In works of literature the term Ivy League invariably connotes vanity, affectation, hypocrisy, selfishness, snobbishness... and some young scions of the rich and powerful have refused to study there simply to accentuate their rebelliousness and sense of social justice.
在許多文學作品中，「長春藤」一詞總帶有「虛榮」、「矯飾」、「虛情假意」、「自私自利」、「勢利眼」…… 等含意，還有貴族子弟以「拒絕進長春藤盟校念書」來凸顯自己的叛逆性和社會正義感。