Where You Went To College, Why -- & Did It Do Any Good?

There's a fun and well-written set of articles this week on getting into college -- and whether it matters:

In The New Yorker, the enviable Malcolm Gladwell dissects the American obsession whith attending elite colleges, reminds us that the link between attending an elite school and doing amazing things in life is not so clear, and chronicles how places like Harvard have over time evolved the selection criteria by usuing factors like athleticism and character to get the student body they want -- and maintain the "brand" they have created: Who gets into Harvard and why.

In Slate, the equally enviable though not quite so young and suave Jay Mathews talks about which college reference books are the best (besides his): The Old College Try.

Last but not least, the Times reminds us of the conomic value of college attendance, which is apparently on the decline: College Still Counts, Though Not as Much.