An interesting, but not particularly apt, analogy.

The reality is, MANY "college prep" kids turn out to be higher achievers than their "Harvard" counterparts, for many of the same reasons. Among those: poor early evaluation methods, a better or more inspirational teacher/trainer, differing rates of physical/emotional maturity, the raw quality of each experience, etc.

A similar reality is that many kids benefit from a BLEND of "all of the above." Closing one door -- forcing kids to "make a choice" -- is not a constructive approach.