Letters
Students Who Skip the Ivy League Our story debating the value of an Ivy League education got plenty of mail--not just about East Coast, elite colleges but also about state universities, small private schools, financial aid and consultants for hire. And most readers commented on the pressure of the application process
As a rising senior who is worried sick about college applications, I want to thank Nancy Gibbs and Nathan Thornburgh for downplaying the idea that we all need to get into the Ivies [Aug. 21]. As the eldest in my family--and Asian as well--I have always had the feeling that I need to get into a name-brand college. Although I have tried everything to make my parents believe that small liberal-arts colleges can be as good, they still won't budge. It was even harder to get my mom to read your story. The article helped relieve some of the pressure my college counselor and my parents have put on me. JESSICA WONG Monterey, Calif.
You accurately described what prospective college students should look for when applying to a school. I am a college student who does not attend an Ivy League institution, and I am surrounded by people who devoted their high school years to trying to get into Harvard, Yale and Stanford. Does an Ivy League degree necessarily equate with success? Education is priceless no matter which college you are able to attend. ALEFIYAH YUSUF SHIKARI Darien, Ill.
Your coverage represents precisely the attitude that threatens to undermine America's competitive edge. The notion that the Ivy League doesn't matter for success is false. After all, TIME used Harvard's name on the cover to market the magazine. PRATIK CHOUGULE BROWN '08 East Greenwich, R.I.
Your report was well intended, but by making the Ivy League schools your focus, you perpetuated the idea of these schools as the nation's elite, most desirable campuses. Harvard, Yale and M.I.T. have their counterparts on the left coast in the University of California, Berkeley; Stanford; and Caltech. These campuses are certainly not inferior to the Ivy League campuses, and one of them is a public institution. D. BLAIR GIBSON UCLA, B.A. '78, PH.D. '90 EL CAMINO COLLEGE Torrance, Calif.
As an incoming freshman at Columbia University, I felt that your portrayal of the Ivy League and its students was more than a bit unfair. Yes, students should look beyond the names of colleges, and parents shouldn't push their children to consider only name-brand schools. But students who decide after careful consideration that an Ivy League institution is the one for them shouldn't be seen simply as superficial elitists. Each of the eight Ivy League schools has a unique academic and social culture, as does every college. By practically applauding students who turned down the Ivies and omitting the perspective of any Ivy League student, Thornburgh and Gibbs (a Yale graduate, no less) present a limited viewpoint. SHANA KNIZHNIK Philadelphia
As a college counselor at an independent high school, I believe students and parents need to understand the concept of finding the right fit--whether it's Harvard or not--when selecting a college. If we encourage kids to find a college that's a good fit and not just a big name, we will have happier--and more successful--students. LEAH BEASLEY CRANBROOK KINGSWOOD UPPER SCHOOL Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
I would go a step further and ask, Who needs small private schools? While Gibbs and Thornburgh maintain that "small is beautiful," they fail to acknowledge the prominence of America's public universities. The "If you are talented, the sky is the limit" mentality is most appropriate in a public university where students face a more real-world atmosphere of independence and hard work, without a doting dean serving as a third parent. And success has been proved: the majority of the FORTUNE 50 CEOs hail not from the Ivies or small private colleges but from our public universities. KEVIN JAMES BERKEMEYER Charlestown, R.I.
You reported that "At Harvard, families that earn less than $40,000 a year don't have to contribute a penny to their kids' education." This spring Harvard raised the cutoff to $60,000 a year. ADAM GUREN Los Angeles
You made no mention of the many excellent two-year community colleges throughout the U.S. For students who have not yet made a career choice, those schools provide exposure to different subjects as well as preparation for jobs that are not easily "off-shored," such as auto repair, cosmetology and building inspection. They're one of higher education's best-kept secrets--and a bargain compared with four-year colleges. GEORGIA R. GRANT COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO San Mateo, Calif.
One of the happiest days of my life was the day my son was accepted to Harvard. For the granddaughter of immigrants, this was like winning the lottery. And my son wasn't the only one to benefit. I sat in on classes and was invited to a dinner at which I found myself seated with the President of Costa Rica and a former Senator from Colorado. When my son went to Harvard, I went too. Anyone who is accepted by any first-tier university should think very, very carefully before turning it down. LINDA MELE JOHNSON Long Beach, Calif.
You limited your discussion to the plight of the small percentage of students who have a shot at top-tier schools. As an educational consultant, I was disappointed by your lack of understanding of our role. Our mission is neither to "get kids in" nor to "package" them to enhance their chances. We endeavor to help them and their parents more fully understand a process in which they will be investing so much emotionally as well as financially. SUZANNE F. SCOTT, ED.M. ACADEMIC ADVISORY SERVICE Elkins Park, Pa.
Who needs Harvard, you ask? Yale does, of course--so that it has a rival team it can beat every now and then. (THE REV.) MARC HALL YALE '37 Stowe, Vt.
Pride in Princeton
I was puzzled by Walter Kirn's depiction of Princeton. While I cannot comment on the Princeton of the 1980s, when Kirn was there, I do know that the Princeton of today offers intellectual stimulation that far surpasses the philosopher-name-dropping that Kirn suggests is the end point of a Princeton education. The "X factor" is not egotism but motivation. The established alumni networks may help down the line, but the attention that Princeton's professors give to their undergraduates is the school's most appealing trait. And I hope that Kirn reported the cheating he saw to the Honor Committee, part of Princeton's honor system since 1893. BRYAN COCKRELL PRINCETON '08 Damascus, Md.
Paging Bipartisan Patriots
In his Column on Joe Lieberman's defeat in the Connecticut primary [Aug. 21], Joe Klein implies that all Democrats want to return to MoveOn.org's "extremist" vision of the Democratic Party. The vote against Lieberman was neither extreme nor an assault on bipartisanship. It was a vote against Bush's extreme policies, which Lieberman supported. Voting against extreme policies does not make one an extremist, no matter how the G.O.P. spins it. KEVIN FINK Fort Mill, S.C.
Klein seems to argue that pseudo-Democrats like Joe Lieberman are what the party needs. Legislation should result from compromise, not lack of an opposing opinion. To say that espousing true Democratic ideals is akin to "extremism" shows how much the Democrats' positions have weakened owing to just the type of wishy-washy Third Way politics Klein advocates. ALISON SCHROTH Hummelstown, Pa.
Bravo to Klein for noting that "The real alternative to Bush's Republican extremism isn't Democratic extremism. It is bipartisan moderation." Now all you need to do is suggest a few potential Democratic contenders who embody that ideal. Kerry? Gore? Hillary? Howard Dean?! Having gored Joe Lieberman, the Democrats have demonstrated they don't tolerate "bipartisan patriotism" and will destroy any card carrier who evinces such an admirable trait. VINCE ZICCARDI San Antonio, Texas
How Much Risk Can We Take?
Your article about the risk of terrorism [Aug. 21] brought back a bad memory from 13 years ago. Fifteen minutes into a flight I was on, a man walked from his seat into the galley, armed with a plastic jar and a matchbox. My worst fears were confirmed a few minutes later upon seeing the ashen-faced flight attendant. We'd been hijacked. It seems that not much has changed since then. It is better to strengthen security systems and give up some freedoms than it is to accept a high risk of more attacks. SAVI MULL Lucknow, India
On a recent trip overseas, my fiance and I were much aware of the increase in security. But we did find something puzzling and alarming. On both flights to and from Europe we were surprised that we were provided with metal eating utensils, including a serrated knife. If a couple of box cutters brought down the World Trade Center nearly five years ago, doesn't someone out there have any sense by now not to provide metal eating utensils to passengers? PAUL S. WAX Teaneck, N.J.
Why Such Discontent?
In the article about Islamic discontent being fomented in Britain [Aug. 21], Beena Faridi of the Islamic Human Rights Commission characterizes Israel's actions of self-defense as collective punishment of the Lebanese. Cross-border raids involving murder, kidnapping and indiscriminate rocket fire are clear violations of human rights and international law. Don't human rights apply to all? Perhaps it is too much to ask the commission to consider the responsibility of all nations not to harbor terrorists. PETER ROSENTHAL Charleston, S.C.
In spite of all the efforts by Western governments and Western news media to keep Pakistan from being branded "terror center" of the world, the facts just keep saying otherwise. It is understandable that the U.S. would want Pakistan to deal with the monster it has created. But sooner or later, Western governments will have to get involved in that nation's internal affairs. Only direct intervention by the West is going to eradicate the threat coming out of Pakistan. SURESH SHETH Houston
Muslims in Europe complain that they are suspect because they are Muslim. What do they expect? The people engaging in terrorism are advocates of radical Islam. BRONDI BEN-YOSEF Ness Ziona, Israel
Muslims in North America
It's nice to know, according to Peter Skerry's Viewpoint [Aug. 21], that Muslims living in the U.S. are mostly suburban "university-educated professionals," who thus lack an incentive to attack us at the moment. Ironically, having achieved success by virtue of the freedom offered by a country built primarily by European Christians, they maintain a deafening silence in the face of atrocities enacted each day by their co-religionists. As the widow of a good and decent man murdered in the Twin Towers, I find their apathy unconscionable. LESLIE DIMMLING Garden City, N.Y.
No Exodus
"The Brawl in California" [Aug. 7] gave the impression that litigation against the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine has created an exodus of stem-cell researchers from California. In fact few if any have left, and dozens have moved to the state because of supportive state laws and stable funding opportunities. In addition, our institute recently established a training program at 16 state institutions that will train 169 young researchers, including predoctoral, postdoctoral and clinical fellows, many of whom have come from out of state or from overseas. ZACH W. HALL, PRESIDENT CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR REGENERATIVE MEDICINE San Francisco
Segway Seeks to Conquer
The Segway is a technological marvel [Aug. 21]. But here in Middle America it is seen as an expensive toy for the rich who live on the coasts. Perhaps if the company offered some discounted units to police departments or civic organizations, we could see one in action--and that just might help make a few sales. MIKE COLEMAN Union, Mo.
My daughter-in-law has multiple sclerosis and uses a Segway in the house. She had her car adapted for ease in getting the Segway into the back of her station wagon. She told me that it has made her life much more fulfilling. Now she can take the dog for a walk, go shopping, meet with her friends--in general, she's much more mobile. This is a miracle machine. JOE BLATNER Vancouver, Wash.
Dean Kamen could make his Segway the transporter of this century simply by sprinkling a few on college campuses across the country. Our young people would acquire another addiction, along with their iPods and notebook computers. Once indoctrinated, they would spread the seeds after graduation. DAVID P. BOGARDUS Portland, Ore.
A good set of feet can take you anywhere, doesn't require a parking place, can go up and down stairs, usually comes as standard equipment on a human body, isn't likely to be stolen and is allowed on a variety of surfaces in all 50 states. KENT JUDKINS Shreveport, La.
Below the Belt?
Re "Funny, He Never Seemed Sober," your Aug. 21 People item about Robin Williams falling off the wagon: It's very poor sportsmanship to kick a man when he's down. Williams was mensch enough to go public with his drinking problem instead of hiding it as 99% of celebrities do until it graces the front page of the tabloids. I see his admission as a strength, not a weakness. SANDE ANFANG Half Moon Bay, Calif.
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