Prospective Perspective

Ah, New York Times.  You were doing so well.  It has been almost a year since I last complained about the ridiculousness of your subjects.  But the good times couldn't last forever.  And well, here we go again:

Ms. von Sperling offers a Friday-to-Sunday intensive, for $8,000. One day is devoted to carrying yourself properly and the art of conversation. Treat rush, she says, as you would a job interview. Avoid politics and religion. “I teach them how to make interesting small talk: what you saw at the cinema, a trip to Europe. I don’t know too many 20-year-olds who are having a debate about economics.” Another day is for getting physically ready — hair, makeup and wardrobe. Ms. von Sperling organizes “outfits down to accessories, completely strategized.” Just in case a client forgets, outfits are photographed and placed in a style file.

Spending $8,000 on college consulting used to seem ridiculous.  But compared to spending $8,000 on a weekend consultation on getting into a club?  The figure seems respectable.  All those stories of helicopter parents and private flights for summer camps also seem almost sane compared to these mothers:

As rush grinds on, students often text their moms with frequent, sometimes tearful updates. “Drama Trauma Drama,” wrote one weary mother on a Greek chat forum. For some mothers, empathizing with the pain of peer rejection is excruciating.
“I lost six pounds that week,” recalls Julie Baselice, whose daughter Christina is now a Chi Omega at the University of Texas. “It was the most stressful experience of my life.”