But now let's look at a top school, like Harvard.

Here, the students with the lowest SAT scores, are still smarter than the best students at an average school.

And yet, when we look at their rate of completion, it looks awfully similar.

The top students represent just over 50 % of people who graduate, while the lower SAT scores represent around 15 % of people who actually graduate.

Wait, what 's going on here?

This phenomenon is known as the Big Fish Little Pond Effect.

Simply put, we compare ourselves not globally, but to our neighbors or people who are in the same boat as we are.

As a result, students at top schools compare themselves to their brilliant peers, and if you're in the bottom half of your class, you're likely to have feelings of inadequacy.

Even though compared to the rest of the world you are at the top!

Who do you think has a higher incidence of suicide?

People who live in developed countries that declare themselves as very happy, like Switzerland, Denmark and Canada,

or those which describe themselves as unhappy, like Italy, Greece, and Spain?

The happy countries.

If you're depressed but everyone around you is also unhappy, you may think of yourself as normal, as opposed to being stuck around people who are happier than you.

Similarly, if you're very intelligent at an elite school, you may end up being a little fish in a very big pond.

And feeling as though you're at the bottom impacts your confidence and ultimately your motivation.

Need more statistics?

50 % of US students in STEM programs drop out in the first or second year of school.

But for every ten point decrease in the school 's average SAT score, degree completion rises by 2 %!

Meaning, you're much more likely to even get your degree if you don't go to your top pick.