To go off Louis Leblanc here are some really great students to model from. Just do a quick search on google to find them.
http://www.idsa.org/awards/student-merit-awards
I certainly agree with the Tidbits statement and I think once you see a good portfolio showing the whole “story” of their design process the comment will make more sense. I absolutely understand your frustrations as does everyone that is on this board; ID is so extremely demanding and the competition is fierce. With that in mind one really needs to show the process in quality when submitting to employers to really put their best skills forward to make it known that you are a valuable asset to their team.
Check this guy out. Very talented designer that would be a great person to emulate.
Keep your head up, the truth is you aren’t alone in this and the majority of people on here have had to work their butts off to get where they are.