When we think of the “American college system” we think of the thousands of universities across the country, Common App, the millions of students applying each year, the stress, and the unique process every student travels. We can easily say that what it took to get into colleges decades ago pales in comparison to what it takes now, and I think a sharp duality arises when considering this perspective.

One, it pushes underperforming students to perform less and two, it pushes higher-performing students to overperform. There's a line that can be drawn to measure whether or not students are underperformers or overachievers. In each high school across the country, we can measure these students in relation to this line- the upper or lower 50% in the class, grade point averages, amount of AP or IB classes, and more- but each high school, and each student, is different. Again, this is a generalization.

Similarly, it’s impossible to say where this line stands in each high school. But, we can most definitely say that if a student’s class rank is below 50%, naturally, the student will be pushed into the depths once the college process begins. They will see the unreachable line for the top universities: the unreachable SAT scores, the unreachable GPAs, and the unreachable extracurriculars. This will dissuade them more than ever- if they can’t compete in their high school, how can they compete nationally?

Similarly, it pushes those above the line- let’s say above a 50% class rank- to overachieve, which further polarizes the high school. They will be pushed to do novel things, sometimes in vain attempts, to get the top universities’ attention, and to beat out the competition. As a college applicant, I think this has two effects, depending on the type of student, and depending on the extracurriculars, it can produce a meaningful or a superficial application.

Sometimes, extracurriculars are “on paper.” The student simply completes them so they can include it on their resume, with no meaningful connection to the activity.

In the opposite, the student could be pushed to uproot meaning into their application process. They can expand on their talents, propelling themselves into uniqueness, completing extracurriculars that make them and their communities better.

In conclusion, those that fall under the “line” are suppressed. They might think “What’s the point” when they see other resumes and applications. When they converse with their friends or peers, they will realize that they aren’t doing enough for their dream schools, an unfortunate reality. When those who fall over the line converse with their friends, though, they will be pushed into a stressful competition, which can inspire meaning or superficiality.