students at Ivy-Leagues) has now reached the general student body. Hopefully this trend will become more visible in hiring practices, will lead to an erosion of the preference for named schools, and employers will adopt a more disciplined path from internship-to-mentorship-to-full_team_membership to compensate for the general loss of capability and readiness from graduates everywhere. I say, hopefully. I don't see any inclination toward that path from any of the major employment sectors. Maybe the Ivy-Leagues and top ranked schools will collectively reinforce student performance requirements, encourage educational rigour, accept lower admission numbers for only high performing applicants, use their endowment funds to establish bridge institutions which remediate the shortfalls of public school education and offer trade-school training programs for the masses of students not capable of the high standards. But, as Mal says, "I'd like to be the king of all Londinium and wear a shiny hat." So, we're both right. The Ivy League did mean better education, AND it may not be better for much longer due to the incoming student body. |