I don’t dispute really anything that you say, except for a couple of things. In a number of fields, Ivy or equivalent is a common screen for top job opportunities. Connections sure do help in a number of areas.
And, back to my original point, on a financial level, in a subsidized environment, it doesn’t really matter if an education that costs 3x as much only ‘returns’ twice the lifelong salary: you’re better off earning twice the long-term salary, because that income dwarfs your original education costs—and you’re not paying those costs fully anyway.
“And, back to my original point, on a financial level, in a subsidized environment, it doesn’t really matter if an education that costs 3x as much only ‘returns’ twice the lifelong salary: you’re better off earning twice the long-term salary, because that income dwarfs your original education costs—and you’re not paying those costs fully anyway.”
Fair enough- on a hypothetical situation where an Ivy education yields twice the lifetime salary, your point is well taken. That hypothetical is wildly improbable if you consider two comparable individuals one Ivy, one not though-
For the vast majority, a financial comparison and ROI is not only reasonable, but recommended - in my opinion.