Who said anything about nihilism? I’d prefer the term “realism”. I don’t feel S24’s academic accomplishments were wasted because he didn’t get into a T20. Because of them he was a credible applicant and while I wasn’t surprised he got WL/rejected, I would’t have been shocked if it had gone the other way. I do think that if a kid is unhooked, and comes from an area of the country that is very well represented at T20 schools, their chances are not great even with stellar academic credentials. Does that mean, don’t work hard or strive for academic excellence - no. It’s just that when a school accepts 4% of applicants you have to be realistic because even if you have a better than average chance of acceptance, the odds are still heavily against you. And not for nothing, a student with a great academic profile is going to have many, many good opportunities at colleges even if doesn’t end up being a T20. S24 is at UVA and he is already a year ahead in credits which will allow him to finish in 3 years if he wants or to have plenty of room in his schedule for a double major or to go abroad etc. His hard work did pay off even if it wasn’t exactly in the way he planned. So yes, academics are critically important - both in terms of college acceptances/opportunities and by giving kids the skills they need to be successful once they are there.
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