Nothing that I have seen in my educational career has suggested that Kid X can decide he or she wants to go to HYPSM and then just “work hard” for that “goal.” It just doesn’t work that way. The goal will distort the student’s high school work. It can cause counter-productive grade grubbing that torpedoes LORs. It can cause a student to be self-focused in classes which squelches collaborative work. It can snuff out curiosity and creativity as a student just connects the dots that he or she feels that others expect to be connected. It leads a kid to run for class president or achieve first chair violin when their real passions lie elsewhere. Here’s what you do in high school: treat the experience as an end in itself and then find a college that fits you. An elite as a goal is a false idol, and successful grownups across the nation can attest to this.