Reply to High school senior daughter asked me "What's the point of all this?"

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[quote=Anonymous]I wish that people would stop saying "elite" students.  It reinforces the whole rat race thing (status hierarchy) and, beyond that, it's a non-substantive description (vs. capable, ambitious, high-stats, college-bound, or affluent).

Otherwise I agree that why is the right question, now is a good time to be asking it, and part of the answer is what a previous poster said about making your head an interesting place to live.

I wonder about the "keep your options open" mantra for a couple of reasons.  One is that it can be a means of endlessly deferring gratification and/or articulating a goal.  It risks becoming a formula for permanently begging the "why?" question.  The other is that I think it raises the stakes higher that they really are (cf the Brown vs. Michigan thread) in which college choice, status obsession, and risk aversion all unite to keep kids focused on rankings rather than asking what do I want to do and where will I thrive doing that?  Then they get out of college and still haven't answered it.  And are surprised to discover that doors don't automatically open for them.[/quote]

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