<p>I’ll throw my 2 cents in - I think the hunt for prestige stems from the fact that the college admission process has become a competitive sport. This sport is not judged by goals or runs, but by how high up the school you bag is iin the USNWR rankings. And the world series is the money you can make afterwards. </p>
<p>This seems to be felt more in areas / families / peer groups where the values are less on things like virtue, honesty, or - god forbid, “doing the right thing”. In such groups, the value is on things. I see the same thing on the job, where sports analogies appear to be the sole context for discussing business activities. </p>
<p>How many of the kids talk about community service as a checklist item for their college resume’s, rather than as a service? </p>
<p>It’s so sad - they can miss out on so much. On the other hand, once they’re into their final choice, hopefully they get over the prestige and truly enjoy where they end up. </p>
<p>Note: I do not imply that all kids who get into top schools do it for this reason. Obviously many want the challenge of the academics. But you all have to admit that if you did a word search for “prestige” on this forum, you’d get way too many hits!</p>