Author: Virgil Vivit

For many students and early professionals—especially those pursuing careers in healthcare and biotech—success is often framed around prestige. It may look like attending a well-known university, working for a respected organization, earning impressive titles, or building a résumé filled with achievements.

These milestones can certainly reflect dedication and ability. However, the common assumption that prestige automatically leads to happiness or fulfillment is not always true.

I recently confronted this idea of prestige while deciding where to pursue my Master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics.

I had the opportunity to choose between two programs:

As a teenager, USC represented everything I imagined success would look like. When I applied years ago, I was denied admission. So when I was accepted this time, the opportunity felt surreal.

But LLU offered something different—something less glamorous, yet far more practical.

The campus was closer to home, which meant I could:

During my interview with LLU faculty, I also noticed another difference. The program offered a smaller student–faculty ratio, which suggested a more personalized and supportive learning environment.

At that point, I had to ask myself a simple question:

Why was I pursuing a Master’s degree in the first place?

My goal was to become a registered dietitian, and both programs would allow me to reach that goal.

When I considered the long-term realities—cost, time, and quality of life—the decision became clearer.

While attending USC would have satisfied the prestige-driven version of success I imagined when I was younger, choosing LLU allowed me to pursue the same professional goal in a more sustainable and balanced way.

Looking back, I’m confident that decision prioritized fulfillment over recognition.

Experiences like this reflect a broader psychological pattern known as the “arrival fallacy.”

The arrival fallacy describes the belief that happiness will arrive once a particular milestone is achieved—such as:

However, research in well-being shows that the satisfaction associated with these milestones is often temporary. People quickly adapt to new achievements and shift their expectations toward the next goal (Diener et al., 2018).

This pattern is particularly visible in high-achieving academic environments, including healthcare and science programs.

Studies on burnout among college and healthcare students show that individuals who pursue achievement primarily for external validation—such as prestige or status—often experience higher levels of psychological distress and burnout (March-Amengual et al., 2022; Biaigo et al., 2025).

This doesn’t mean ambition is harmful.

In fact, pursuing excellence can be deeply rewarding when it is connected to:

The difference lies in why the goal is being pursued. When prestige becomes the main objective, fulfillment can remain elusive because the motivation is externally driven.

Research on well-being consistently shows that long-term life satisfaction is driven by factors other than status or recognition.

These include:

Prestige can certainly open doors and create opportunities.

But fulfillment tends to come from how we live once those doors are open.

Prestige can provide short-term recognition and satisfaction, but long-term well-being is more strongly influenced by purpose, relationships, and value-aligned work than by status alone.

For students and professionals building careers in healthcare and biotech, the real question is not just:

“What looks impressive?”

But also:

“What kind of life will this decision allow me to build?”

Disclaimer: This article was assisted by AI-based language tools (ChatGPT, OpenAI) for drafting and organization. All content was reviewed by the author, and all claims are supported by peer-reviewed sources.

March-Amengual, J. M., Cambra Badii, I., Casas-Baroy, J. C., Altarriba, C., Comella Company, A., Pujol-Farriols, R., Baños, J. E., Galbany-Estragués, P., & Comella Cayuela, A. (2022). Psychological distress, burnout, and academic performance in first-year college students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 3356. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063356

Biaigo, K., Ray, S., & Ahmed, S. I. (2025). Academic burnout and coping strategies in healthcare students: A scoping review. Medical Education Online, 30(1), 2579392. https://doi.org/10.1080/10872981.2025.2579392

Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Tay, L. (2018). Advances in subjective well-being research. Nature Human Behaviour, 2, 253–260. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0307-6