toastier.org ; Evolution of the college applicant

Young, Gifted, and Not Getting into Harvard

"I came to understand that my own focus on Harvard was a matter of not sophistication but narrowness. I grew up in an unworldly blue-collar environment. Getting perfect grades and attending an elite college was one of the few ways up I could see.

My four have been raised in an upper-middle-class world. They look around and see lots of avenues to success. My wife’s two brothers struggled as students at mainstream colleges and both have made wonderful full lives, one as a salesman, the other as a builder. Each found his own best path. Each knows excellence."

—30 April 2007 ; 2 comments

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Rachel on May 1, 2007 at 2:04PM

Articles like that make me feel hopelessly discouraged.

But I'll live.

Amy on May 1, 2007 at 5:11PM

But it's hopeful in a different kind of way, no? What college you go to doesn't define excellence. It's what you do.

Hi, my name is Amy. Be well, and say hello!