When does prestige actually matter?

The use of data about where current CEO’s and other successful professionals and academics when to school may be problematic. Most of those people attended elite universities during a different era. Remember that acceptance rates at the most elite schools used to be much higher. In 1980 yale admitted over 25% of applicants. Top students could be assured of a place in an elite school back then. Tuition was also far more affordable. This means that ever greater numbers of high achieving students will be spilling over into “lesser” schools. As those talented and motivated kids climber the various ladders in the real world, the whole landscape of success may look different. Who knows where the CEOs and Professors will have graduated if we check back 30 years from now?

^^^^ Since 400+ undergraduate universities/colleges are the alma maters of CEO’s in the top 1000, I’d say things won’t change much. You can make millions or work your way up coming out of just about any school if you are smart, creative, determined, and hard working. You can also create your own path, with or without college, as many young professionals are doing in the tech and service sectors. I’m still a huge college advocate and it makes sense to me to go to the school that provides you with the best PROGRAM fit (and one you can afford without taking on a mountain of debt). Students are going to be successful if they are passionate about what they do, not just check boxes like they did in high school. If that means turning down a higher ranked school, so be it.