Rachel Askinasi

<p>It's no wonder people put Ivy League schools on such a pedestal. Between all the movies and television shows featuring Harvard and Yale — remember Rory Gilmore's inner struggle when it came to choosing between the two? — and the clout of having a degree from one of the elite eight northeastern universities, who wouldn't think everything about the schools is a dream?</p>

<p>While the academics at these schools is unquestionably prestigious — and they have educated <a id="a72bcd7a-bc9f-329d-acc4-9cfe313880ae" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-famous-harvard-alumni-2013-10?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  some of the country's most well-known minds </a> — it doesn't mean life on the campuses is as well.</p>

<p>Dorm rooms are small and dining hall food is exactly that. The campuses are beautiful, but <a id="b1defb9a-92c0-39d5-a749-24fec3fd346c" href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/most-beautiful-college-campuses-us-2018-8">  there are a vast amount of non-Ivy campuses that are as well </a> . While the Ivy League was originally formed to create a sport conference, and its teams often make it into tournaments, there are plenty of teams at schools all across the country that are constantly beating them out for titles.</p>

<p>Take a look at these photos proving life at an Ivy is no different from life at any other top university in the country.</p>

<h1> Growing up, its easy to think of Ivy League colleges as the pinnacle of higher education in every way. </h1>

<p>Yana Paskova/Stringer/Getty Images</p>

<h1> Whether you watched "Gilmore Girls" ... </h1>

<h1> ... or "Gossip Girl," the idea of attending an Ivy was everywhere. </h1>

<h1> There is some confusion, though, about what schools are actually part of the Ivy League. </h1>

<h1> The elite group of eight includes Harvard University ... </h1>

<p>Paul Marotta/Stringer/Getty Images</p>

<p>Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Stringer/Getty Images</p>

<p>Mike Cohea/Brown University via Getty Images</p>

<h1> ... University of Pennsylvania ... </h1>

<p>Gilbert Carrasquillo/Stringer/Getty Images</p>

<h1> While the Ivys are known for their academic prestige, the grouping of Northeastern schools was originally conceived out of athletic competition. </h1>

<p>Corey Perrine/Stringer/Getty Images</p>

<h1> Many people believe Stanford University is an Ivy League school. </h1>

<p>Source: <a id="300517c1-6e34-3db4-a184-bcdead6d39a8" href="https://www.quora.com/Why-do-so-many-people-think-Stanford-is-an-Ivy-League-school">  Quora </a></p>

<h1> By academic standards, it more than fits the bill. </h1>

<h1> And so does the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). </h1>

<p>Marcio Jose Bastos Silva/Shutterstock</p>

<h1> However, neither of these schools is part of the Ivy League conference. The formation of the league had little to do with academia; it is — at its core — a sports conference, much like the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big Ten Conference (B10), and Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12). </h1>

<h1> The schools within the Ivy League conference compete in all types of sports. From track and field ... </h1>

<p>J. A. Hampton/Stringer/Getty Images</p>

<p>General Photographic Agency/Stringer/Getty Images</p>

<p>Adam Glanzman/Stringer/Getty Images</p>

<h1> ... and football — just to name a few. </h1>

<h1> Possibly the most well-known of the Ivy League rivalries is the one between Harvard and Yale. </h1>

<p>Source: <a id="13a75c09-71f8-3057-aa34-bde04f49d432" href="https://www.quora.com/Are-the-Harvard-Yale-and-Columbia-Cornell-rivalries-as-fierce-as-everyone-says-they-are">  Quora </a></p>

<h1> Even in terms of athletic excellence, though, theres nothing exceptional about the teams at Ivy League schools. </h1>

<h1> Because of the academic reputation, high tuition rates, low acceptance rates, and the label of a private college, its easy to assume that life on any of these campuses is unimaginably luxurious. </h1>

<h1> The ivy-draped stone buildings do give the scenery a certain nuance ... </h1>

<h1> ... but in reality, these campuses arent much different from others around the country. </h1>

<h1> Like many universities, the dorms dont really look like they do in the brochures or movies. </h1>

<p>"Legally Blonde"/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.</p>

<h1> While students may be dreaming of an Elle Woods-esque setup, reality at Harvard looks a bit more like this. </h1>

<h1> In fact, living arrangements can be so cramped that students at Harvard have been known to remove their closet doors because theres no room for them to swing open. </h1>

What it's really like to attend an Ivy League school

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Rachel Askinasi

Articles written by the author

What it's really like to attend an Ivy League school