Maybe Most Parents Need to Worry More About College Choice

[Gatornation]

Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised

There is a basic statistical concept called a correlation coefficient. I thought they had to teach that with every degree. I propose that if you go to MIT or Harvard, it nearly always means you are extremely smart. Because that correlation coefficient is pretty strong (close to a 1.0). That is why there is a perception that MIT means the student is brilliant. On average, they are.

No one is saying that brilliant students are not attending all kinds of colleges around the country. Of course they are! In fact, the smartest kid at say North Dakota State very well may be smarter than the smartest MIT student. I bet there are several thousand kids that don't attend MIT but easily could. Those kids could bump off the top top quartile of students.

Yes. People pass on MIT because it's too much money. Also, people may not want to freeze in the winter so they stay south. There are all kinds of reasons including people don't apply because they are afraid they might not be picked.

So really there isn't a need to discuss the exceptions to the rule (the lazy or awkward MIT guy and compare him to the guy on the cubical next to him). The concept people are trying to explain is the label on the degree WILL open up more doors on average than that kid at North Dakota strictly because of the perception. We understand that some doors will be closed to MIT grads and open to the North Dakota grad. Some doors are closed because an applicant is female or black or older or.... Duh! But MORE doors will open with that MIT diploma. That is the exclusive point that some are trying to make.

It is scary how many people use exceptions to the rule and their own personal experiences. When you don't like facts and data it seems like the response here is to use a personal example.

[toobusytoday]

This thread has become just a series of arguments instead of any kind of discussion. Closed.