went to less reputable schools. What do Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Hanks, Guy Fieri, Morgan Freeman all have in common? They all attended community college. Oprah went to Tennessee State University, which is ranked in the 300s by the US News and World Report. For the average student how successful you are depends on what you do in college, not where you go. For instance, graduate school admissions schools scores. usually leadership, These for a high GPA, involvement in extracurriculars, high test factors depend on the person and their level of effort, not the institution. For example, the Harvard Law School students from Arizona University, Fairleigh class of 2023 includes Christian Dickinson University, Gordon College, and Wagner College. These are a few of the less prestigious schools that make up the class. Top graduate schools pick the best students from across the country that excel at their school, not the bottom of the class from prestigious schools. Also the sole act of graduating from college can have a large impact on earning potential. By just graduating from college, men, on average, earn $900,000 more in a lifetime, while women make $630,000 more, according to data from the Social Security Administration. Also it is important to remember that there’s more to life than how much money you make. Higher earnings don’t necessarily correlate and with happiness. In 2018, a Purdue University amount, study found that $105,000 is the ideal income for life satisfaction in North America. Upwards of this the amount of income doesn’t increase the individual’s happiness. Someone’s happiness “Someone’s happiness and look what makes a good college is dependent upon the needs of the individual student and that is different for everyone.” what makes a good college is dependent upon the needs of the individual student and that is different for everyone. For some people, a smaller school with more individualized attention is what they need to be successful. For others, the competitive environment of a school like the Ivy Leagues might not be the best fit either. It’s all about finding the environment where you can grow the most as a student and a person, not the ranking and reputation of the school. This obsession with prestige is more of a product of a consumerist society, obsessed with marketing top colleges investment. have shifted from as a life-changing Colleges themselves prioritizing education to large firms competing to paint themselves as the best and only providers of the ideal college experience. incentive to Colleges have the advertise themselves this way and charge a higher tuition if consumers, or students, are willing to pay it. But no matter what these schools would like you to think, college is just another choice everyone has to make. Whether someone can get into or afford one of these prestigious schools will not determine their wealth or happiness. and 22
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