PEDIGREE

Columbia, MIT Not Elite Enough?

Study says major firms only want “top-five” schools.

If you want to work your way into the American aristocracy, it’s still possible—just don’t go to some mediocre college like Columbia or MIT. New research from a professor at Northwestern University says the leading law firms, investment banks, and consultancy firms are only interested in job candidates who went to “top five” schools: Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton and Wharton. And even then, recruiters eschew any candidate who is “boring,” a “tool,” or a “bookworm,” opting instead for people who have accomplished something outside of school, like climbing a renowned mountain, or winning a national championship. (That depends on the sport; crew is good, ping pong less so.) Some schools once considered a part of the elite club may no longer be. Some recruiters, for example, called Columbia University “second tier” or “just OK.”