I don’t think everyone is obsessed, and caught up with competition when it comes to colleges. Some are…but I guessing the vast majority are not.
Remember, most kids apply to a few colleges, and usually within a short distance from home. The population you are reading about here on CC is not the national norm. Most students do not apply to,elite schools, and most students do not complete 20 applications.
And most high school seniors and their families don’t give two hoots where their friends will be attending college. It’s not a contest…at all.
Honestly, I’m not sire I knew where any of my kids’ friends were applying to college during HS. It just didn’t matter to us.