<p>The requirements for awarding a degree in this country are pretty minimal. State and regional accreditation associations basically are only concerned with whether the school is viable financially.</p>
<p>But, obviously the smarter the student, the higher the class curve is going to be in most instances. And here there are two schools of thought. One is that it doesn’t matter - within certain parameters - what college you go to; your natural intelligence trumps everything in the long run.</p>
<p>The other school of thought is that the college you choose acts as a kind of signal to others, including employers, grad schools - even who you eventually marry -as to just how smart you really are. My hunch is that the truth lies somewhere in the middle.</p>