Top College

“My father got into the University of Chicago and my mother got a 99 percentile on her MCAT,” explains a high school student. “How about you?”

Having smart parents, I was willing to share where my parents went to college. They went to competitive state schools, and I was proud of them. Nevertheless, the student looked down on me when I told them this information, making me feel insecure about my own successful parents and my future.

The student proceeds to explain how he is in orchestra, three clubs, and difficult classes; he still feels underachieved. Comparing myself, I am barely in two clubs and I do one sport. The fact that the student claimed that his overachieving and packed schedule is not enough made me reflect on my life and how I have been spending my time.

As the day went on, however, I realized how I was associating the number of clubs/activities to my value of life. Going to Harvard is not going to make someone a better person than another. Although it may show integrity in that person’s work, that does not mean that the Harvard graduate is having a better life.

What is the point of going to a “good” college? Will it guarantee a “better” life? What does “better life” mean?

Everyone has their own definition of what the meaning of life is. Personally, I believe that happiness is the goal in life. People work hard to achieve happiness or go entertain themselves to do so. They either slack in school or work hard to make themselves to feel better. Of course, I am generalizing and this case may not be for everyone, and I am setting aside the necessities for survival (including food, water, and shelter). However, I do believe that people work for happiness and strive for that. As a result, getting the perfect number of clubs to get into Harvard will not guarantee a happy life. Some people come out of Harvard miserable, where one school does not define a person entirely. Some may enjoy life more at a less rigorous school, and others may enjoy Harvard. Bottom line is, don’t overly stress about getting into the top school because it does not measure the amount of happiness one will get in life.