You can get the sense of the book by reading the first 60 pages or so, but it does a great job of explaining first how the system got to be the way it is (focus on scores, ECs, etc.) But one of the key points is that what kids get good at is “winning” competitions that involve high selectivity. So you get yourself into Exeter (for example), figure out how the game is played and get yourself into Yale. The high selectivity exit there is consulting, so that’s what you try to do. To win, you avoid taking risks. (Just read the “OMG, I just got a B+ and will never get into the school of my choice” posts on CC, and you get a sense of that!) While you feel like Yale may give you more options in life, it’s an environment in which your self-worth is defined by winning these competitions of selectivity, so you also eliminate possibilities. (As an example, he says, “who goes to Yale to become a social worker?”)
Sending your child to BS may get YOU (as the parent driving this) out of the picture, but that environment is likely to be filled with excellent sheep.
I found myself agreeing with a lot of this – recognizing more than a little wooliness on me and many of my friends – but also realizing that there are real, practical implications to not doing so well, especially if means are an issue (which they are for many.)
Envious, @karen0 , that you got to hear him. The pressure to be a certain kind of applicant (for college, grad school, job) robs young people of the chance to find their authentic selves, and the long term impact of that cannot be good for them or those around them. Totally recommend the book, especially if you have a high-achieving kid. Even without your help, he/she may find the herd, and this is an interesting perspective to be aware of.