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1. M. Grégoire (mpjgregoire@mastodon.club)'s status on Friday, 15-Mar-2019 09:48:02 EDT M. Grégoire

   "Not that university isn’t a rite of passage for Canadians, or that we’re less educated in any way, but the status attained simply by attending one institution over another has never carried the weight that it does in the U.S."

   Why do Americans value their universities so much more than Canadians? | National Post
   https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/celebrity/why-do-americans-value-their-universities-so-much-more-than-canadians

   #elites #university

   1. M. Grégoire (mpjgregoire@mastodon.club)'s status on Friday, 15-Mar-2019 09:53:26 EDT M. Grégoire

      in reply to

      The article is in the Entertainment section, but the question is actually a good one.

      The Ivy League doesn't really provide a better education than U of T, or many other Canadian universities. The importance of entry into a top US university is that their alumni form the American elite, like the graduates of the Grandes écoles in France.

      All societies have elites. What is the gateway to being part of the Canadian #elite ?

      1. M. Grégoire (mpjgregoire@mastodon.club)'s status on Monday, 18-Mar-2019 12:36:16 EDT M. Grégoire

         in reply to

         "Would it be better to have a social elite that… doesn’t recruit? An elite that resided only in government, business and high society rather than education? An elite that consisted of wealthy folk in one region only, rather than at outposts where the smart kids have a crack at mixing with the rich dimwits? Perhaps such questions are of no interest or pertinence to Canada."

         Colby Cosh
         https://nationalpost.com/opinion/colby-cosh-two-cheers-well-maybe-one-for-fraud-riddled-u-s-higher-ed

         #elite

         1. M. Grégoire (mpjgregoire@mastodon.club)'s status on Monday, 18-Mar-2019 12:39:41 EDT M. Grégoire

            in reply to

            For a different perspective, see Ross Douthat: "But is [lack of aptitude] really our upper class’s problem? What if our elite is already diligent and how-do-you-like-them-apples smaht — the average SAT score for the Harvard class of 2022 is a robust 1512 — and deficient primarily in memory and obligation, wisdom and service and patriotism?"

            Opinion | The Scandals of Meritocracy - The New York Times
            https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/16/opinion/sunday/the-scandals-of-meritocracy.html

            #RossDouthat