The advantages of ivy league universities

No, a degree from an Ivy LEague university does not stand out. Sometimes, it does in the negative. I worked as a permanent sub at a high school where I would not have wished to be part of the English faculty (book assignments were limited to the selection owned by the school and I disliked the way the courses were structured). The chair of the department did everything she could to drive out a Harvard grad and created a great deal of discomfort for his students. She was doing the same to a Tufts grad when I left and he was an ideal teacher for many reasons.

I put my Harvard alum internet addy on my resume, the one that reads "@post.Harvard.edu" and it did nothing to improve my chances of being hired.

As for lawyers, that depends on the field of law. In Massachusetts, if you want to practice trial law, you chose Suffolk over Harvard.

Speaking of book assignments:

When I was in high school, we were to write one book report each semester. We were also required to report on six books for the summer, for a total of 16.

We had a structured program: freshman year was intro to lit and we read from all genres; sophomore year was American lit; junior Brit Lit, and senior year was world lit. English classes are not taught that way today. Furthermore, the amount of reading required is far less.

To limit a student's reading to one book for the summer is not good pedagogy. To limit the books read to those the school owns is stupid. There have always been libraries. Today, kids can download books and read them on their phones.

I'm certain that I have a far greater experience with applications for professional and business positions than you, and I stand by what I wrote.

If you and your confrere felt uncomfortable in your lofty High School positions, I'm also certain it had far more do do with your supercilious attitudes than your Harvard degrees.

Yours is a common tale: The Ivy League graduate who is unable to obtain a position, the stature of which is commensurate with the stature of their alma mater, incessantly reminding his or her co-workers and superiors of where they attended school. It's such a cliche that The Office has one of these pathetic twits as a recurring character: Andy of Cornell.

My, my, my! Don't we put on airs!

Well, sugar, you've proven again and again and again how little you know.

I stopped working to promote employment for older women. I see that others have picked up the banner I dropped. The last thing I did in that area was to advise a teacher who was then 52 to not listen to her department chairman and not to get a master's degree. I also advised a professional musician with an English degree who was considering a master's degree in music education not to do it. She was 50 when the idea occurred to her. There is no point. Neither degree would have improved the prospects of those two women. Furthermore, in the first case, the woman herself didn't want the degree: her department chair wanted her to receive it. That's the same chair that ousted the HArvard grad and was trying to rid herself of the Tufts alum.

When you finally do know something, I will tell you.

Just because one apple is rotten doesn't mean the whole tree is bad and furthermore this discussion is not about your stupid party's politics.

Yeah right Andy...

Jumping to look over the fence of your own creation?