My classmates should take more risks

work in progress

I recently read an article by the economist how Ivy League graduates are being taken up by Consulting companies, finance and big tech. My classmates, overwhelming of them I must say, are in this loop. They should take more risks in life. They can do better.

Link to Economist article

So, as I look forward to a life full of risks, I wonder why do my friends not do it? At Dartmouth, there was a certain sense of pride in getting these coveted internships. You are the sum of everyone you hang around. For some reasons, by the time I arrived in Hanover, the trend had long started - everybody wanted to go in corporate America. I must confess that I felt dishearted. I came expecting everyone to be movers and shakers; most turned out to be social climbers.

Social climbing, what a strange topic.

Social climging: the act of trying to improve your social position by being very friendly to people from a higher social class Cambridge Dictonary.

Dartmouth was, unfortunately, full of social climbers. A-side, B-side frats and sororities, clubs, high schools, althethes and narps, the list goes on. When half of the class is either white or insanely rich, how can a person differentiate oneself? Associations.

Social climbing at Dartmouth was a peculiar form of social climbing, one that was done via associations with people, clubs and spaces of higher status. Freshmen year, it's whom you know. Sophomore year, it's which house you're in. Junior year, it's where you get your internship. Senior year, it's where you get your job. Now, let's be clear about one thing - not everyone was like this. There were some good people. Yet, like a common cold spreading at a pre-school, even if you don't get bedridden for a week, everyone coughs a little.