You’re basically telling us to go against our human nature. It’s only natural for us to establish ideals and expectations based on our hopes and dreams, especially for those who are having a pretty crappy go at life right now. In the back of our heads, we all realize that acceptance is a crapshoot but if fantasizing about a holistically great school helps us feel a little confidence in contrast to our overwhelmingly stressed-out lives, there’s nothing wrong with that. Of course, I’m not trying to justify anything close to obsession or plotting out what courses you’d take all four years, but there’s nothing wrong with wanting to know about the rigor of a course or about the workings of a certain Harvardian institution, publication, etc etc. Dreams and goals are what keep us going and add figurative fuel to our fire; To entirely embrace rationalism would be just as ridiculous as entirely embracing the fantasy of attending Harvard. I personally, at least, will still continue to think of the possibility of getting to attend a great school, take ridiculously-advanced classes like Latin and Greek K, and join the school ballroom dance team. How the hell else am I going to be motivated to trudge through a four-hour outline for AP European history? (just one example of the mindless work we sometimes put up with). If (and possibly when) I get rejected, I won’t regret having been excited by the strange intrigue and potential of Harvard. It’s only natural.