Your article is well-written and provocative for those in the higher education competition. It may be irrelevant for the vast majority of high school students.

I spent time as a high school teacher and am a graduate of an elite Eastern college where I had a good time and got a good education. But although I am grateful for the broad education I got, the degree turned out to be of little importance. It sometimes seemed to make a difference with my initial interviews after graduating, but that's it. It cost my father a lot of money, and I think that, with effort on my part, I could have gotten the same or similar education at hundreds of colleges. I certainly don't see that I've "succeeded" in life more than thousands of others who went to less prestigious colleges. I wish kids coming out of high school (and their parents) could see that.

I have more interest in the millions of students who did not enter the higher education competition, either because they didn't have the qualifications or didn't care. These are the people who will make up the bulk of American citizenry in the years to come (as they do now). Helping to develop a passion in them for something to rely on for financial and personal satisfaction is far more important, to my mind, than Harvard's additions to the pool of American elite. For those millions, it is critical that they learn such things as learning how to think and learn, respect for other people, and belief in themselves. These qualities, far more than intellectual achievements by the few, are what will determine the future fate of America and the world.