@theloniusmonk that’s why I put the word “elite” in quotes…meaning perception of elite vs. maybe the reality. As I am sure you area aware, especially if you follow other threads on CC, there are some people obsessed with Ivies. If you happened to have ever seem my posts on the topic, you would see that I am NOT one of those people.
I do look at salary information a lot and from what I can see, earning potential seems to be a function of not only prestige of the school but also the “techiness” (is that a word?) of the school. So you may see a Penn State engineering major making more than a philosophy major from Brown, of course. I think I have seen reports over the years suggesting there is some correlation, but I don’t have any links. But if you think about the extreme examples, I would venture to guess that and average Econ major graduating from Harvard would probably have more earning potential than an Econ major from Loyola Maryland (which is an excellent school). But I’m sure there are some Econ majors from LM that make more than Econ majors from Harvard, on a case by case basis. But overall, chances are, at least in my opinion, the same major at the more prestigious school might create more lucrative opportunities. There are of course so many other factors, like geography, connections, right place/right time, etc. But all things being equal, I think in the extreme cases, the more “elite” the more financial potential.