This is sad
https://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/581998/
Binder and Abel’s focus was on “how students construct a status hierarchy among elite campuses” and what this process has to do with establishing their own (perceived) position at the top of said hierarchy
A lot of the praise that students had for their schools, though, came implicitly, in the form of criticizing other campuses.
Binder and Abel have a theory for why many of these “elites-in-the-making” engage in such micro-comparisons (and, often, outright stereotyping): “By critiquing other campuses,” they write, “these students subtly elevate their own status and position.” If Princeton is regarded as too stiff, then Stanford is implied to be easygoing by comparison—and thus more deserving of renown.
The impulse to engage in such status elevation speaks to a broader anxiety that many of these students have about attending highly selective and competitive school