Throughout reading the seven debates about whether or not one attends an elite school, it affects their future, two especially stuck out at me: Merit and Race, by Luis Fuentes-Rohwer, a professor of law at Indiana University, and What You Do vs. Where You Go, by Martha (Marty) O'Connell, the executive director of Colleges That Change Lives, a nonprofit organization.  Merit and Race caught my eye as the least persuasive, and relevant essay.  First of all, none of the statistics given were backed up with any concrete sources, and also, Fuentes-Rohwer based most of his debate on ethnicity, which had little to do with the actual prompt.  He barely mentioned his position: the higher ranking the college, the better, and backed it up with little, unverified information, and moved onto how colleges were important for minority groups to survive in the real world.  I do agree with what he was saying, that elite colleges help minorities get noticed when competing for a job, where the employer is racist of has stereotypes in mind while decide who the best candidate for the job is, But it has nothing to do with whether or not an elite college is better, and more beneficial for all. 

On the other hand, I really noticed Martha O’Connell’s debate about how it is how hard one works and how he carries himself into the next stage that determines how well he does in his lifetime.  I enjoyed the mention of the first hand experience with the high school kids that she displayed how many successful people didn’t come from elite colleges or colleges at all.  This made me feel as though I was on a more personal not with O’Connell than with any of the other writers.  Also, I liked that her writing over flowed, with an easy-to-read vocabulary.  It made it interesting to read without getting boring.  Instead of using information from research, she used her own, first hand data and data that is undeniable (the famous people not going to elite colleges, just working hard). She also added a layer of SAT scores to finish off the debate, and give some strong concrete detail.  Over all, it was an easy-to-read piece with a lot of great writing and points.