Many aspects of society and economy are more competitive now than they were a generation or few ago – the likelihood of being upward mobile compared to one’s parents is lower now compared to what the parents saw compared to their parents. This includes college admissions for “desirable” colleges, driven in part by the perception that the job market is more competitive now for college graduates (which may be true or not depending on what type of job is being sought), increasing the desire to go to (what they believe is) a “prestigious” college.
(percentage of children born in each year who eventually earn more than their parents)
