<p>You feel this way because higher education has been successfully “branded” so most look at picking colleges as they look at buying cola, watches, or cars. This really took off in 1983 with the first USNWR rankings that fooled people into thinking that something as complex as a college could be easily summarized with a ranking.</p>
<p>You also feel this way because most people think that attending a brand name college will translate to higher pay, and they think that the criterion for success and happiness is money, instead of so many other possibilities such as health, purpose, good relationships, close family life, spirituality, etc.</p>