The Myth of College Prestige

And why your kid’s early decision meltdown is likely unwarranted

Happy new year, and I hope everyone had a restful holiday!

Today’s post will be brief, but I think it’s so important.

A few weeks ago, early decision notifications were sent out, and high schoolers nationwide flipped out. College admissions was an extremely stressful public spectacle when I was in high school, and it seems like it’s about a thousand times worse now, with kids videotaping themselves as they open their emails and posting the news on social media. (Seriously, why is this fun for all of you?)

The disappointment that kids experience when they get deferred or—worse—rejected is intense. I get it, and it’s difficult to minimize the many concrete ways that it stinks in the short-term. Senior fall is a stressful time for everyone, and not getting into college early prolongs and amplifies that stress. While the kids who are admitted early can breathe a sigh of relief and take their feet off the gas for the remainder of the school year, those who aren’t have to keep up their grades and finish up all their regular decision applications. Plus, many kids struggle to cope with the many uncertainties that lie ahead, and they feel embarrassed when they have to share with their classmates the news that they didn’t get accepted.

More broadly, though, kids have long-term, existential worries about college admissions that are largely unfounded. Many high school communities have promoted the narrative that college is the end game, and getting into the best possible college is their primary goal. Thus, if kids don’t get into their top choice then, essentially, they failed, and all their work was for naught.

In response, I want to highlight a body of research that suggests that this narrative is false, and in reality, where you go to college doesn’t really matter.

In a series of papers, economists Stacy Dale and Alan Krueger found that, for most students, college prestige did not predict future earnings, once they controlled for the students’ qualifications upon entering college. In other words, a student will ultimately earn the same amount of money regardless of whether they attend Penn or Penn State; a student’s innate abilities matter much more than the name brand that is attached to their undergraduate education.

So my advice to high schoolers is to relax a little bit about the rat race. Use your time in high school to develop the skills you need to succeed as students, as professionals, and as people, and choose the college that you think will bring out the best in you. Also, do what makes sense financially for you and your family. College is a huge investment, so maximize it.

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Happy New Year! Enjoy this dream cast and their inconsequential lyrical changes!