<p>Fully aware of all of that. </p>
<p>In today’s world, where an entire industry has formed around the college selection process, it baffles my mind to see so many students who don’t feel like his/her school is the right “fit”. I mean, considering how many books are read, how many tours are taken, and how many counselors/coaches/specialists are consulted, you’d think that students would actually be considering what day-to-day life at these institutions would be like. Maybe they need to stop focusing so much on rankings and prestige, or maybe schools’ admissions offices are just really good at painting the right picture. I don’t know, but it’s sad to hear these accounts of students being so miserable at their “dream schools”. </p>
<p>All of that being said, this phenomenon isn’t specific to the Ivy League. I’m sure there are kids at Harvard and Yale who are truly happy with their choices, just as there are kids at Stanford and MIT who are truly depressed.</p>
<p>Sorry kid, I would say to the author. But would she have had the same experience anywhere she went? College should stretch a kid’s limits, test him, no matter where. If the student profiled had gone to Big State U she might have learned she was no longer the smartest person in the room there. The reality of college isn’t gong to be like the dream. Sometimes it is better, sometimes worse. A kid going to a “top” school or to a competitive program like engineering should go in steeled to do her best. </p>