Who Needs Harvard?

I visited Time.com and was pleasantly surprised that the cover story was entitled "Who Needs Harvard?" This article shows a very modern view of college admissions where the idea of branded Ivy League schools may not necessarily be the best choice for everybody. Read it and be convinced! Here are some teaser quotes from the article:

"The rules have changed. The world has changed...COLLEGE IS A MATCH TO BE MADE, NOT A PRIZE TO BE WON."

"Just because you haven't heard of a college doesn't mean it's no good," argues Marilee Jones, the admissions dean at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an outspoken advocate of the idea that parents need to lighten up. "Just as you've changed and grown since college, colleges are changing and growing."

"only seven CEOs from the current top 50 FORTUNE 500 companies were Ivy League undergraduates."

From a parent: "I was thinking name brand in the beginning, but now I really believe in this match idea."

Although I do not downplay the value of branding, I believe that the most important consideration for choosing a college is the fit or match of the students' giftings and passions and what the school can actually offer. In the end, success in life is not determined by what name is reflected in the diploma. Just as Pope mentioned in the article: "It's your own specific gravity, not the name of the school, that matters."