“I always say that my motto when it comes to children is: My job is not to get you into Harvard, it's to get you to heaven,” says Rachel Campos-Duffy.

If only more people thought this way, but unfortunately, getting into Harvard is still considered the ultimate validation of one’s accomplishments.

Since 7th grade, I’ve dealt with fellow students obsessing over their grades, joining clubs and ECs just to get into college, before they even knew what they were going to be! We tell ourselves that we place so much focus on Ivy League schools because of their exemplary education, but then why would a 7th grade girl feel that not getting into Harvard would make her the laughing stock of their peers? Because that’s not why. Getting into a good college has become a symbol of status, of intelligence, something we flaunt to prove that we have worth and are a cut above the rest.

Sure, for some people, an Ivy League education is a great one that leads them to great opportunities in their chosen field. But for the majority of Harvard hopefuls, it isn’t. Numerous research studies point out that Ivy Leagues aren’t necessarily educationally better than non-Ivies, and it isn’t too big a factor in getting a job, either. That doesn’t even factor into how much money people spend- first to get into college, then to attend it.

"I don't see any disadvantage in having a degree from any accredited college," says Micheal Martin on choosing employees.

How many employers do you think google up the school you went to, how hard it was to get in, and what was on your application?

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Still, the Ivy League schools do have certain advantages- you may be taken more seriously, and you likely make good connections. But is it worth the work to get in? Research shows that Ivy League acceptances tend to have these things on their application:

4.0 or higher GPA

2-3 hours of class time per week.

700+ on the SATs

About 200 hours of study time.

31+ ACTS

About 75 hours of study time.

8-12 AP classes

AP classes offer 3-6 hours a week extra homework

25 hours a week on extracurriculars

40 hours a week ec in summer

50-200 hours of volunteer work

Averaging at 125, that is about 31 hours per year.

Let’s add this all up.

2.5 hours of studying for general classes

45 hours a week to study AP classes

25 hours for extracurriculars

35 hours of SCHOOL

That’s 107.5 hours a week of studying.

We have 168 hours in a week.

Doesn’t sound that bad, right?

Well according to Teen Health, we need 8 hours of sleep per night.

That’s 56 hours.

It takes about 30 minutes to eat dinner, and 30 to eat breakfast. That’s 7 more hours.

Say you spend time with friends (calling or in person) twice a week for two hours. That’s four more hours.

Say you need 30 minutes a day to rest, relax, and calm down. That’s 3.5 more hours.

Family time for 30 minutes a day- another 3.5 hours.

The average person spends 1.5 hours a day on hygiene (NIH), that’s another 10.5

Add that up.

That’s 196.

It’s just not humanly possible.

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And trying to reach this can have dangerous consequences. 25-32% of high school students struggle with perfectionism, which can lead to anxiety, depression, feelings of incompetence, addiction, and eating disorders. 77.3% of high schoolers are sleep deprived (CDC), which can lead to heart disease, kidney disease, obesity, stroke, and high blood pressure (NIH).

But universally, whether or not you struggle with these things, there’s a bigger consequence of Ivy-League mania. The loss of our precious childhood time. High schoolers have less than 4 years left before they have to face the world alone. They have less than 4 years before they have to worry about money and rent, and fun things like social activities, sports, hobbies, and clubs are a lot harder to make time for.

“When I hit high school, suddenly it felt like I was running with a ticking time bomb. I found myself calculating how many fun things I could do before my childhood was over, but the need to accomplish and get into college seemed to be just as strong,” said a student who chose to remain anonymous.

But putting enormous pressure on them to achieve something nearly impossible makes them grow up early. The average high schooler today has the same stress level, if not more, than a 1950s asylum patient. And this was back when asking for help or psychiatric treatment was taboo.

In one study by APA, teens were shown to have 14% more stress than adults- adults, who find themselves worrying about jobs and families and kids, not college resumes!

Martin said it best: "It's fine to get an Ivy League degree, but you make your own opportunities regardless of where you obtain your degree."