[ryandrake]

As someone who went to college in the early 90s, this just sounds so bizarre. Have things changed this much? Nobody I knew gave a shit about any of this stuff. We all had part time jobs to buy a video game now and then or a new pair of shoes. I did even more work over the summer, and was able to buy my first PC after 3 months of pretty much full time work. College was just a matter of getting reasonably good grades in high school, applying to 10-20 colleges, and going to the one that accepts you. Done. None of this ridiculous optimize your life along a single "what admissions boards want to see" metric. I mean you kids are paying 10X now what it cost back then, AND you're jumping through all these silly hoops as well? Insanity.

[lotsofpulp]

As wealth and income disparity grow, there is much more to gain and lose by choosing the right school. It's not about the learning, it's about the network you will have for the rest of your life. Getting this right will grant you access to people wealthy enough to invest in you, people who know people who can get things done and move things along when you hit a wall (politicians/lawyers/doctors/etc). This is probably worth a lot as it all compounds over ones lifetime and translates to advantages even for their children and their children, hence the intense competition.

[michaelchisari]

For the record, I graduated high school in 1997, and while I don't think working was actively seen as a disadvantage, it was a functional disadvantage (less time for extracurriculars and studying), and college boards didn't see working a part time job as any kind of life experience or extracurricular.

I think it's only gotten much, much worse since then, though.

[mixmastamyk]

> college boards didn't see working a part time job as any kind of life experience or extracurricular.

So, so wrong. An honest job is what every kid needs. While not neglecting their studies of course.

[Paul-ish]

I graduated high school in 2009 and went to my flagship state school (UW), and had a similar experience in that getting decent grades and SAT scores was what counted. I think for the big schools like the Ivys, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, etc... it might be more involved.

I think I got a perfectly good education at University of Washington, but I think to some people anything less than something highly ranked by US News is failure. I think we feel hyper competitive to be the best and only partake in the best, because anything less leaves us exposed, and it is stressful to live that way.