As a junior in high school I found myself surrounded with students obsessed with getting into the highest ranked school possible. Now, a junior in college I look back and pat myself on the back for not caring to take the SAT for the 87th time since sixth grade or hiring ex-ivy league admission officers to review my application, and rewriting my entrance essays until I beat everything that remotely describes my actual self, out of them. Here is a radical thought: college rankings do not matter! I know that if you are in the midst of applications, deadlines, SAT bootcamps, hearing that is very difficult, but trust me your happiness will not lie in Stanford or the Ivy Leagues. Truthfully speaking, the admissions process has become a death shoot. Stanford might as well put up applicants with their 4.0 GPA, 2400 SATs' on a dartboard and pick who gets admitted. Really, even if you save the world you just might get one of these: "We regret to inform you that you have been denied admission into.....". By the way, they don't regret it, and neither does the automated computer that prints that letter for you. At this point you are probably thinking that I was rejected to one of these schools and I am simply bitter about it. In fact that is not the case at all. I never even bothered to give my hard earned 75$ application fee to any of these schools. I do want to point out however, that while these schools have great programs for multiple fields, they are not exceptional and don't differ all that much from the second or third tiers, and U.S. News rankings tell you zero information on what you'll actually experience. All that matters is that you get into a four year college that fits your interests and apply yourself into the field you want to study.
Take this, if you can't handle shark eating competition in your classes, why go to Berkeley? If you enjoy a small private atmosphere instead, go there and don't think twice! I assure you, investing in your knowledge does not depend on the faculty to student ratio, or the alumni giving rates (US News Rankings criterion). College will change your life, it is important that you make it a worthwhile experience that fits your desires. Best of luck to all, and remember pursue your dreams, because GPA and SAT scores are NOT measurements of your intelligence or capabilities, just your economic status and your ability to take ambiguous multiple choice tests.
PS: The ETS is an enormous empire built on overly protective parents and fear filled high school students that get assured they will fail at life if they don't get in.
As a member of the student body of a school in the middle of nowhere, that no one has heard of, I applaud your blog. However, do arrange it in to paragraphs. Back to the subject at hand: You are absolutely right, it is difficult to differentiate yourself from all the other A+ students with top scores who were members of every extracurricular activity. And going to Harvard will continue to make them look like a cookie cutter for their careers. However, it doesn't hurt to try your hardest, as that will differentiate yourself. And the smaller schools often have better teacher-to-student ratios and at my school, we have several Harvard graduates on staff. Do your research on your school, and decide for yourself what is best for you.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711