Why does the US need to have  Ivy League schools...?
483364
High quality education is available though different types of universities.  "Ivy League" are just expensive schools that have a history in America, JUST AS CAMBRIDGE AND OXFORD do in the UK.  Why does the UK have Cambridge and Oxford?  Same reason.  They're still more prestigious than some other schools, but that doesn't mean there aren't more outstanding universities outside the Ivy League system.  \n\nStandardized testing is generally just in high school, as a way for colleges to admit more qualified applicants.  Also...even schools not in the "Ivy League" consistently rank higher than many universities elsewhere in the world, and even many of the universities in America that we do not consider to be the greatest, rank much higher than other worldly institutions.  For example, Berkeley, or UC Berkeley as we know it, is a part of a system of 8 other schools apart of the University of California, which are not Ivy League schools, but still prestigious.
679233
Education is so important I'm willing to pay property taxes for you to go to school.\n\nIn most countries, parents have to pay for their children to attend any school at all!
426927
Because colleges want to make sure that we are "worthy" to attend their college.  They don't want the "dumb" kids.  Get some help studying for it - there are study guides that were very helpful.
96252
It's an Ivy League school. It's very highly selective, and the people that go there are all very intelligent. They have some wonderful, world-renowned professors, too. \nPlus, it's expensive.
188182
All those things are important: grades, standing, SAT scores, extracurricular activities. But there are a lot of students who do outstanding in all those areas and are not accepted to Ivy League schools. I've been told by someone who reviews applications at a well-known Ivy that what they look for is something really unique in addition to those qualificaitons -- They look for students who are passionate about something.
102017
Near as I can tell, vouchers give you the option of using the money the govt would spend to educate you at a public school - of using that money to attend a private school.  The idea is that if public schools can't compete then they should become obsolete.
971528
Not an Ivy league, probably, but there are plenty of very respectable students that would take you. \n\nThere must be at least 200 - 300 good schools with business programs that you could check out. Go to the College room at your school guidance office, or to your local library and ask the librarian to help you find some reference sources on Colleges of Business. There are lots to choose from, and the college selection books will tell you a lot of facts so that you can make a good choice.
1182606
I'm sorry to dissappoint you, but that aspect of history at least, is not going to repeat itself. Job requirements are getting higher everyday. Before u didn't need school, then all u needed was a high school diploma, now it's at least an Associate's Degree. The bar is being set higher, everyone needs to keep up.\nAlso, Henry Ford might have become successful, but back then he didn't have the Germans (Mercedes), and Japanese (Toyota, Hyundai etc) breathing down his neck. Today you don't have to compete with just Americans, the whole world is competing for the job and money you want. And most of those people are educated and will have better chances.\nIf you don't think school is important thats great. But don't complain if some more educated person takes a job you want, gets paid more, and ends up more successful.
314839
Actuallly we American's DON'T have the largest chances when it comes to education. Our education system can't even compare to that of other developed countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan etc. American students know far less than they should. When a group of Chinese students were asked to name the first 5 US presidents they had no problem. When a group of US students were asked the same question, they were clueless. Many US High School graduates don't even understand what is happening in the own government. They don't understand International relations. They do understand which stars won the latest Emmy awards & what time their favorite shows come  on, and what the scores are for their favorite sports teams. Thei priorities are in the wrong place. Why does Bill Gates, a private citizen have to use his own resources to improve American education when the American government should be doing it? America will not be on top for much longer unless some great improvements are made.
1005105
It depends on what you mean by a good university.  There are a lot of good academic schools, but dont just focus on the ivy league.  Small private schools are often very good and have smaller classes and more personal attention. Big state schools can be really good academically but there are a ton of people. There are also good party schools like Wisconsin at Madison, athletic schools, etc.
348922
Not entirely sure I get your question, but here is a stab at it. There really isn't one best school, and choosing a school is really partly a match between you and the college. All other things being equal, though, you want to go to the most prestigious college/university possible. This isn't meant to be "elitist" but I do think that having a great academic pedigree gives you more options about where you are likely to be hired to teach later on as a professor.
590232
Between UC Berkley and Stanford, it would be easier to get into Berkley.  Small prestigious schools are hard to get into, if they were then they wouldn't be SMALL AND PRESTIGIOUS.
496434
Depends on what you want to study.  Some schools have good reputations due to research, but turn out not to be good schools for students, as the people with reputations don't do much teaching.  Some schools have reputations that were made 4-5 years ago and the reputations are no longer valid.  Yes, the Ivy League schools have good reputations, as do many others.  There are enough universities that you should be able to find one that does a good job teaching in your area of concentration and is right for you.
667028
Because certain schools are usually private schools, and they are mostly all catholic schools.  And since private schools make their own personal selections on what students they want to attend, they can then recruit kids to go to their schools.  But see what you don't hear about is those schools have tuitions just like a university.  And just like a university, there are only a few set scholarships available through the school.  But most scholarships aren't like in college, they are booster scholars or alumnis that give back to the program, and thats how those students who cant afford the schooling.  Hope I helped ya out!
1162027
Because we are not all the greatest leaders, and even the greatest leaders need fools in all fields to get them from point A to B.\n\nI chuckle when people mention Bill Gates dropping out of Harvard to justify not finishing their education.  When he dropped out, Mr. G had a viable business and knew all he needed to know to make it work.  \n\nThe truth is this: people who want to learn will learn whatever the setting.  The schools are here to round out an education, and provide reassurance to employers that "person A" knows enough to function.
316107
Each of the top universities has their own personality.  You need to visit each one and spend some time there to see the differences.  Some are in great cities (Harvard and MIT, for example), others are not.\n\nCollege is what you make it.  You can get the equivalent of an Ivy League education at a state school if you so choose.  In many cases, it is the networks that you form at college that help support you throughout your life.\n\nAll colleges have programs to help low-income families.  Many of the top schools will pay all of your educational costs if you can meet their admissions criteria.
480848
First off, I went to Harvard.\nSecond off, I want to respond to the first asnwer on here, who talks about how the "Ivy leage was founded upon traditions of excellend, yada yada yada"\n\nlet me make this clear:\nTHE IVY LEAGUE IS NOTHING MORE THAN AN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE\nThat's all it is.\n"Ivy Leage" does not really mean anything about academics.\n\nIt just happens that all the Ivy League schools are very good.\nBut they are not equal.\nHarvard, Yale, and Princeton are consistently among the top 5 Unversities in the country.\nColumbia, Brown, Princeton, and UPenn are usually in the top 20 or so.\nCornell is not considered as strong.\nThere are several private universities which are better than some of the Ivies, and several State schools which are better than some of the Ivies.\n\nI don't mean to be obtuse about this, but I think the "Ivy League" has kind of a false reputation. People need to realize that all it really means is that those 8 schools compete against each other in sports, and that together, they are not the pinnacle of higher education. People should look at individual schools.\n\nNow, to actually answer your question about workload.\nI didn't actually feel that the workload at Harvard was that particularly difficult. And having spoken to my friends at several othe universities, including big state schools, I really don't think Harvard is any more difficult than they are.\nIn fact, I think some state schools are probably HARDER than Harvard. That's because at Harvard its VERY hard to flunk out. Pretty much the lowest possible grade you can get is a C. No one at Harvard gets Ds or Fs. Why is this? Is it because Harvard students are just naturally smart? Maybe... But many Harvard students, once they reach Harvard, develop bad study habits...just like students anywhere else. Many of them turn in sub-par work. A bad Harvard essay that gets a C could easily get a D or an F at a state school. That's because harvard wants to keep its retention rates and graduation rates high, and because most people are paying lots of money to be there.\nState schools dont care if they flunk people out, because their mission is to education the young people of the state, and there are always lots more who would be happy to take the place of those who flunk out.\n\nThat said, there's a lot of variability. Arizona State is probably easier than Berkeley. \n\nBut professors are professors, and no matter where they teach, they generally expect high quality work of students, or else they hand out poor grades.\n\nSo, in conclusion:\nI think the difference in difficulty between Ivies and state schools is neglible.\n\nRemember, too, that there is a huge range in difficulty between different departments within the same university.\nScience and engineering tends to be harder in grading than humanities. Thats a fact, whether you're talking about Harvard OR Arizona State.