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<p>I think that the Taoist sages were onto something when they taught that trying too hard at something can result in failure. I know it works that way with my golf swing, and when I was younger, the surest way to NOT get the girl I liked was to try too hard to get her. During the last decade, the kids I’ve seen admitted into the most highly selective colleges all had their own X factor that rose above their stats. They did good things when (they thought) no one was looking. They didn’t do things just for their college resume. They developed their individual styles, cares, and talents. They also never talked about all of those fancy colleges. When Louis Armstrong was once asked “What is Jazz?” he responded “Man, if you gotta ask, you’ll never know.” I’d paraphrase that to “How can I get into Harvard?” “Man, if you gotta ask, you won’t get in.” But the good news is that the best educational experience for you may very well be at a school without the big brand name.</p>