This is a bit of an aside, but not that much: It’s funny how many people who do really well at admissions (testing well, getting As in everything, writing the right essays . . .) seem to focus their life later on, well, doing the same thing. I know one Ivy grad who went into working for the college board, another 2 Ivy grads (different school) who tutor for the SATs, It’s like: that’s their skill set. That’s what they can offer the world after so many years of focusing on this one goal. I’m not saying it’s a bad skill set necessarily, but . . . was it worth all of that work? Was this their ultimate dream? I mean as they were growing up and the resources and parenting pressing on them to move forward relentlessly toward the Ivies and all that it takes, I doubt that the parents and the child were thinking: Oh boy! I hope to go to an Ivy so that I can do SAT test prep FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!
It makes you wonder if the focus were a little bit less, what else they might have done?