I don’t think that I’d discouraging kids from going to a good school. I just think that it’s not necessary to put a lot of pressure on a kid to go to a top school. Kids who follow a path that’s defined for them may not be as well balanced as kids who actively pursue what they truly value. It seems nowdays that middle class parents might have put too much emphasis on kids going to a top school — that’s the impression that I got from reading articles. I went to top schools in China and in the US, and I got to know many very smart people. So I value the education that one gets from good schools. But I’ve also met very smart and motivated people who’ve attended average schools — hence my conclusion that college / grad school is just one step in one’s education, important, but it doesn’t determine a person’s future.
