At a top university, the brand isn’t the only thing that you’ll get
besides your education. The friends you make on campus can be just
as valuable. Some of those friends will drop off the face of the earth,
sure, but some of them will go on to acquire assets, or skills, or
connections of their own that, properly networked, may be just what
you need to succeed in your own future endeavors. Some of my most
trusted advisors and business partners are people I met at UCLA, and
later at Haas. I know I would not have had the success I’ve had without
those experiences and friendships.
The problem with this advice, and I’ll be the first to admit it, is that
it’s unfair. The cost of college is ruinously expensive; four years’
tuition, plus room and board, at even a second-tier school can run you
a quarter million dollars. And though many top-tier schools can offer
generous financial-aid packages—financial aid at Ivy League schools,
for example, is already so substantial that kids from average income
households already get not only free tuition, they get free room and
board—it often isn’t tuition that keeps bright poor kids out of the best
schools. To take advantage of these programs, those bright poor kids
have to get admitted, and that means competing with kids who’ve had
private tutors, SAT prep classes, and every field trip imaginable. They
also have to compete against “legacies”—kids whose parents are
alumni of that school. And they have to compete against kids whose
parents have been donating money to the school for years, and who
play golf with the dean.
If you can’t get into a fancy college, what should you to do?
Transfer. In most cases, it’s a whole lot easier to get into a good school
as a junior, where dropouts have left empty slots, rather than as a
freshman, where you’re up against everybody. Get into a second- or
even third-tier university... and then work your ass off: a great GPA,
honors programs, awards, service clubs, etc. This is also a much
cheaper route as well.
Certification
Needless to say, not everyone should go to college, for one reason or
another. So, if college is not an option, what to do? Seek certification.