A Brand Name World

In “The Passion Project”, an important concept is the influence of conformity in society and its effects on how a person leads their life. In the recent phenomenon of brand name educations, the notion of society’s demands and expectations are exposed. In many schools across the country, prestige colleges, STEM, and high paying careers are emphasized to no end, while alternative life choices are often discouraged. Instead of opening students to alternative career and educational paths such as trade schools, community college, and the military, students are indoctrinated to accept only brand name schools as the legitimate path to a shining future. In Paul Sullivan’s New York Times article, “Measuring College Prestige Vs. Cost of Enrollment”, he explores the origin of the college success myth by observing that, “Parents have come to see the elite universities as the only way to give their children a chance at success. They feel jobs are hard to come by and companies are only going to look to hire at the elite universities” (2). Because of this idea that prestigious colleges guarantee successful careers, many people have come to the conclusion that non-brand name colleges guarantee non-successful careers. This line of reasoning reinforces the college myth and alienates parents and students from considering other educational paths outside the prestiged norm. In addition, Paul Sullivan examines the evidence used to discredit the college myth through research that found that “Equally smart students had about the same earnings whether or not they went to top tier colleges” (3). This study reinforces the argument that a brand name college does not necessarily guarantee a better future in the long run. Despite the evidence, however, society and educational institutions continue to stress that possessing an education from a big name campus is synonymous with success. In the midst of this indoctrination it is important to remember that it is not the college that determines our future, but rather the actions of the students who make do and overcome.