Harvard surprised everyone some time back when it announced that it would suspend - for now - its "early admissions" program for overachieving (and, on a side note, often rich) high school graduates. One of the reasons it gave for doing so was a disturbing trend in young, scholastic America. In their resume-padding, overachieving quest to earn a shot at the cream of US colleges, kids are becoming very ill.

MIT Dean of Admissions Marilee Jones recently raised this alarm in a gathering of college professors in Boston. She presented statistical proof of this teen nightmare: graphs showing an increase in stress-related ulcers, anxiety disorders, anxiety disorders like anorexia, lack of sleep, lack of eating, lack of good times, lack of fun, lack of fun, lack of fun. It's driving kids crazy!

Jones also noticed another consequence of this phenomenon, this time from the students who have survived application hell and made it into MIT. They became drones. "You don't see the kind of wild innovation from individuals you used to see. You see a lot of group and team projects overseen by professionals, but you don't see the kind of rogue, interesting stuff that we used to see at MIT" (Well, either that, or they go... insane).

Jones is advocating a paradigm change in admissions. They're not going to cut students any slack - they're still looking for extremely talented students. But Jones, for one, will not simply be looking at resumes, extracurricular activities, and consistently high grades. She intends to reserve a small number of admission slots for high school graduates who don't bring with them a long list of achievements, but instead something else entirely. A creative spark, a passionate drive - that rogue individual who may be a greater genius than all the overachievers put together.

And to all students everywhere still agonizing about their future college plans? Relax. This writer didn't make it to Harvard when he applied several years ago. He quotes from his rejection letter: college is still college, even if it isn't Harvard. The most important education you can receive is the one you get from simply living, even if it isn't in an Ivy League School. And look at the bright side. Not having to agonize over staying at Harvard meant that this writer's had more time to play video games.

An ancient Roman philosopher once said that moderation is the golden mean. You have to make time for the things that really matter.