Does graduating from a Top 20 school signal that you are a smart, hardworking person?

[Anonymous]

Is this signaling still valid today, if it ever was to employers, future life partners etc, or has it been severely diluted because of how these elite colleges admit their undergraduate classes today

[Anonymous]

If anything it’s enhanced by how “elite” colleges admit their classes today. Not just rich white boys from high status families anymore.

That said the insane cost of attendance + legacy admission still tilts the playing field in that general direction.

And once you get into (most) elite colleges, it’s hard not to graduate.

[Anonymous]

Maybe. Could also indicate that you are an URM, athlete or legacy.

[Anonymous]

Depends. Is said student graduating with straight As and going on to a prestigious grad program? Yes. Is our student scraping by with a C average and living in mommy and daddy's basement 5 years later? Not so much.

[Anonymous]

Of course.

[Anonymous]

No.

[Anonymous]

It can also be looked upon critically as well. What opportunities did your child have that many others did not? Is it the same as an SAT being unfairly representative of whether or not you will succeed?

[Anonymous]

The answer is “no,” but 99 percent of posters want it to be “yes.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe. Could also indicate that you are an URM, athlete or legacy.

Ready for the racism! Those black and brown students are more impressive than your wealthy privileged DC with a 1400.

[Anonymous]

Not both, no. Some people are brilliant and don’t need to work hard. Others are hardworkers but not terribly intelligent.

Top 20 schools are generally impressive however especially HYPSM.

[Anonymous]

Not necessarily. Probably smart, but not necessarily hard-working. Some people test well and do well in school by innate intelligence, but never learned discipline and hard work bc everything came so easily to them. At some point, when you’re surrounded by equally intelligent people and the stakes are higher, they don’t have the discipline and grit to hang. Some are not even smart but got there through a hook. Some are smart but lack emotional intelligence that will benefit them in the real world.

[Anonymous]

No.

[Anonymous]

It can, or it means you had helicopter parents and a lot of expensive extras. I treat it as a neutral datapoint until I know the person a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The answer is “no,” but 99 percent of posters want it to be “yes.”

I would flip this and say yes but of course that is not always the case.

[Anonymous]

Yes. It's a strong signal, at the very least.

And I know plenty of people who use it, secretly and not so secretly, as a shibboleth and for setting parameters for dating/potential marriage partners.