During the Kaava debacle last month, and whatever you made of the whole story, one of the secondary plot lines had to do with the high-end college-prep tutoring business, which has always been around but has apparently now expanded to the extent that anxious parents will fork over up to $30,000 to make sure that their offspring gets into that place that starts with an H, or maybe that other place that starts with a Y. If you recall, we learned that KaavyaÂ’s parents bought for her the services of a firm called IvyWise, and its founder, Katherine Cohen, was repeatedly quoted at the crest of the scandal defending her former client, and thereby, one infers, her own integrity and that of her firm.
Now, from New York magazine’s recent annual compilation of “The Influentials” – the two-hundred-odd most influential people in the city, in that magazine’s judgment, we learn thar the person considered the father of this whole hyper-prep industry is desi. Here is Arun Alagappan’s citation in the mag:
Arun Alagappan Founder, Advantage Testing, Inc. Like it or not, high-end, one-on-one academic tutoring is a fixture of contemporary New York, and Alagappan is the father of the business. Twenty years ago, Alagappan, a Princeton philosophy major and Harvard Law grad, left the white-shoe law firm Sullivan and Cromwell to found Advantage Testing, a boutique tutoring service for college-bound high-school kids. Today, Alagappan and 100 fellow tutors work with up to 2,000 kids each year in subjects ranging from core academics and essay writing to SAT prep. Despite law-partner rates (Alagappan charges $685 for a 50-minute hour, although staff tutors charge less), a yearÂ’s wait is not uncommon for AlagappanÂ’s services. Alagappan insists he doesnÂ’t track test scores; regardless, Advantage has inspired dozens of high-priced imitators, and, for better or worse, transformed the precollege landscape.
Alagappan has a remarkably low-key public identity: Googling produces not much more than a sampler of stories from various years in the past two decades, where the only interesting change is the rising dollar cost of an hour of his services. Advantage Testing doesnÂ’t have an active website, just a phone number. I guess they have plenty of business on the word-of-mouth circuit, and they donÂ’t really need publicity.
The other desi that New York magazine saw fit to include in its “Influentials” was labor activist Saru Jayaraman, whom Manish blogged about here a long time ago. Here’s the commendation:
Saru Jayaraman Executive director, Restaurant Opportunities Center—New York Up until April 2002, potato peelers, dishwashers, and other low-wage restaurant workers were among the most powerless laborers in New York. But Jayaraman’s Restaurant Opportunities Center is changing that. At age 17, the activist prodigy founded her first organization, Women and Youth Supporting Each Other; today WYSE has twelve chapters in six states. Now a Harvard-and-Yale-educated lawyer, she files lawsuits and leads protest marches against any restaurant—Brooklyn delis as well as places like Cité—that won’t give its workers a fair shake. In two years, Jayaraman’s efforts have won more than $300,000 in judgments, and though she tends to deflect praise onto those she represents, the oversize checks on her walls speak volumes.
Both lawyers, but one an activist for low-wage, immigrant workersÂ’ rights, while the other helps rich kids get into the college of their dreams. At N=2, this is way too small a sample from which to generalize anything, not to mention the sampling bias introduced by New York magazineÂ’s priorities. Still, itÂ’s another indication of the all-over-the-map image that desis present to the outside world, in which we are just as likely to apply our talents to work that comforts existing hierarchies as we are to work that breaks them down.
Wonder how different the prep thingie for Ivy Leage is different from the coaching classes to prepare for IIT entrance exam.
I had a similar thought run through my mind with regards to tutoring classes in India designed to increase your SSC, HSC, college exam scores vs. this Ivywise thing.
There are differences. Preping for the IIT entrance test exam is more similar to taking a Kaplan/Princetion review course. Same thing with tutors in India who help you study for SSC, HSC, whatever. Those tutors are also a regular fixture throughout the academic year and the goal is to boost your score (since thats the only thing that counts in India). Such private (large or small) tutoring institutions act like a second school, really. Most middle class students have access to said tutors, too.
The ‘rich kid’ application thing takes on a whole different level of customization to get into a particular school. I’m sure some IIT grads here can pipe in, but isn’t the IIT entrance exam an open test? Is there any review of extracurricular activities, student ‘image’, essays, etc.?
MTV, will you pimp my college application up?
Enter: Ivywise. Your application will have 20 inch rims, a dvd player, Xbox installed, 15 inch woofers, and a brand new paintjob.
Similar to that is something that was in NYT on monday about Career Coaches
“This is a generation that is literally growing up with others helping them make decisions all the time,” “What’s going to happen when this young person gets the job? Is anyone going to be there at the office with them to help them in this way?”
Xzibhit is free to take on the hosting job for this show
There is a huge difference between the intent behind preparatory courses for Ivy League vs.”coaching classes,” as they are called in India, for IIT. IIT is about having a decent future in an overly competitive society where every vacancy attracts a thousand aspirants. Ivy League, at worst, is about wearing a merit badge for the rest of one’s life, and at best, fetching a higher starting salary. A decent future in the US does not require an Ivy degree or any degree for that matter.
In the desi group, of which I am a proud member (at least most of the time), an Ivy education is about status. Other cultures may brag about their BMW’s and condos in Florida or the Hamptons. Our people like to brag about Ivy League and professional accomplishments. “My son the doctor” is not exclusive to Jewish mothers.
Thanks Jeet, I’m going to make millions with a new company specializing in this!!
You’re right. The IIT entrance has 3 subjects, math, physics and chemistry. Usually it’ll be pretty difficult questions in these three topics. The syllabus usually covers what one usually does in freshman year in college or a bit more.
No, there is nothing about extracurriculars, essays, personality etc.
dammit….another idea stolen just like pushpak viman and math
What’s going to happen when this young person gets the job? Is anyone going to be there at the office with them to help them in this way?
This young person is then constantly on the phone bugging his/her friends for answers.
I guess the problem is not that the children need more assistance, but more so that the parents are trying to satisfy their apprehensions. More-so-ever their is a huge competition between families and within families as to who makes it big. And no parent wants to be left out. These agencies are prescribing to the insecurity of the parent. Previously it was driven from the needs and requirements of the child and the ward in question. But no longer. It appears that the previous generation does not feel comfortable enough with the fact that maybe the next generation can find his or her way around this world. Maybe make a few bad choices here and there, but then hey that is life. And how boring that life would be if was perfect.
and it’s MATHS goddamnit. MATH+S. not MATH.
grrrrr
Bingo. In the United States, your career isn’t going to dramatically change by not getting into a Harvard vs Rice University or Duke. There are several options available academically that one can take, working your way to the top.
In India, mere fractions of percentage points will determine which college, where, what type of field of study, etc. For the same opportunity( say mechanical engineering), the slots available are extremely competitive in mid to lower tier schools, also. A student in good academic standing can apply to 6 top tier schools and probably get into atleast one, pursuing the career they choose, not one thats been assigned to you as a result of your score.
sorry.
Typo. Don’t get ur panties all up in a bunch
Its Kaavya
just like this typo..but did i say anything?
Remember kids– this country functions on “meritocracy”! In America, there are boundless opportunties to be a “self-made man”–who says you need to have a silver spoon in your mouth to “make something of yourself”?! Look at Abe Lincoln! Anybody can come from anywhere and go somewhere!!
This is the beauty of Amreeka.
There was a debacle over a bhang-like, Fijian narcotic drink? 😉
Oh please, get real. For every self-made man/woman, there are hundreds of others who have tried similar stuff but failed. getting into a top college is not a bad aim to have. when one of the edges i have is my parents money, i dont see why i should not use it to get what i want…
DesiCync:
Umm… that was my point. I was being totally sarcastic in my post.
jeet – just poking some fun at how desis say “maths” – that was all!
please. everyone knows i go commando.
I am surprised that so many in this forum are against “coaching classes”. As someone who just came to US, I must tell you that I may not have been here without help. All they did was help me out with my applications for a post grad degree at US universities. It was really my GRE score, my actual extra curricular activities and work experience that got me in.
Also, the case at hand – a high school graduate looking for someone to guide them through college applications. How can you expect a 16 yr old to apply for Ivy League Schools own their own? Dont get me wrong, there are those who can make it without help, but there are numerous who need counselling on how best to present themselves in their applications.
Why even big companies hire consultants to guide them through areas that requires special expertise. For instance every company will hire legal counsel (to potentially avoid law suits), tax advisor (to evade taxes) and so on. How is it any different for a kid (or her parents) to hire application experts to help them in the hightly competitive world of applications?
And coaching classes is not a desi phenomenon, I see so many commericals of Student Learning Centers that provide special coaching for high school kids.
Thanks, -Amit
Er…why?
I used ‘math’ just so that the Americans would understand it, not because it’s correct or wrong. In India, I’d still use ‘maths’. Don’t see why that’s funny either way.
Which is all good until you realize qualitatively speaking, there isn’t that big of a difference between Harvard and other tier one schools. I’m sure if 30k means pennies to you, it wouldn’t matter as much. It just sets a bad precedent in my opinion.
Using every ‘edge’ to get in, particularly shelling out 30K for the
(note: not the education itself) only serves to validate one’s own ego and idea that, educationally speaking, having a Harvard degree as opposed to a Northwestern, Washington University, Rice, Carnigie Mellon, MIT, Stanford, Berkley, Swarthmore, Harvey Mudd, University of Chicago… is significantly better.
It is about the name and brand marketing. You get caught up in the hype, so you pay for it. Doesn’t mean you’re getting better value for it. Those going in believing paying 30K more gives you considerable more value are IMHO mistaken. I’d be disappointed in my own kid if he/she were so hung up on going to ONE college because the name appealed to them so much. Go after the education and knowledge. Plenty of institutions provide that. Validate yourself with your own hard work and sweat. Getting into Harvard doesn’t make you better, learning and expanding your mind there, will (if you choose to do so). Just like any other place.
If having that badge of [Insert your fantasy college here] validates your own ego and boosts your self esteem, the real world has a way of telling you at the end of the day, no one really cares about that label, only what you bring the table. And it needs to be much more than your academic pedigree.
Harvard is an excellent school. Just not the ONLY school.
My 10 cents, YMMV.
Two words Jeet and AmfD. Management Consultancy.
Good use of debacle, sid 🙂
It’s not that you shouldn’t. It’s that other people shouldn’t let you.
When I finished my class XII in small town India, i could apply to ANY college in India without worrying about my getting in and not having enough funds. It DID NOT depend on my families financial status. Of course, the situation is different now, with professional colleges, including IIt, charging incresed fees. But money is cheaper in India now.
On the other hand, applying to college here in AMreeka is such a production……… Parents going on tours to inspect the dorms? Jeez. And the cost of books! Yikes! And the whole “Artificial Slumming” that passes for dorm life.
What one sees on IIT campuses in India is a fair sample, demographically, of what you see on the streets. Not the case here in Amreeka, where it seems like a rich man’s game anyways – why complain about the “coaching” fees?
I sometimes do wake up in a sweat thinking about the possibility that i may have never gone to college if I was born in USA. This never happened growing up in India, even though we were typically middle class.
Neale
Says who???
cheap ass desi:
ok, O Omnipresent CAD! sorry i didnt notice ur sarcastic ” “s.
saurav:
Why not? i agree more with what gujudude said in #22 – i am free to spend 30k on my application, but it may not be worth it in the long run. Its more about the brand name.
Ahh, Haahvud. How I wish I was a Boston Brahmin (is there any other kind?) who went to Harvard instead of the football crazy, beer swilling University of Florida! But seriously, folks, not having “gone Ivy” (that’s how my rather illiterate realtor referred to it) will remain one of the greatest regrets of my life. Not that my career would have been better. Actually, I haven’t done too badly for a State U guy. But I know there is something missing in my life. If my 13 year old daughter maintains her straight A’s through High School, then this parent’s money is going to buy her a Harvard education. Why? Because I am a desi, that’s why.
!!and it’s MATHS goddamnit. MATH+S. not MATH. !!grrrrr
!!!Says who???
math US maths UK
okay …..
A Yahoo finance columnist Laura Rowley says in her article that Success Doesn’t Care Which College You Went To !!
Here’s a snippet :
America, or liberal democracy for that matter, is about freedom primarily–not meritocracy. Freedom of speech does not guarantee the best works of literature will be the best sellers, but what is the alternative to this…for the government to decide which books are best? Obviously the children of the wealthy have an advantage in college admissions (though not has much as the children of those who value education) but again, what is the alternative…for the government to regulate how parents spend their money?
The free market does not guarantee that institutions like Harvard or Yale will be fair (after all, they have institutionalized such anti-meritocracy practices as racial preferences and legacies); but it does put constraints on how far they can go lest they lose the respect of the public, and thus their prestige.
This is not an American problem but a human nature one…life is unfair; and those who want to legislate this unfairness away are just trying to impose their morality on the rest of us.
“Democracy is the worst system of government ever devised, except for all the others that have been tried from time to time.”
Calling Sullivan & Cromwell a white shoe law firm is the understatement of the year. Its the old home of Secretary of State (and architect of the anti-neutralist policy that so plagued India) John Foster Dulles, and his brother, former head of the CIA. If there’s an old boys club that runs the world, Sullivan & Cromwell is in it.
lol….tmi buddy
Saheli, thanks for making that connection. I KNEW the Sullivan & Cromwell name rang a bell. A bell of villainy, that is.
John Foster Dulles was also an architect of Operation Ajax, thus helping the global ‘rich kids’ undermine democracy in that part of the world and retain access to Iranian oil. Certain themes seem to run deep among Sullivan and Cromwell alumni. ~ Desis using their powers for both good and evil? That’ll keep ’em guessing…(p.s. nice analysis, as per usual, o’Ill One)
It is mathS….
short for mathematicS!!
Follow Up of Laura Rowley’s article that I previously mentioned, is here titled Elite Colleges and Success: Readers Battle It Out
It was interesting to read the comments. Most of the readers who wrote back said that Ivy League education didnt make difference in how successful one gets. The most pro ivy league comment came from a Desi. (I wasnt surprised)
Laura mentions the following:
“A survey by the Wharton School found that in 2001, 10 percent of CEOs received undergraduate degrees at one of the eight Ivies; 48 percent earned them from public colleges and universities.”
Help. How do you do that quote thingie? I can’t figure it out. I didn’t go to an Ivy League school.
Anyhow, regarding the above stat, if 10% of the CEO’s received Ivy degrees, that is a very high skew towards Ivy degrees. Surely, Ivy degree holders are not 10% of the degreed population. They are probably less than 1%. The Wharton survey merely substantiates what everybody already knows. An Ivy degree gets you a higher starting position. So your chances of finishing at the top is higher as well, and of course, most times undeservedly so.
RC, I am that pro Ivy desi, and not because I really believe that an Ivy League education is inherently superior. I believe in something called branding, and 99% of the people, including those who hire and promote others, are affected by brands. What’s so wrong with buying a brand name education if one is bright enough or wealthy enough to acquire it? Don’t you buy a nice suit for a job interview?
CEOs represent only a slice of the available jobs. Not everyone wants to be, or is cut out to be a CEO either (plus we’re probably talking a majority of Business schools here). Branding makes a difference when you’re trying to sell an image, not necessarily the substance. CEOs are the public image a of company, whether big or small. And yes, many people do buy into it (again, it doesn’t mean value exists, just the perception of everything is well taken care of).
I’m not pro/anti Ivy. I have my masters from one of them. It wasn’t my top choice (actually 3rd), though it was one of them. The obsession that it’s IVY or bust, atleast in the mind of impressionable young highschoolers with even more impressionable parents is where my beef exists. Again, there is nothing wrong per se with using your resources getting into said colleges. Setting goals for yourself is good. But if you’ve got a good head on you, you’ll do well at any good school. Seriously, it all depends on what you want to do (and rarely to 17 year olds know EXACTLY what they want in life).
Say that 10% of CEO Ivy Leaguers went to other tier one schools, would they still have become CEOs? Do more alpha types attend Ivy leagues, or do the Ivies actually mold/produce more of them? It’s a chicken and the egg argument.
“Branding makes a difference when you’re trying to sell an image, not necessarily the substance.”
Every marketing bone in my body reacts convulsively to the above statement. Branding IS the substance, and image IS the reality. Branding is not some frilly dressing you put around something. It is about capturing the essence of the “thing” and then making sure that you deliver, too. Anyhow, that’s neither here nor there.
I do agree with all your statements regarding Ivy education, except perhaps on the CEO stats. I think if the same 10% of the CEO’s went to non-Ivy schools, many of them will not become CEO’s.
Again, how do you do the quote thingie? It’s driving me nuts.
Floridian,
Why I put that quote about 10% CEO’s is to show that even the highest levels in Babudom (Babu-dom, even CEO is an employee) doesnt have majority IVY leaguers. So what good is the $30,000 spent by parents in prep school to send kids in IVY. Instead if they invest $30,000 by the time the kid is in his/her 50s, he/she can have a small fortune. CEO’s also overwhelmingly are tall people and are mainly men (slowly women are getting there). So it skews the sample in a lot of different ways.
CEO’s arent the only successful people. There are lots of other non-CEO’s who are “successful”. So the bottomline is that IVY league education doesnt make much of a difference. (Save your money. parents 🙂 )
Two points:
1) (in response to GujuDude): Helping a student prepare for a test is completely different from the “application packaging” that groups like “Ivywise” (which one poster mentioned) engage in. What AT does is probably very similar to IIT prep classes, except it’s one-on-one.
2) Alagappan’s company does an enormous amount of pro bono and scholarship tutoring. There’s not much reporting on this, but perhaps there should be.