Here are some ways people get rich by going to an Ivy League college:
- Job at a Top Firm
If you look on Linkedin, you will see the school of each person’s account and the company where they work. More often than not, the most prestigious companies have the most number of Ivy Leaguers. There are at least four different types of companies where you can make lots of money right out of school: technology, finance, consulting and law firms. These companies concentrate their recruiting at Ivy League universities most often. Therefore, if you just get a job at a top firm, make the high salaries, save your money, max out the 401k and other retirement plans, you will do very well.
2. Start their own Companies
Did you know Warby Parker was started by UPenn graduates? The Ivy League is full people who have started innovative technology companies. According to Forbes, in an analysis of 13,000 startup founders, Pitchbook added first-round funding between 2006 and the end of August 2019 by the startup founder’s university, 9 out of the 10 top schools for venture capital (VC) came from the United States’ Silicon Valley and Ivy League universities. The colleges that boasted the most VC-backed startups are Stanford, UC Berkeley, MIT, Harvard, University of Michigan, Tel Aviv, University of Texas and University of Illinois. Stanford produced such companies as DoorDash and Snapchat. Between 2012 and 2017, the following universities produced students with the most successful patent applications (indicator of innovation): Stanford, MIT, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, University of Washington, UNC Chapel Hill, KU Leuven (Belgium), University of Southern California, Cornell and Imperial College London (UK).
3. Network with Classmates and Alum
Ivy Leaguers tend to trust other Ivy Leaguers, so they are more interested in networking with their fellow classmates and alumni. When you are looking to start a company, or are seeking a job, you are more likely to be successful when reaching out to former classmates in the network. Some places to network include LinkedIn and the Ivy Clubs, as well as alumni associations.
4. Marry a Rich Classmate
According to Forbes, the most number of billionaires come from the Ivy League, many of whom inherited family money. Inheritance and marriage remain the top way that people become wealthy, and there is a large concentration of single wealthy individuals at Ivy League universities. Read How to Get Your MRS Degree in College for more details.