@johnwick3 , Why do you care? How do you rate what is a “Top 20” or “elite” college?
You should go where you are happiest. Many kids get this wrong. Going to an Elite College doesn’t make your life easier, and provides no guarantee of being on Easy Street. It is what you do while at college that matters, not so much where you go.
Which person has the better chance at a top grad school or good job post college?
a) Goes to an elite college, has a 2.7 GPA, and scores 80 percentile on grad school exams. Doesn’t do much in terms of a summer internship or extracurriculars. Majors in Philosophy.
b) Goes to your average public state school, gets a 3.8 GPA, scores 95 percentile on grad school exams, loads up on internships and extracurriculars. Majors in Engineering, Finance, or Marketing.
I’m going with B. See what I mean?
Yes, if you go to an elite college, and do all of option B, you have a slightly better chance of getting the prize. But not enough to make a major difference.
Trust me–I went to a top public university, got an MBA at a very good business school, and still had difficulty getting my first job, but am doing well now. I have a friend who went to Wharton for his MBA and he is struggling and has been for years. His degree from Wharton means next to nothing for his current job.