<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t suppose you have any data to back this up? Also, consider the case of a Harvard grad and a Swarthmore grad competing for the same job. Who do you think is getting the job? I think the Harvard grad has numerous advantages, most notably better name-brand recognition and a more extensive and better placed graduate network. So, all other things being equal (and they aren’t, seeing as how Harvard students have better SATs than Swarthmore students on average to begin with), my money is on the Harvard student.</p>
<p>Also, higher graduate school matriculation rates for Swarthmore graduates could be related to not having as much success at immediately finding a job right out of college. I know plenty of people who went back to graduate school after spending some time in the workforce after graduation. How many of them would have gone to graduate school if their jobs were paying significantly more? Probably not as many. Perhaps one of the contributing factors to Harvard students not going to graduate school at the same rate is that they do so well for themselves immediately after graduating from college.</p>