Connections at the Ivies

We have never argued on the pages of this college admissions blog that the in-classroom education is better at, say, an Ivy League institution, than it is at a top public universities, like the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, or the University of California, Berkeley. Introductory Psychology is Introductory Psychology. Organic Chemistry is Organic Chemistry. But what we have argued — vociferously — on the pages of this blog is that students who attend the Ivies, or their equivalents like Stanford University, Duke University, etc.), have unmatched access to the future movers and shakers of our world.

Case in point? A piece in The Daily Pennsylvanian, the newspaper of the University of Pennsylvania, features a story about an alumna, Jennifer Gwynne, who is auctioning off items from her college years given to her by her then-boyfriend, a fellow by the name of Elon Musk. Heard of him? As Jasper Taylor reports for The Daily Pennsylvanian in a piece entitled “Elon Musk’s ex-girlfriend auctions mementos from Penn relationship for over $100K,” “Penn alumnus Elon Musk’s former girlfriend at Penn auctioned off items relating to Musk’s time at Penn on Wednesday, amounting to $165,265 overall. College graduate Jennifer Gwynne, who dated 1997 College and Wharton graduate Musk between the years of 1994 and 1995, auctioned a variety of items relating to Musk through Boston-based auction house RR Auction. Memorabilia from their college relationship included 18 photos of Musk as a college student at Penn, a signed birthday card, a 14-karat gold necklace, and a signed dollar bill.”

Now, are there future movers and shakers who attend less prestigious universities to the Ivies and their equivalents? Of course. But, per capita, the numbers simply don’t compare. When one attends such an elite university, there’s little question that members of your graduating class will be future captains of finance, education, medicine, law, entertainment…you name it. And, maybe just maybe, you’ll even get to auction off their college mementos for six figures.