As a student in MIT, I agree with the author that all the "accomplishments" (such as SAT scores, A's) people at top-rated achieve make it harder to not think of oneself as somebody better than the others. Because of the environment and the admiration of many outside people I often times feel intellectually superior to other people, even though I know very well I am not.
I've observed many times that my friends who do not study in top universities might react better in many real-life scenarios than me and many of my MIT classmates.
Also, in one semester off from MIT I learned more things about life than in 4 years at college (where I learned about pressing buttons on a keyboard in order to change what appears on the monitor).
My question to HN is: How "not to take myself so seriously"? I want to be able to enjoy simple things in life without feeling that I am wasting my education.
I've observed many times that my friends who do not study in top universities might react better in many real-life scenarios than me and many of my MIT classmates.
Also, in one semester off from MIT I learned more things about life than in 4 years at college (where I learned about pressing buttons on a keyboard in order to change what appears on the monitor).
My question to HN is: How "not to take myself so seriously"? I want to be able to enjoy simple things in life without feeling that I am wasting my education.