First things first, let’s clarify exactly what the phenomenon known as “the grind” is. Whether you acknowledge it or not, you’ve all experienced it. For some, it begins at 2:35 p.m. with the exception...

The phone rang. I answered, not expecting much, but when I hung up, I became a future Harvard-Westlake student. I was in the sixth grade at the time, and I didn’t really consider the ramifications...