Money or Prestige

cherokeejew
Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:58:39 +0000

However, empirical studies have not shown such a correlation - students accepted to Harvard who chose not to attend earned the same as those who chose to attend. The ability and motivation which leads to acceptance to Harvard drives success, rather than the Harvard degree.

Personally, I would trivially choose the first - and I walked the walk. I took a full scholarship at only the #8 or 9 ranked law school, rather than paying to attend a more prestigious school. And that was only worth about $140,000, and prestige is much more significant for law schools.

A tougher choice might be $1 million on the condition that you would never attend any college. There, the opportunities and careers are certainly substantially different.