The best way of dealing with kids feeling this tremendous stress about getting in is to emphasize that there are many schools across the country that might be excellent fits. Family and students should realize there are lots and lots of alternatives that are excellent. There aren't just 10 or 20 or 30 schools and if they don't get into those, it will be the end of their lives. In this country, students can go on to take advantage of the opportunities at public and private schools. We shouldn't put so much emphasis on the most competitive institutions and should instead emphasize that there are lots of different opportunities for students to take advantage of.
People are successful if they work hard.
We're not involved in the business of going out to try and combat the behavior of students at the moment. There are lots of myths that float around about what makes a person successful. One of them is you have to go to one of the top 25 schools. The reality is, it is what you do with your opportunity and how you translate your opportunities into your own future. No, we are not spending all our time talking about what students should be doing, nor do I think we should be.