Eric J. Furda is the senior associate director of college counseling at William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia. He served as the University of Pennsylvania’s dean of admissions and Columbia University’s executive director of admissions. He is a co-host of “The Process” radio show.
U.S. News: Is the value of an Ivy League degree overrated, and do too many families over-focus on these eight schools?
Furda: If historic starting and mid-career salaries of Ivy League graduates are considered important metrics of “value,” then the value of an Ivy League degree is probably not overrated.
Of course, as the adage goes, “past performance is no guarantee of future results,” and the Ivy League does not have a monopoly on these kinds of metrics.
Still, according to a 2024 Hechinger Report article, 33 colleges have an admit rate under 10%, and these institutions do receive an outsized share of attention from families.
The Ivy League is an athletic conference that was formed in the 1950s, with its first competitions 70 years ago, to keep the role of college sports in proper perspective – a philosophy that is even more relevant and important today.
That being said, there are other conferences that also aim to maintain the proper balance of academic and athletic experiences for their students and future alumni with much more accessible admit rates.
Get the admissions edge with ‘Getting In’!
Have the parent playbook for applying to college delivered to your inbox each Thursday.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you will receive the latest updates, including emails, from U.S. News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors, and you agree to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy.
U.S. News: How can folks find schools that will give them as good an education or better than the Ivies?
Furda: Families should start with their flagship state universities and also out-of-state public universities, particularly their honors colleges. But don’t make the same mistake of over-focusing on these schools – they can be as selective as many private institutions.
There are also private colleges that provide substantial merit aid (funding not based on family financial need) that can bring the net-cost in line with many public institutions while providing the class size and faculty mentorship that deliver a high-quality academic experience.
In the end, a student’s own motivation, discipline and ability to self-advocate are major factors contributing to the quality of the education they receive, regardless of where they enroll.
U.S. News: How should parents and applicants work through “fit” vs. “credentialing”?
Furda: OK, here is a plug for “The College Conversation,” which I co-authored with Jacques Steinberg. Fit starts with an understanding of student and family priorities (the first exercise in the book) and then matching those characteristics with the Five C’s of the institution: culture, curriculum, community, cost and conclusions (outcomes).
Another question is: What does “credentialing” look like in the present and future economy, and what instruction, badges, certificates and degrees will open the door for the first job, career and lifelong learning?
The idea here is to be knowledgeable about the academic strategic plan – the curriculum – at each institution your family is considering, with particular attention to the pathways offered in the first two years leading into a major course of study. How does this plan connect with your child’s intellectual interests, and what are some of the potential outcomes they hope to achieve?
