The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by Alexandra Robbins

Guide Rating -

The Bottom Line

The Overachievers is a terrific book that follows the lives of students at an elite, Bethesda, Maryland high school. Robbins takes the reader inside the minds of teenagers who are dealing with extreme pressure to achieve and get accepted into the most prestigious colleges. While this school probably isn't representative and Robbins mostly avoids judging the students she trails, the reader is provided with a glimpse into a fascinating and at times terrifying world.

Pros

• A fascinating read - difficult to put down
• Alternates between student narratives and examination of college admissions process generally
• Very well researched
   

Cons

• These students' stories probably not typical of average American student
• Could make a parent or student overly anxious
• Delves deeply (too deeply?) into mundane aspects of students' lives

Description

• 435 pages
• Follows the stories of high schools students
• Discusses issues in academia and college admissions
• A companion website follows the lives of the books' subjects

Guide Review - The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by Alexandra Robbins

You can't make this stuff up, and Alexandra Robbins didn't have to. By trailing overachieving students at a competitive, East Coast, suburban high school, Robbins was able to get a first-hand look at the competitive college admissions process and the full-time toll it takes on students.

The Overachievers is well crafted, with Robbins alternating among the stories of her roughly eight subjects. These aren't characters in a novel but rather "ordinary" high school students, struggling with image problems, peer pressure, romance, friendships, parents, academics, etc. The common thread for most of the students (one is already in college) is the upcoming decisions of college admissions officers, which will determine where their next steps in life.

As Robbins tells the story of each student, finding at least some entertaining drama in each tale, she also discusses - and at times criticizes - a college admissions process that is out of control and that incentivizes students and families to make decisions that are sometimes unhealthy and destructive.

This book will provide readers with an experience that a simple sociological analysis of the high pressure college admissions process could not. By showing the impact of the college admissions rat race on real students, Robbins helps bring to life this very real issue in contemporary American life.