I would say going to Stanford and working under Rice might have left her with inaccurate perceptions of the way life works. Seriously that would be two real strikes against her to start with. Both of those situations cater to people who think they are the upper echelon. Using those things to define herself suggests “its all about me.”
Is the man supposed to have brighter plumage than that to be worthy, if so will he be just as self centered? The qualities that make a good husband are not defined in terms of which school, which clerkship etc. I think this woman was looking at the symptoms not the problem.
A child is not a prescription for a cure for loneliness and lack of fulfillment. Once that child is born its all about the child not about the parent. Maybe that will be a good transition for this woman and she will find a man with a child/children to make a family and with her new perceptions she will recognize his worth.
ever the optimist LOL