Society's Emphasis on Getting into a Good College

A recent TIME article brought to my attention our societal values on colleges. Many parents and students believe that getting into a "brand name" college will automatically guarantee success. It is important to note that success is vague but when employers hire the top students, there is at least a blurry line to where success might derive from. Top students, however, does not mean from top universities. In fact, by using logic, it is safe to say that achieving the top spot in a less prestigious college is easier than achieving the spot in a prestigious one. This is only one example on how students must be reasonable in what they look for. My math teacher told a story on how a student from his school cheated his way into UCLA. Yes, he got into UCLA but could he stand the academic courseload UCLA gave him? No! What society must realize is that top colleges don't guarantee success, but persevering and using reasonableness will help you achieve that very vague word. Thus, instead of working to achieve the college, we must first work to improve ourselves.