Elite Colleges

In my opinion, the most persuasive person in this debate was Richard D. Kahlenberg. He used numbers and studies to back up his evidence and he gave reasonable arguments. In his article, Kahlenberg said that the wages someone makes can be influenced from 5 to 20 percent just by attending a prestigious university. He also said the wage gap between public school graduates and private school graduates can grow over time.

Entry level earnings are 45 percent higher for graduates of the most selective institutions compared with the least selective, and the wage gap may grow over time. One study suggests almost all of the higher earnings can be attributed to the talent of incoming students (as opposed to the value added by the college) but most studies find the wage boost provided by selective institutions themselves to be between 5 percent and 20 percent. http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/11/29/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college/yes-college-choice-makes-a-difference

In his article, he uses studies and numbers to back up his viewpoints. He also writes professionally and does not try to say "you're wrong" to people who disagree with him. I also think this is the most persuasive because he provides reasonable arguments. For example, he said at a selective institution, a student is surrounded by talented and high achieving peers. I like the point he makes here because he is saying that if you go to a selective institution, you will be immersed in talent.
The article I found to be the least persuasive in my opinion was "Skip the Admissions Game" by Kevin Carey. I did not find this persuasive because he wrote unprofessionally and used sarcasm in his article.

They're nice places to hang out for four years and you'll probably learn a few things. Even if you don't, you'll still get a piece of paper signifying that you were smart enough to get in and rich enough to pay for it. People care about stuff like that. http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/11/29/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college/skip-the-admissions-game

In this excerpt, I found that he is just saying the rich can go to elite schools and they are a breeze to get through. First of all, colleges provide financial aid for those who qualify. Secondly, college is not a breeze for all people and you can not get through without learning something.