Ivy League Schools

brostron1 · Sat, 14 Apr 2001 16:56:18 -0700

I have a question I've always wanted to ask, and
it's not even terribly controversial. (At least, it's
not intended to be. Maybe some people will view it as
that. It's not my intent.)

It is this: Ivy
League schools have certainly been very, very successful
in academic competition, but perhaps not as dominant
as one imagine based solely on their popular
academic reputation. I say this recognizing fully that
Harvard with Jeff Johnson was a dominating powerhouse,
and that Princeton and Harvard have won lots of
Division II titles, and that lots and lots of great
players have done amazing things for these schools and so
on. Is this because:

a) my suggestion is not
valid and the Ivies have been dominating; much, much
more so than good public schools

b) Ivy League
students have lots of extracurricular options that draw
time and players away from quiz bowl. It seems at some
large public institutions students seek out honors
programs and things like quiz bowl to get away from the
football/frat mentality they perceive at these places. (Not
that there's anything wrong with a football/frat
mentality, mind you.)

c) The 8 Ivy League schools are
only a small fraction of the hundreds of schools
participating in some form, so they've achieved as much or more
as should be expected

d) Students at places
like Harvard and Princeton don't have the kind of
resentment that others might. Wasn't it said that John
Sheahan always particularly enjoyed beating Harvard
because he was turned down when he applied in high
school? Maybe that's just myth. 

e) Ivy League
students are socially successful, ambitious types and
often quiz bowl is either misunderstood or perceived as
a somewhat, shall we say, less than hip
affair.

Or maybe it's something else entirely.

Brian