I agree with bernie12. Someone I know often asks me when the kid I have at MIT “has fun”. Like, well he must go out and party right? Yes, but some students don’t partition their world into “fun” and “academic”. Students who get the most from schools like MIT and Chicago are often those that "have fun’ doing academics, thinking, making things they find meaningful and yes…going to parties and, at least at MIT, parties may include clever imaginative things (“hacks”). These are students who often chose to be involved in ECs in high school for their love of them-not because it looks good for college apps. And they often embrace them at full speed…the full immersion model. And it is something I’ve come to understand that those who were grade conscious throughout high school and who did well in high school by grade grubbing and by working “for grades” rather than being fully engaged in the topic area can sometimes not understand because, you know, the mall is calling and creating interference.