In Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass,” the Red Queen tells Alice: “It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place.” This is the Red Queen effect, and it perfectly describes how 99% of families approach college admissions: running faster and faster on a treadmill, doing what everyone else does, and hoping for different results. The top 1% take a completely different approach. They think smarter, not harder. They measure twice and cut once. They treat college prep as a stress-free four-year process instead of a panic-inducing 12-month sprint. Here’s the difference and how to make sure your student isn’t trapped on the treadmill.
I just started reading a book called “The Five Types of Wealth” by Sahil Bloom. I came across a passage that made me say: this relates to my students so much, I have to make a video about it. The book goes beyond financial wealth into time wealth, relationship wealth, and others that are really important. At CollegeConsulting.us, we stress a holistic college application journey, so this really resonated. Today I want to compare what I call the treadmill approach versus the rocket ship approach, or the Red Queen effect versus authentic thinking. And I’d be interested: after reading this, ask yourself which approach you’re actually teaching your middle schooler or high schooler.
Contents
The Red Queen effect explained
Let me read the passage from Sahil Bloom’s book that sparked this entire discussion.
The scene from Through the Looking Glass
In “Through the Looking Glass,” Lewis Carroll’s dark and ominous sequel to Alice in Wonderland, there is a scene in which Alice is running with the Red Queen that offers an important metaphor for our modern struggle with time:
“All she remembers is that they were running hand in hand and the queen went so fast that it was all she could do to keep up with her. And still the queen kept crying ‘Faster! Faster!’ The most curious part about this thing was that the trees and the other things around them never changed their places at all. However fast they went, they never seemed to pass anything.”
When Alice questions the Red Queen about their lack of forward progress, which appears to defy the laws of physics, the two have a short yet poignant exchange:
“Well, in our country,” said Alice, still panting a little, “you generally get to somewhere else if you ran very fast for a long time, as we’ve been doing.”
“A slow sort of country,” said the Queen. “Now here you see it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that.”
The biological origin
The Red Queen effect says that we must run just to stay in place, and that we must run even faster if we ever hope to get ahead.
The term was introduced by American biologist Leigh Van Valen in 1973 when he formulated the evolutionary biological hypothesis that a species must evolve if it hopes to survive. If a species fails to evolve faster than its predators, competitors, or environment, it will “fall behind,” fail to develop the necessary traits to survive and thrive, and become extinct.
The application to modern life
Sahil Bloom continues: “If you’re reading this book, chances are you’re a victim of the Red Queen’s paradox, running faster and faster just to stay in the same place. Rest assured, you’re not alone.”
He then states several pages later: “Where children of prior generations were encouraged to explore their curiosity, children of the current generation are told to fill their resumes with every possible after-school activity and hour of faux community service in the hopes of running just a tiny bit faster than the others sprinting towards the same end.”
Sound familiar?
The treadmill approach: what 99% of families do
That passage describes exactly what I’ve seen in 15+ years of doing this. I’ve worked with thousands of students. My team has worked with tens of thousands of students collectively. I would say 99% to 99.5% of high school students, and yes their parents, fall into the Red Queen category.
That’s not their fault. A lot of lessons out there say: do more, do better, do it quicker, sleep less.
The quote that defines this thinking
The quote to define this way of thinking as it comes to college planning is: “Just work harder.”
Just put your head down. Just take one more AP class. Just crank out that essay at 2 a.m.
This is the approach of work harder, not smarter. This is the Red Queen approach.
The process: blindly charging forward
In terms of the process that 99.5% of students have, it’s this notion of blindly charging forward.
By the way, if you’re reading this, that was me in my early stages of high school. Blindly charging forward, working bleary-eyed late into the night on homework assignments, having no true understanding of what colleges actually looked for in an application, but looking around me, seeing what my peers did, and saying, “Well, they’re doing it, so I’m just going to blindly charge forward and hope for the best.”
Jack Delehey in 9th grade and 10th grade did not know the rules of the game at all. Did not know what he was trying to build in terms of a profile, what college admissions was actually looking for. All Jack Delehey was doing was blindly charging, taking the next class, the hardest class, the top-tier class because guess what? Everyone said that’s what you should do.
Here’s the funny thing. Jack Delehey in 9th and 10th grade was an athlete. He played a lot of games. He knew the rules of all those games he was playing. But weirdly, when it came to one of the most important things he would go through, college admissions, early high school Jack Delehey did not know the rules to the game. He was blindly charging forward.
The philosophy: do what everyone else is doing
When it comes to the philosophy behind the Red Queen, treadmill-style thinking, it’s this notion of: do what everyone else is doing.
As an 8th grader, as a 9th grader, you look up at those 11th graders and 12th graders and you say, “Well, what are they doing? They’re taking the hardest classes. They are stressed out with homework. They are doing hundreds of community service hours. They’re taking DECA. They are doing National Honor Society. I must therefore do all those things.”
But unfortunately, what they’re not looking at is the results that are coming from the actions that everyone else is doing.
The math that proves the treadmill doesn’t work
Folks, if you want to get into an Ivy League caliber school these days, 94% of those applicants will get rejected. Depending on the Ivy League school, it’s anywhere between 92% to 97% of those applicants will get rejected.
By nature, if you do what everyone else is doing, you will likely be in that 92% to 97% pool.
Most people get rejected from their dream schools.
Let me state that again: most people get rejected from their dream schools.
If you’re doing what most people are doing, you will get what most people get.
The rocket ship approach: what the top 1% do
Now let’s go over to the rocket ship, the authentic thinking, the first principles thinking way. Compare a treadmill to a rocket ship. Treadmill: you’re running very fast, you’re staying in the same place. Rocket ship: it’s an entirely different vessel. An entirely different avenue to progress.
How rare is this approach?
Out of all the students I’ve seen in 15+ years of doing this, about 0.5% to 1% of students actually embrace the rocket ship approach. That’s one out of every 100 to 200 students.
Now, in our program, 100% of students embrace this approach. That is why we have outsized results. But in general, out there in the world of high school students, I see about 0.5% to 1% actually embrace this thinking.
The quote that defines rocket ship thinking
The quote I’d associate with the rocket ship approach to college planning, to college prep, is: “Smarter, not harder.”
It’s this notion of: what high-leverage activities can I accomplish that have outsized results? It’s this notion of embracing that not every activity has the same ratio of inputs to outputs. Not every one hour of action that you can claim is associated with college preparation has the same results.
One hour in a certain category has far more outsized results than one hour of input in another category.
The process: measure twice, cut once
In carpentry, there’s a common phrase: “Measure twice, cut once.”
This can also be defined as: know the rules of the game before playing it.
If your student is going to spend four years preparing for college, shouldn’t they know what actually matters before they start? Shouldn’t they understand what colleges are actually looking for before blindly charging forward?
The philosophy: different actions for different results
The theme, philosophy, and logic behind the rocket ship camp, the top 1% of students, is this:
Most people, most students, most high schoolers get rejected from their dream schools. I took a logic class in college. It goes like this:
- State the fact: Most people get rejected from their dream schools
- I want a different result: admission to my dream school
- Therefore: I must take unique, different actions than others
Most people get rejected. I want a different result. Therefore, I must take unique, different actions.
This would satisfy my logic class. This is a sound statement. But instead of saying, “Well, no, that doesn’t apply to me,” the top 1% of students lean into this. They embrace that this thinking might be a little uncomfortable. And embracing and working past that discomfort is what yields outsized results.
It’s why year after year we look at our students’ success and they say, “Wow, I had grades and test scores that were below the median 50% of applicants, but I got in.” Because they took a different approach. They embraced the rocket ship vessel and rejected the treadmill Red Queen.
If your student is struggling to figure out what makes them different from everyone else on the treadmill, start with my free Saturday Morning Test. It helps students discover their authentic interests, which is the foundation for the rocket ship approach.
The timing difference that changes everything
Let me break down the biggest difference between these two approaches: timing.
The treadmill approach to timing
Far and away the most common mindset: “College prep is a stressful 9 to 12 month sprint.”
Most people start thinking about college prep in the back half of junior year. That’s when they really start thinking about it. And so if you’re applying in the late fall of senior year, 9 to 12 months is absolutely in that zone.
The Red Queen version: “College prep is a stressful 9 to 12 month sprint. Results are mostly out of my control. Let’s hope.”
That is what 99% to 99.5% of America does.
The rocket ship approach to timing
Let’s take the high-leverage approach. Here’s the rocket ship version:
“College prep is a stress-free 4-year process. I will feel completely in control throughout the journey.”
What a profound difference. Take that in. I’m going to read both of them again.
Treadmill timing: College prep is a stressful 9 to 12 month sprint. Results are mostly out of my control. Let’s hope.
Rocket ship timing: College prep is a stress-free 4-year process. I will feel completely in control throughout.
Which would you choose?
As a parent, if you have a 7th grader, 8th grader, 9th grader, or 10th grader, I bring up those grades because high school is either just on the horizon or you’re still in early high school.
Which of those two approaches would you like to have? I’m not even talking about for your child. I’m talking about for you as a parent.
Do you want a 9 to 12 month ultra-stress-induced sprint where you feel out of control? Or would you prefer a top 1% mindset where you embrace that college prep is a 4-year journey, and because of that four-year journey, you’ll feel complete control throughout?
Why four years matters: the math
You might be saying, “Jack, why is it a four-year journey? What could you possibly do over four years?”
There are four main categories of college admission:
- High school grades
- Standardized testing
- Your application/essays
- Your story
Of those four, categories one and four are four-year journeys. High school grades and your story are four-year journeys.
What happens when you start late
What happens when students start thinking about college in the back half of junior year? Three-quarters of their high school grades are complete. Can’t do anything about that. Can’t go back and retroactively teach them elite study habits. Can’t go back and teach them how to spend half the amount of time or a third the amount of time processing, studying, going through crucial study tips to have high-leverage study activities.
Can’t do that. Three-quarters of the time is gone.
Your story cannot be rushed
Secondarily, these days more than anything, your story is absolutely critical. Category four is how you differentiate yourself.
When we year after year see our top students in our program say, “My goodness, I got outsized results compared to all of my peers who had similar grades and standardized test scores,” that does not surprise us. Because they worked with us for four years to build a powerful differentiating story.
You cannot build a powerful, differentiating, authentic story over the course of 9 to 12 months. You simply cannot.
I’ve spoken with many admissions reps at the top schools, and they can sniff out a story that’s created months before applications are due for the sake of college applications.
The best part about four years
The best part about building your story over four years? Those stories are authentic. They weren’t done for college admission’s sake. They were actually done because an individual has passions, wants to explore them, and as a byproduct, it yields outsized college admissions results.
The college admissions is the cherry on top. That’s the best part. Our students between the ages of 14 and 18 grow as a person. They grow as a human. And oh, by the way, as a byproduct, yes, they get into their dream schools year after year.
If you’re not sure whether your student has the foundation for a compelling four-year story, take my free College Story Audit. It shows you exactly where the gaps are and what needs to be developed.
The question you need to answer
To wrap up, what approach do you think you’re helping teach your middle schooler or high schooler?
Is it the approach of: “Yeah, college admissions starts in 11th grade. College planning starts in 11th grade. By the way, it’s super stressful. Put your head down, keep doing what everyone else does, and hope.”
Or is it different?
Are you rejecting the Red Queen approach? Are you rejecting the approach of running on a treadmill and hoping? Are you thinking smarter, not harder? Are you teaching your high schooler to say, “What is the end goal? We can actually work backwards for this”?
Are you teaching your high schooler to say, “It’s 2025. It’s not 1985 anymore. The rules have changed. We need to know the rules before we dive in”?
The choice is yours. But the math is clear. Most people get rejected. If you want a different result, you need a different approach.
Ready to take the next step?
If you want to go beyond YouTube videos and get a personalized approach, if you want to know exactly what your 8th grader, 9th grader, or 10th grader should do to prepare for the next three, four, or five years, book an entirely free college planning strategy session with our team.
I’ll be upfront: our survey to even book that call is extensive. We only accept 23% of applications. We are very serious about what we do because we like to change students’ lives. We are designed specifically for high-performing high schoolers and parents who care, and we help them deliver world-class results.
The Red Queen is waiting for your student to join her on the treadmill. Don’t let them.
Frequently asked questions about the Red Queen effect
Isn’t working hard still important? Absolutely. But there’s a difference between working hard on the right things and working hard on what everyone else is doing. The rocket ship approach isn’t about being lazy. It’s about being strategic.
What if we’re already in junior year? You can still shift your approach, but you’ll have less time. The best day to start was freshman year. The second best day is today. Focus on what you can still control: how you tell your story, your essays, and your application strategy.
How do I know if my student is on the treadmill? Ask yourself: Is your student doing things because they genuinely care about them, or because everyone else is doing them? Is there a clear strategy, or are they just accumulating activities? Do they know what colleges actually look for, or are they guessing?
What does “high-leverage” actually mean? It means activities where the input-to-output ratio is favorable. Some activities take 100 hours and matter very little to admissions. Others take 20 hours and make a huge difference. The rocket ship approach is about identifying and focusing on the latter.
Can my student still have fun with the rocket ship approach? Yes. In fact, that’s the point. When you’re strategic and start early, college prep becomes a stress-free four-year process. Your student can sleep 8 hours a night, enjoy their activities, and still get outsized results.
It’s 2025. Haven’t the rules changed? Exactly. It’s 2025, not 1985. The rules have changed dramatically. Which is why blindly doing what the previous generation did, or what your peers are doing, is a recipe for the 92-97% rejection pile.
