Nagar Association of Greater American Regions (NAGAR)

Bringing Nagars across the world together since 1998

Directory announcement
Search the directory
Add your details
Update your details

• Convention Registration form (PDF, 480 KB)

Local nagar organizations NAGAR regions

NAGAR Wall of fame
* 2007 and 2008 * 2006
Education/Professional achievements
Obituaries

Your contributions

Community Corner

Is the "Ivy League" Really the Key to Success?

Jwalin Buch

There is no doubt that education plays a pivotal role in shaping our individual progress. It is clearly one of the most deadliest weapons in our arsenal, for it can either clear or destory the path before us. This weapon itself is multi-faceted. There is the portion which realizes education is a continual process. As the ambient environment continues to evolve, we must continually learn new material to adapt to new situations. There is also the facet which deals with past educational experiences. It is in this particular alley I will venture into.

Past educational experiences can be divided into several areas: those that deal with primary education, secondary education, higher institution learning and finally graduate studies. Perhaps the least understood of thses is higher institution learning, or more specifically, the undergraduate years. Society has continually stressed that an undergraduate degree only from a few selected institutions, also known as the "ivy league", present the keys of success. It has presented as arguments a few selected alumni who spent their undergraduate years at these institutions and have gone on to run companies as well as countries. Naturally, these arguments cannot be refuted; however, they pose more the exception rather than the norm.

An undergraduate education from an "ivy league" school does not unlock the door leading to success. A common misconception is that these schools somehow present different material, thus allowing you to lean more and hence become more successful. Well, Maxwell's equations on electromagnetic theory will not change regardless of where you learn them. For those who are concerned about learning the material, a vocational school would be preferable to an institution of higher learning. In effect, it does not matter whether you learn the material at Princeton or Bowling Green State, the material is still the same.

The difference is pronounced between vocational schools and universities when dealing with the processes of thought and analysis. Vocational schools were simply constructed to teach the material, while institutions of higher learning were created to teach a way of thinking. In essence, when you receive your diploma after spending four years as an undergraduate, you are simply receiving a paper which states that you now have the ability to think and rationalize intelligently; it is not a paper which deems that you have sufficiently learned the material. However, the institution has not taught how to think and rationalize intelligently; rather, it is individual conditioning. It is individual effort and progress that shape the mind to reason intelligently. Your thought processes are not affected by your ambient environment (e.g. the school), but rather how you interpret, interact and develop this ambient environment. Thus, one that has spent their time conditioning their mind at a non-Ivy league school would be much more successful (read intelligent) than one who has not spent the four years conditioning their mind, but yet attended an Ivy-league school. They may both know the material, but only one would be able to more clearly adapt to new situations, which was defined above as another facet to education. This in effect would lead to greater knowledge, and as a consequence greater success.

Although the school attended may have an impact, this may be considerd negligible. It is more the individual processes of rationalization and intellectual progress that have a direct impact on success. Society must force itself to accept the fact that spending four-years at a brand-name institution does not facilitate success, but rather individual development through those four years which present the keys to success.

Your contributions