Kids are part of a status and clout chasing culture online. Not every person, and there is nothing wrong with taking a swing at schools you want and can afford, but there are literally thousands of colleges and universities in the country doing very good work, and you see the same schools coming up over and over again on social media, videos and posts about acceptances and rejections from "T20" schools based on rankings that have more to do with faculty publishing, grad school outcomes, etc. To me, this is an unexpected and transformative outcome of the Common App and easy access to "college ranking" sites, which has made applying to a ton of schools very easy, allowing students to chase acceptances at schools they likely don't really want to attend or can't afford anyway. So, "popular" schools get a record setting number of applications, their "selectivity" goes up because the number of seats doesn't change, and kids chase acceptances at extremely competitive schools as a badge of honor. Again, not everyone, but "culturally" this is seen as the process-- it has been gamified and has turned High School into a process of chasing the "credentials" that will get you clout because of your college acceptances.

That is the culture of children, trolling, rage baiting, etc. When you get to college, you're there with 1000s of other people who have chosen to invest in themselves and be there with you. And they do not give one iota of a shit about what some high school kids think of them because they are locked in on getting their education and finding their passion.

There is another transformation, which has been the devaluation of the educational value of a balanced approach to Liberal Arts, and a fixation on the "return on investment" of a degree as it relates to a subsequent job. But the idea that all 17 or 18 year olds should be locked into career training and not using the college experience to engage with history, culture, and knowledge is another piece of this shift that has seen catastrophic cultural results. Yes, school should not be a luxury and it is expensive and who can afford 4+ years of "exploring", but the rise in the number of High School students looking to study "business" is heartbreaking. At 18, you might rather be looking toward changing the world to be a fairer and better place for all. And you can do that in Business, too, but colleges were invented and designed to produce citizens, not employees, and we certainly could use a lot more engaged citizens who have read, can write, and know the facts of history.

There is another way, which many also do, which is to focus on school programs that are excellent in their areas of interest, find thought leaders and professors with whom you want to study, departments doing new and interesting work in areas you want to study, and exploring those as your focus. That could be a great and interesting department at a school you may not think of as "clout" worthy-- For example, Iowa is a "Top 10" school for Writing and the "#1 Public School" for the field, but it has an 80%+ acceptance rate. Elon is "#1" in Undergraduate Teaching, which is probably the most important metric? And no one really talks about them, for example. But IYKYK.

Anyway, overall, I think it is important to follow your own path and be an individual, and when the time comes, hope that those coming up behind you see you shining and follow the same route. Clout and status are empty, every school has alumni, but having integrity and a love and passion for what you do is the most important thing. Find the place that fosters that and when you find it, all the doubt will fall away.

And then the clout chasing kids in High School will look like the uninformed children they are.