Being born into a wealthy family is a better indicator of success than academic performance, a new report from Georgetown found. Top-performing students from the bottom 25% in socioeconomic status have a 31% chance of going to college, getting a job that pays at least $35,000 by the time they’re 25, and at least $45,000 by 35. However, students from the top 25% in socioeconomic status but scored in the bottom 25%, have more than double the chance of reaching the same milestones.