This is a delicate one because a lot of people make a lot of money convincing you that the prototype for college looks one way. And you have convinced yourself that getting into college would require some unattainable level of brilliance. You’re not the only one; the Supreme Court seems to think this too. In some ways this is actually encouraging because it means there is some section of the population that cares so much about college that they will do just about anything to make sure the college knows that they know the recipe. And here’s the rub: some of this is true. Colleges do think that certain classes mean certain things and certain sports mean certain things. But that does not mean that there is only one to do it.

I could remind you that there are lots of high-performing colleges besides those with high brand ID. There’s nearly three-hundred of them. I know this because I’ve looked it up.

I could also remind you that every complaint that claimed dominant groups were discriminated against in the college admissions process, had a complainant that went to a fantastic, comparable college. Those original students that complained about being denied admissions to Harvard, attended other Ivy League campuses. The student who sued the University of Texas went to Louisiana State. I saw a news report the other day where the student complaining about not getting into Harvard ended up going to Duke. And the number of students I encountered complaining about affirmative action were students at UCLA, Berkeley, and Stanford. Always have to put that message into context.

But I am going to do a bit of a stats lesson. There are about thirty-five of these super selective colleges. I won’t diminish them because I do believe there are reasons students should attend colleges like this. Sometimes the name matters. But there are also three-hundred other colleges that will graduate you on-time (in four years), fund you, and admit you. You will also thrive as a human being in these places. But that means you are walking into that admissions process understanding that you are not a complete person yet and you are going to the campus to learn something or put yourself in a work place to continue to evolve. One of the more destructive implications when students focus on a certain prototype is that they are exceptional, accomplished…and don’t need anyone else except to affirm their exceptionalism. So why are they going to college?

You’re brilliant, by the way. And it’s the unattainable kind because it’s uniquely yours.