Two recent notes on college issues

[Anonymous]

Significance of attending top college vs. average college -- top college helps you get a head-start in working world, but ultimately you need to back that pedigree up with merit -- merit ultimately is more important than pedigree
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/how-much-value-does-an-elite-college-provide/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+FreakonomicsBlog+(Freakonomics+Blog)

Gladwell on the limits of college rankings (subscription reqd for full article)
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/02/14/110214fa_fact_gladwell