Admissions Angst Doesn't Afflict as Many as It May Seem

By ERIC HOOVER

While applying to colleges last fall, Jack Anderson slept soundly, ran 50 miles a week, and practiced the saxophone. He also found the time to hang out with friends. Sometimes, his mother says, he even smiled.

Mr. Anderson is no slacker. In fact, he earns A's and B's at Madison High School, in New Jersey,...