Elite Colleges Debate

After reading all seven different response posts addressing the debate of "Does It Matter Where You Go to College," I decided the most persuasive response post was What You Do vs. Where You Go by Martha (Marty) O'Connell. She states that a student's decision of what he or she chooses to do with his or her time in college is more important than the school he or she chooses to attend because spending time in college resourcefully contributes to the student's success in college and beyond:

The key to success in college and beyond has more to do with what students do with their time during college than where they choose to attend.

This line interested me the most because it stated the truth - that hard work contributes to success. If an individual graduating from an Ivy League school with a Masters Degree applies to the same job as another individual graduating from a lesser known college or university with a PhD, the individual graduating from the lesser known college has a higher likelihood of getting hired. Even though the company may look at the resume from the person graduating from an Ivy League school first, the other individual is more likely to get hired because he or she spent additional time and effort in college.
In addition to finding What You Do vs. Where You Go as the most persuasive post, I find this response the least persuasive.

The “oohs” and “aahs” follow as the audience learns that Steven Spielberg, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates dropped out of college, that Oprah Winfrey is an alumna of Tennessee State and that Ken Burns graduated from Hampshire College.

Although this quote supports her idea of what a student chooses to do in college or university is more important than which college or university he or she chooses to attend, it also counters that very same argument. Using Oprah Winfrey and Ken Burns as examples positively contributes to her point because both of these individuals graduated from lesser known colleges and became successful; however, using Steve Spielberg, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates as examples counter her point because, as O'Connell states, they "dropped out of college." How could college make them successful if they quit? Using them as examples can imply that individuals can become successful even if they do not go to college - which, sadly, is true for some people.
Therefore, I conclude that What You Do vs. Where You Go is the response I choose as both most persuasive and least persuasive.