Whether or not you succeed isn't determined by the college degree you have – or

lack – but your own motivation and drive.

The successful people in America at least attended a university, even if they didn't

graduate, and developed important skills while they were there.

Dropping out of college is risky if you don't have a job waiting for you, or don't have

any concrete plans about making money.

While there are successful people who

dropped out of college, the current leaders in the United States are overwhelmingly

college graduates.

"Numerous media stories and even famous billionaires are glamorizing dropouts or

encouraging kids to skip college entirely." (Paragraph 4)

"While it's true there are successful college dropouts, statistically speaking, they are

not the norm…we found that the vast majority of the country's success stories are

college graduates,"(Paragraph 5)

"Yet, our data show that for students with talent and motivation to make it to the top

of U.S. society, an elite college might just help you get there…" (Paragraph 11)

"However, if you're a student thinking about not going to college or considering

dropping out, remember that even Gates and Zuckerberg got into college." (Paragraph

13)

to stress that young people can't succeed without a degree right now

to criticize Zuckerberg's and Gates' approach to a college education

to emphasize how important a college degree is in America right now

to show the benefits of attending an elite school over an average one