that makes more sense - self-imposed pressure seems like it would be common in any hyper-selective institution.
I read “pressure cooker” and I think of profs over-loading kids (for no good reason) and a lot of between-student competition and no cooperation… that is an entirely different thing.
Also I would always hesitate to extrapolate from 1 tour guides description too much. They can have wildly different backgrounds and experiences…etc.