Every fall, millions of American teenagers prepare to apply to thousands of colleges and universities across the country. For many students, this process represents a simple and natural progression through a linear educational path in which no additional preparation, beyond a paper application, is required. However, for many students, college preparation can begin at conception. Alexandria Robbins follows the stories of nine students at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland. Whitman is famous and could be summed up by a simple term in which Robbins' book is also titled: Overachievers. The author explores the fast-paced nature of helicopter parenting, bureaucratic admissions processes, Ivy culture (a term describing the upper echelon of academic institutions), relentless and unrealistic expectations, and the cyclonic degradation of innocent development and carefree teenagers. In The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Motivated Kids, Robbins explores the correlation between perfectionism and academic prowess. Over the course of a year, it follows the lives of AP Frank, Julie, CJ, Sam, Stealth, Audrey and others as they transition from high school to college. These students, as Robbins shows, embody what is wrong with the American education system. Robbins explores the impact of the intricacies produced by the American academic whirlwind on students, as expressed by his research participants. Robbins masterfully crafts an informative and emotional road map that interweaves topics such as No Child Left Behind, the College Board SAT, college rankings, ultra-competitive parents, cheating, and emotional and medical distress from the perspective of 'a student. The author introduces each issue by presenting occurrences in the middle of the article......AP's story Frank, Julie, Audrey, Sam and the others could be any number of students that they know. More importantly, the book offers readers the opportunity to evaluate their own experiences in high school as well. Potential readers of Robbins' talk are recommended to remember or identify a student in the community or within themselves who is goal-oriented or concerned about success when reading it. From this perspective, the reader may be able to gain a privileged perspective on the real academic culture that surrounds them. Works Cited Lewinsohn, PM, Hops, H., Roberts, RE, Seeley, JR and Andrews, JA (1993). Adolescent psychopathology: I. Prevalence and incidence of depression and other dsm-iii-r disorders among high school students. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102(1), 133-144. Robbins, A. (2007). The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Motivated Kids. New York: Hyperion.