The Ivy Lie

Attending an elite university can lead to a reduced number of post-college friendships, and reduced networking opportunities, since most students move away shortly after graduation. In spite of the common belief that top-tier schools provide more and better tools for post-college networking, I think they make the most basic and effective form of networking difficult: meeting with friends, face to face. This is because most students at top-tier schools come from out of state, and consequently most of them move away after finishing school – either to return home, or to head somewhere else. After all, most only lived in their college’s city for four years, so they’re unlikely to become too attached to it (unless perhaps, their school is located in a place like New York City). State school students, on the other hand, usually are from the area, and having grown up there, are more likely to stay. In addition, some studies indicate that students in general do not move far from home to attend school, so if you’re an Ivy Leaguer who traveled across the country to attend school, the post-college experience of being surrounded by people with greater ties to their local communities may prove to be rather alienating.

Ultimately, college friendships are more likely to develop into meaningful long-term relationships or professional partnerships if you attend a state school, whereas private school students more frequently disperse, and generally don’t keep in touch (sorry, but in my book, Twittering and occasional messages on Facebook don’t count as “keeping in touch”). Speaking from experience, most of my friends from Duke disappeared from Durham, NC within about six months of graduation.