<p>My issue with many of the older posters here who have been saying "OMG GET OFF CC" is that they obviously didn't even bother to read the original post, which explains that the poster is a soph. who is looking out for his brother.</p>
<p>That being said, I still stand by my earlier comment that as a 7th grader, even at the school that the Wall Street Journal calls the best public one in the country (what? I have some school spirit), he does not need to worry about college.</p>
<p>*her brother lol. </p>
<p>yeah CC does make me feel bad. Except I really do want to be a superstudent because by being a superstudent a) you're awesome b) almost no one would reject you c) you feel mad accomplished d) evidence of your existence in high school. but i can't because i've got three years and one of them is already gone duh. april. </p>
<p>er... yeah he does have to worry about college. Did you hear about class of 2008. Even the really hard workers aren't getting in anywhere easily. yeah sucks for me though. And he has NO MOTIVATION whatsoever. He doesn't understand why he should be learning. college or a career is a good reason to work. About the part of no motivation ish true. I really don't want him to be like heh should've tried sports, clubs and see what i like FIRST. and realize he's in 10th grade with no ECs like me. yeah. </p>
<p>and no one commented about working hard as a 7th grader and knowing your way through high school then pacing yourself. which i still think is the best option.</p>
<p>A lot of 12 year olds don't have academic motivation. But there must be something he's passionate about, a sport or science or something, and he can definitely pursue that as well as try new things. Encourage him to try out for a play or get involved in student gov't.</p>
<p>But ultimately, the best thing he can do in 7th grade, imo, is adjust to the new environment. Make new friends, get used to the commute and the work and the schedule. Help him find ways to manage his time (i.e. do hw on the way home from school or during random free periods he has). There are a lot of things I wish I had learned earlier about respecting teachers and managing my time.</p>
<p>haha agreed. he's got the whole do your hw during school thing down. I forced him >.<. Most importantly I think he needs to learn to care so he can talk to teachers etc. I think he has to get the "don't fight with your teachers" thing learned. He should learn to WRITE because i didn't. It killed me in Global, USH, and English.</p>
<p>That's part of teh problem. I'm looking for something he likes (and failing btw). </p>
<p>He's great at adjusting thanks to my daddy. </p>
<p>Yeah for those of you bashing about CC, I'm telling him about it. It's motivational.
see thought process:
1. you see that there are so many crazy people 2. feel demoralized 3. go, "**** i have to work." 4. actually do work and have a goal to look better with more motivation.
the above probably doesn't make any grammatical sense but w/e.
same deal with collegeboard's how do i stack up. </p>
<p>I believe its his lack of motivation that compels him not to do work and vegetate all the time. which i know for a fact. Because i did the same thing. </p>
<p>also for the bashers:
is it so bad as to try to create a nice record that you, the theoretical student won't regret because you've been there and done the same?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Even the really hard workers aren't getting in anywhere easily.
[/quote]
'Anywhere' being the top 15 schools in the nation. I just don't get why you have to be a superstudent to feel awesome and accomplished. I'm not one by far but I (and others like me) still got into respectable schools, and it's not the end of the world if you're less than brilliant. Doing well doesn't prove your existence in high school, either, nor does it justify it. In fact, most people stop talking about high school right about... when it ends. And when nostalgia hits, people don't go around talking about who was valedictorian that year.</p>
<p>Sorry, it's awesome you're looking out for your brother. I know I would've wanted a supportive older sibling who 'knew the ropes' but I (and plenty of other non-superstudents) turned out just fine. And I may be completely off (in fact, I probably am), but it sounds like you just want him to be the student you never were.</p>
<p>Alex</p>
<p>
[quote]
He doesn't understand why he should be learning. college or a career is a good reason to work. About the part of no motivation ish true.
[/quote]
I don't know, a lot of us don't have motivation by the time we graduate high school. I've heard of gap years becoming increasingly common since it gives people time to breathe, which is what they never really got or understood in high school. And those starting college after a year off have said it was exactly what they needed. The point is, it's not un-common to lack motivation, especially at 13 when kids have a whole bunch of other stuff to adapt to. Motivation can't be forced from anyone, and it's weird that someone else is asking for him.</p>
<p>
[quote]
is it so bad as to try to create a nice record that you, the theoretical student won't regret because you've been there and done the same?
[/quote]
No, it's not bad. But a lot of the people you're asking have dedicated a lot to their records and would give anything to be back in 7th grade where there was no pressure. Maybe they're bitter because they have done the same and realized how much time they wasted trying to be a superstudent. And (this is a shocker, seeing how mean and bitter we are) they don't want you to do the same starting in 7th grade. It just seems a bit odd to expect everyone to be enthusiastic about someone's brother when we all just want to be in his place.</p>
<p>Alex</p>
<p>Quote: "'Anywhere' being the top 15 schools in the nation. I just don't get why you have to be a superstudent to feel awesome and accomplished. I'm not one by far but I (and others like me) still got into respectable schools, and it's not the end of the world if you're less than brilliant. Doing well doesn't prove your existence in high school, either, nor does it justify it. In fact, most people stop talking about high school right about... when it ends. And when nostalgia hits, people don't go around talking about who was valedictorian that year."</p>
<p>They're not getting in anywhere THEY WANT and these are the overachievers in class of 2008. They work their asses off. Whereas I don't. This is very disturbing and discouraging information. I don't know about you, but I have a really big ego. I feel I have to win everything I enter and do well in most things to maintain my reputation. It is not the end of the world. The WHOLE POINT is that everyone who is accomplished becomes that way because they've prepared and talked to people who have accomplished a lot. You DON'T HAVE TO BE BRILLIANT to accomplish the whole long list of things people write in their resumes. A lot of this is timing and grabbing the right opportunities (aka connections). </p>
<p>By proving your existence in high school, I meant if someone said, "Hmm... what did you do in high school?" You have the ablity to point to your achievements and say look I founded this club, was part of the IHELP Liberia project and mentored younger students in science. If you can't list any accomplishments then THERE IS NO EVIDENCE YOU DID ANYTHING during those 4 years of your life. </p>
<p>Yes I agree most people don't go around swaggering and saying "oh look~ I was valedictorian of my elementary, middle and high school classes." That's true, but just because other people did it you don't have to. Yes that's true. I completely agree other people don't matter. What matters is what YOU DO with YOUR TIME. And why should you settle for other people's standards when clearly you know you can do better? Why just meet the standards when you know how to impress everyone with various activities/qualities? Again this ties into my ego. Egos that are much less visible on the outside, but are alive inside both of us, only to eat us out. </p>
<p>Also why wouldn't you want to go to the top 15 schools in the nation? Don't you know of so many opportunities to meet other bright peers and professors to learn as much as you can?</p>
<p>Yes I do understand I can't expect everyone to be enthusiastic. Which I by the way don't. In fact I'm jealous of my brother's luck to be born into this world with an older sibling who wants to help him out. But HE STILL doesn't understand any of the above. I want him to know and understand so he DOESN'T HAVE ANY REGRETS like I do. I want him to turn out better than I did. I want him to be able to explore everything our school offers him when nothing really counts so he can find his own way. </p>
<p>Quote my father, "Last time we made many mistakes. Now we know. We can't make any mistakes this time."</p>
<p>Oy, vey. Here it goes.
[quote]
They're not getting in anywhere THEY WANT and these are the overachievers in class of 2008.
[/quote]
Honestly, who are you kidding? Have those places ever been easy to get into? Ever since I've heard about the Ivy League, applicants have been competitive and hardworking. I don't see how this is a new development.
[quote]
This is very disturbing and discouraging information. I don't know about you, but I have a really big ego. I feel I have to win everything I enter and do well in most things to maintain my reputation.
[/quote]
Er, I'm sorry.
[quote]
By proving your existence in high school, I meant if someone said, "Hmm... what did you do in high school?" You have the ablity to point to your achievements and say look I founded this club, was part of the IHELP Liberia project
[/quote]
I don't think listing academic achievements in conversation would prove anything except for how socially inept you are. I'm not pointing to you in particular, but if anyone started listing their extracurriculars I'm pretty sure the other person would just walk away. "What did you do in high school?" could very well lead to an answer like, "I was in a band, we were rockin'!" and still be respectable. You don't go around telling your peers how you founded clubs and became valedictorian. That's for employers and people you want to suck up to, and even then, why would they want to know what you did in high school? Face it. Whatever academic achievement you had in high school will never matter again.
[quote]
What matters is what YOU DO with YOUR TIME.
[/quote]
Yes. What YOU do with YOUR time. But the last time I checked, we weren't talking about YOU and YOUR time. You were asking about your BROTHER. Shouldn't he have this time to figure things out for himself without you wanting him to start the omg-my-future-is-in-turmoil phase before he starts? You said so yourself you have a big ego and feel like you have to win everything. I sincerely hope he doesn't have that trait.
[quote]
Also why wouldn't you want to go to the top 15 schools in the nation? Don't you know of so many opportunities to meet other bright peers and professors to learn as much as you can?
[/quote]
Yes, but all bright peers and professors don't necessarily go to the top 15 schools, and not everyone in the top 15 schools are bright. Most people apply just for the name. Either way, that's not the point so...
[quote]
I want him to know and understand so he DOESN'T HAVE ANY REGRETS like I do.
[/quote]
Now that's the point. He's not you. You can't make him know, it's something he has to do for himself. You can tell him all you want about how many regrets you've had, but, like we've done with our parents, he'll probably ignore you anyway. Now stop being his mother and start being his sister. I thought siblings were supposed to be fun.</p>
<p>Alex</p>
<p>hahaha and what planet is your sibling from? its always the ones with the families hating on their family. lol.</p>
<p>No just beause you can list your achievements doesn't mean you weren't social. the really crazy overachievers are the funniest, most accomplished people i know. If you met them on the street, you would never think they were so academically accomplished. </p>
<p>That's not true. What you do in high school matters to you. don't you see?</p>
<p>Applying for just the name is shallow. Why would such smart people do that?</p>
<p>That's not true. I don't yell at him like that. I convince, explain, persuade. Maybe now it sounds like I'm being very manipulative. But that doesn't matter. As long as he's doing well. </p>
<p>And part of his whole naiveness is not wanting to disappoint our parents. My dad from the moment we're born knew we were destined to be doctors. Now disappointing them is hard. Don't you see? He DOESN'T WANT TO DO THAT. I'm helping him do what he wants. No I don't think this is destructive behavior because its teaching him to be proactive with his life.</p>
<p>
[quote]
hahaha and what planet is your sibling from? its always the ones with the families hating on their family. lol.
[/quote]
My younger bro and I get along really well, so from his perspective (having the older sibling) I guess I'm from a different planet.
[quote]
No just beause you can list your achievements doesn't mean you weren't social.
[/quote]
Where do you live? I'm aware being able to list accomplishments isn't lacking social grace, it's actually doing it to people who don't really care once high school is over. You're not done with high school yet. In fact, you barely started. Wait a couple of years afterwards and bring up your academic achievements. I can almost guarantee no one would care. When you're in college, high school doesn't matter. When you're working, college doesn't matter. One step helps you get to the next, but once you get there it. Doesn't. Matter.</p>
<p>Of course, I don't know where you live. I've lived in China for a couple of years and in my experience, the opposite is true there, lol.
[quote]
Applying for just the name is shallow. Why would such smart people do that?
[/quote]
Because they're booksmart. Some people don't have brains outside of academics.
[quote]
Don't you see? He DOESN'T WANT TO DO THAT. I'm helping him do what he wants.
[/quote]
Which is doing what your father wants. I'm failing to see the logic here. </p>
<p>And might I add, if we all did what our parents thought we were destined to do from birth, we'd all be doctors. Or oddly enough, in my case, I'd be a rock star.</p>
<p>Alex</p>
<p>no that's not logic. my brother doesn't want to disappoint his parents. </p>
<p>Er.. that part is true my father believes we're going to be doctors. Apparently this is also what he told the immigration officer as well. and I'm not refusing to be one yet or probably never. The medical field is interesting.</p>