<p>Don’t get too carried away. The percentage of the “whole population” that cares about who applies to Harvard and who gets accepted there is teensy-tiny. The “useless culture of hyper competition” affects very few people.</p>
<p>(And whether it’s really useless or not is a matter for some debate. I tend to be a dove in the competition controversy, but I know lots of people who are hawks, and they have plenty of good points to make. At my kids’ very diverse high school, the faculty spent a good deal of effort introducing students and their families to the notion that competition is a good thing, and it helps us grow and achieve more. Believe it or not, many 9th graders, even at this academic magnet school, showed up not understanding that attitude.)</p>