Jay Mathews is the semi-retired education reporter for the Washington Post who still shows up occasionally to pen a new story. And I always perk up when he drops his trademark sanity and perspective about the college admissions process captured so well in his book Harvard Schmarvard.

Here’s his latest piece. And while the title—Dear Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman: You wasted your money—reads a little like clickbait, the message contained within (the gist of which I’ve pasted below) is one worth reading for any student or parent who’s experiencing anxiety around the desire to attend a highly selective college.

“I confess that when I opened the acceptance letter [from Harvard], I thought great wealth and power would soon be mine. So why have I spent my life being ordered around by people who attended less-selective schools?…I’m not complaining. I love my work. But I have always wondered why smart people like you [Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman ]assume getting into an Ivy League school, or its equivalent, guarantees success.”