College: The Ultimate Indication of Class

I'm going to be honest here: I've been completely apathetic to the very thought of college for many years. Although my parents had been encouraging me to show the slightest bit of interest, I wouldn't budge. And to make matters worse, the meetings with my college counselor had virtually no effect on me. But finally, something clicked in my brain over the weekend. For hours, I sat at the computer surfing through website after website, looking for a college that would be right for me.

The funny thing is that I couldn't think of anything to write about for my blog post. And then it hit me. COLLEGE. After everything I had read over the weekend, I had subconsciously accepted the notion that college would act as a social marker in my life. I could be in the "elitist", upper class. Or the average, relatively mediocre middle class. Or I might not go to college at all, and find myself in the lower class. The place I go would very likely define my social class for the rest of my life. Scary thought, isn't it?

   

Consider a place like Harvard. Once you leave the university, you're all set for life. You'll have an unbelievable amount of knowledge, including a broad vocabulary base and the ability to speak very properly. You'll have to make an effort to not get a high paying job  (in fact, take a look at top tier college salaries here). You'll have friends of the same, educated, wealthy class. And you'll come out feeling better than everybody else, because, well, you went to Harvard and they didn't.

But suppose you don't go to Harvard. Sure, you'll probably have a comfortable life. But you won't have the same lucrative job offerings. Your education, although quality, won't be nearly as comprehensive. Your best friends will most likely be middle class, like you. And you won't have the same optimism in your life as someone from a top tier school. Chances are, you'll settle down in a decent, middle class neighborhood with an average salary and friends of the same social class.

Finally, consider somebody who doesn't go to college. You know what that most likely means, right? Poor salary. Small, compressed place to live. Cheap clothing. Lower class friends. Fast food. Although these aren't necessarily true, I'd say they typically are, at least to a much greater extent than in the two cases referenced above. And how would you get to the upper class? That's a mystery. Honestly, it would take a miracle to go from having no college degree to settling down in the North Shore. 

And that's why I argue that college is the greatest indicator of (future) class. In fact, that's what college is all about. Finding out where you truly belong. Should you live your life in proximity to alumni from Princeton? Or should you rent an apartment and work as the manager of the nearest Dominoes? It all starts with college. And I guess that explains why I've suddenly become so interested in the college process. Because looking forward, I want to be a part of the upper class. And to get there, I have to get engaged in the process, and (hopefully) get accepted to a top tier university. 

What do you think? Is there another indication of class that supersedes college?