Americans seem to approach everything with optimism. Just look at some of our more widespread clichés: “Reach for the stars.” “Anything is possible.” “Follow your dreams.” Many colleges – including the most highly selective – are quick to encourage this kind of thinking. Even with (in some cases) more than 30,000 applications, they continually market to increase that number. They tout “holistic review,” brag that they have no cut-offs for test scores or GPAs, and assure st