In a recent study, we investigated how many of the wealthiest and most influential people graduated college. We studied 11,745 U.S. leaders, including CEOs, federal judges, politicians, multi-millionaires and billionaires, business leaders and the most globally powerful men and women.
We found about 94 percent of these U.S. leaders attended college, and about 50 percent attended an elite school. Though almost everyone went to college, elite school attendance varied widely. For instance, only 20.6 percent of House members and 33.8 percent of 30-millionaires attended an elite school, but over 80 percent of Forbes' most powerful people did. For whatever reason, about twice as many senators – 41 percent – as House members went to elite schools.
For comparison, based on census and college data, we estimate that only about 2 to 5 percent of all U.S. undergraduates went to one of the elite schools in our study. The people from our study attended elite schools at rates well above typical expectations.
Why waste $150,000 on an education you could get for $1.50 in late fees at the public library?
(Score: 2) by eravnrekaree on Friday April 21 2017, @08:03PM
Most of the people who go to elite schools are children of wealthy individuals. Elite schools are just a way to ensure that the children of the elite end up in positions of power. It has little or nothing to do with merit. It is nepotism because it keeps power in the hands of a few elite families. College really isnt about "education", basically, its a racket designed to extract money from you and to in the case of elite colleges, to ensure power stays in the hands of elite families. Everything you learn in college could be learnt more effecitively and for far less money on your own time using a library, and in a much more enjoyable manner since you are not so worried about rote memorization and regurgitation. Rote memorization and regurgitation is not education, its just mindless repitition. In addition, it causes learning to become such a drudgery it causes early burn out and a loss of creativity. Study and learn art, math, science and history on your own time and your own terms and I think for most people I think you will become far better informed, much more interested in it and find it for more enjoyable than college, with all of the tests, grades and rote memorization out of the equation. Rote memorization takes away critical thinking and understanding and really serves no purpose whatsoever except to turn people into dazed, burned out zombies.