But after that, what people can or can't do counts for more. Companies prefer the competent from Podunk to the incompetent from Princeton. What students bring to college matters more than what colleges bring to students. The lesson has relevance beyond elite schools. As a society, we've peddled college as a cure for many ills.
Society needs more skilled workers.
So, send more students to college. College graduates earn much more than high-school graduates. In that, we've succeeded. Perhaps three quarters of high-school graduates go to college, including community colleges. But half or more don't finish.