[carterschonwald]

the correct term is "top tier" or "tier 1" schools. The "ivies" are a sports league of schools that all happen to be good at academics: dartmouth, harvard, brown, columbia, yale, princeton, upenn, cornell.

[kobs]

I'm well aware of this. I was simply remarking on how it is sometimes used.

[unalone]

Most people don't realize that the Ivy League is a sports distinction. The assumption is that they are distinguished on academic grounds alone.