<p>Ironic how the OP criticizes top schools for being “snooty”, when it seems that he’s even snootier than the “snooty kids at Stanford”. I think the OP should douse his head with water because what he is saying is absurd and probably reflects more on his own insecurities than on any “elite” student body. He has just been thrown onto a level playing field, and his ego is afraid of being average. Naturally, he finds a way to condescend those he’s afraid of: he calls them “snooty” and “pretentious”. In order to maintain his position at the “top of the hill” he plans to go to a state school. We see from this that he not only condescends the people at “elite” schools, but also the people at state schools, because he asserts that it’s a small hill at a state school, and that he’d be the one on top. The OP is probably a greater snob than all the snobs at Stanford combined; in one post he has managed to condescend not just one particular demographic, but all the American college-goers. What now, will he condescend blue-collar factory workers? Will he condescend women? blacks? latinoes? the French? The fact that he just very casually had to mention his GPA and SATs shows that this is not just a conspiracy theory – that he very likely has a superiority complex. Don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of academic superstars, or just in general exceptionally smart people, who go to state schools as their first choice, but none of them who have a good reason for going have to brag about it to justify their decision, or do it just to remain on the “top of the hill”. I think it’s time for the OP to practice a little introspection. Senior year is always a good time for introspection.</p>