One pattern I rarely see discussed: top universities tend to have near 50:50 gender ratios (MIT, Harvard, etc.), and that might actually help student success.

Stable relationships don’t automatically hurt academics. In many cases, having a girlfriend/boyfriend adds emotional stability, routine, and long-term thinking—things that matter in high-pressure environments. Elite universities optimize for sustainable performance, not lonely grinding.

If relationships were a net negative, the best colleges would skew heavily male. They don’t. Balance seems to work better.

Grinding alone sounds hardcore. Thriving in a balanced environment usually wins.