Whether an elite college is bad for the soul or not is a very personal question and it’s not the problem of the college itself being “elite” or not. At Brown, I’ve seen people anxious about getting good grades and finding internships, but I’ve also seen many happy faces. A college has provided everything it has, so it is the students who decide how to take advantage of their education and no one is wrong with his or her own choice. For some, college could be a paradise to absorb knowledge, but as Nathan Heller notes (WNYC radio interview), for others it could also be a “socioeconomic elevator”. Who could blame a practical student from a middle-class family who simply wishes to live a wealthier and more comfortable life by working on a well-paid job? And if he or she wants to achieve the goal by entering such lucrative yet hyper-competitive industries like finance, who can free him or her from the inevitable anxiety about getting a high GPA and an impressive internship experience during college?
(Note: This blog was first published in 2014. Fang is now pursuing her Phd in economics at Stanford after working in consulting for two years.)