Elite Colleges Offer a Better Future?

I don’t really think that going to an elite college is necessary for having a good life. Most of it depends on the student’s plans for the future. If a student already knows what subject he or she wants to major on, and the career they want to have, then it is best for that student to apply in a college that offers the things he or she needs. This is what I understood from James Shulman. Here’s a quote from his article:

“It depends on what the institution is trying to do. One could argue that choosing those most likely to apply themselves and take advantage of the exceptional educational resources would be the best investments. Then whether they go into finance or social work, their raw talent has been trained to its maximum potential. But if you’re a school that is trying to beat Yale in swimming, then selecting someone on the basis of her potential in the 100-meter butterfly is a rational investment for the college; the trade-off is that although recruited athletes will go on to have great opportunities, they are likely to perform academically below what their preparation would predict.”

Here he is comparing two types of schools, both that are going for different things. This paragraph convinced me to believe that it doesn’t have to be a well known college because it might not work for you. It’s better to know what you want and then look for schools that can give it to you. But sadly in my opinion his article was one of the least convincing. Unlike this paragraph, the rest of the article talked about sports in colleges. I lost my interest and stopped reading after he lost me.

A professor named Anthony P. Carnevale also wrote an article about college called “Access to Money and Power”. At first I didn’t think it mattered which college you attend as long as you can afford it and it is convenient for you. But after reading Carnevale’s data I am thinking about it more carefully. Carbevale believes that going to and elite college can grant the student with a better life. Here is a quote I found in his article:

“…even among equally qualified students, those who go to the most elite colleges have a much better chance of attending graduate and professional school.”

Even though I do not support his thoughts, I have to admit that they were very persuasive. I didn’t read all of the articles, I probably read like 4 out of 7. And out of the four I read, this one is the one that convinced me to believe that what the person was saying was true.