Events at Reed

Many of today's high-achieving high school students plunge headlong into the frenetic process that they hope will get them admitted to one of the country's elite colleges and universities. Once enrolled at an Ivy League or equivalent school, they find themselves on a narrowly-defined track to professional "success," and in this myopic quest, they miss out on the introspective process of self-discovery that should be an essential component of a college experience. The result, according to William Deresiewicz, is mounting discontent among a new generation for whom entitlement has supplanted purpose, and life has been largely stripped of personally-forged goals. Deresiewicz, formerly a Yale University faculty member, is the author of the landmark essays "The Disadvantages of an Elite Education" and "Solitude and Leadership," and is a frequent speaker on campuses around the country. A contributing writer for The Nation, and a contributing editor for The New Republic and The American Scholar, he is also the author of A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter. Sponsored by the Office of the President. [Image ©Mary Ann Halpin Photography]