Kid come to NYC thinking it's going to be like a very long episode of Friends. If they were the smartest/prettiest/ most popular kid in their high school, they very quickly find out that any good NYC university is filled to the brim with the smartest, prettiest etc.
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. . . any good NYC university is filled to the brim with the smartest, prettiest etc.
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You haven't walked through Washington Square lately, have you.