This is getting more depressing...perhaps I'm the only one who thinks this way, so forgive me. But I see (generally, not just here) an over-emphasis on admissions to and degrees from prestigious colleges for many wrong reasons.
Students overburden themselves with activities and competitions, etc, and the primary purpose seems to be to gain admission to places that will give them the "right" credentials.
It seems wrong to put so much emphasis on doing something to get in and not because the kids just want to do it. I feel like we're creating automatons.
And as for prestige as a route to the right credentials, what happened to learning how to think and pondering important ideas? Technology is great, but when we don't give ourselves space to think about what we're doing, we're at risk for making bad decisions and getting ourselves into trouble (Wall St; the mortgage debacle; etc.).
And for what it's worth, DH has a very good job at a very good company, and he didn't go to an IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL. I know many others with similar backgrounds. Most hiring managers I know, including me, care less about pedigree than about "Do you know you're talking about and can you get stuff done?" It might matter for academic jobs at certain universities and at some VC/Wall St. firms, but that's a tiny slice of the world of work.
