Ned Scott Laff and Scott Carlson’s newish book Hacking College reminded me of a conversation I had with The Girl when she was trying to decide where to go to college.

She was looking at a range of places throughout the Northeast, each with its own charms and flaws. I tried to strike the right balance between helping her avoid obvious mistakes and giving her room to make her own decision. Late in the process, when it came down to a couple of final choices—both terrific places—I offered a point about geography. Early-career breaks are largely accidental; you’re likelier to be accident-prone if you’re where the action is. An otherwise-wonderful school in the middle of nowhere won’t have the same sorts of accidental opportunities as one in or near a major city. (Having attended college in t

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