Hello friends 
I was wondering if any of you know someone with a college “success story”, or have personally experienced one yourself. High school and college admissions are getting so competitive now, and everybody seems to be climbing higher and higher to stand out…
But then surely there are still people like me out there, right? :-S Average student with average grades, trying to do the best to get into a respectable college without having to resort to only 3 hours of sleep each night.
I’m a mostly A’s type of student, top ten percent (8%) in a class of 700+ juniors. My weighted GPA is 3.8, unweighted 4.4, SAT 1350/1600 (yikes?). I take Honors/AP classes. I volunteer, participate in 4 school clubs, 2 of which I’m a board member of (Key Club and Foreign Language). I’m in both a school and outside orchestra, I play sports, I was a finalist in a research competition hosted by a prestigious university on the east coast. And yet, there are 4.5 GPA students interning at a law office (I thought internships were for college students with a declared major?!), hosting a large fundraiser for the Red Cross, going overseas to volunteer, etc. One classmate has managed to gain over 70k YouTube subscribers in the past year, for goodness sakes. Another is taking all AP classes AND classes at a nearby community college. And then look at any one poster’s accomplishments here on CC. 
I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m feeling very insecure about my high school accomplishments, and would like some motivation/reassurance/virtual hugs. Has anyone out there been “slightly above average” like me, and was accepted by a good school (say, 25% or so acceptance rate/well known name)? What was your experience like?
If you’re a fellow “slightly above average” student, I’d love to hear from you!
(apologies if this is on the wrong thread!)