[ucqwerty]

I am surprised to see that nobody is really arguing that there is a correlation.

I will agree that there are a lot of people who do well in school but have a hard time adjusting after school. I agree that usually it's those that have less developed social skills. They may do really well at school because it's just their personality to love the material they're studying, and no other particular strengths of character.

But, I think the skills that most successful people use to do well in school are the same skills required to do well in life. School isn't just about crazy amounts of studying, it's also about being resourceful, networking to make life easier for yourself, being original, and creating an image for yourself. The skills required to get a good research position are the same skills required to get a good job. The skills required to lead a good research project are the same skills required to lead a good company. Unless you are the type of student that lives for memorizing things and completing tests, the skills you learn in university are the same skills needed in life. I strongly believe that success in university is a stepping stone towards success in life. Of course, some people that do well in school don't do well after school, and some people that do well in life didn't go to school, but I think those are exceptions rather than the rule.

Also, if you take a look at the world's billionaires, you will find that the majority are highly educated. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffett, Donald Trump, Sergey Brin and Larry Page all had what it took to do very well in school (and they did do well). World Leaders are for the most part also well educated. Academics are obviously well education. I'm not too sure about humanitarians since I have not studied them extensively. But those categories take care of a lot of different types of success. Most importantly, if you're not planning to be a world authority on something, I don't have a statistic, but I bet you're more likely to have more "common" success (e.g. not world fame) if you're educated.

I realize that I am arguing something slightly different then what you are asking for. I just don't want this thread turning into an education put-down. Education is a stepping stone in life, and every step matters.