I’m saying that the USNWR and other ranking systems provide a relative measure of the aptitude of the admitted students and of the university’s resources and academic strengths. I’m saying that HS students and their parents are consumers and have the right to investigate the best choices for their money; rankings are one tool in that endeavor. I’m saying that many companies believe that graduates from these highly-ranked universities are best prepared to be productive employees. I’m saying that there is a network of graduates from these universities and that these connections often matter in one’s career. I’m saying that it’s disingenuous for Frank Bruni, who attended elite universities and works at a company that favors graduates from elite universities, to claim that it doesn’t matter where you go to college.