<p>I'm kind of woried about college. If I do get into my first choice, I'm afraid that I am not going to be good enough. If I get in at all I wil be at the bottom of the barrel, somthing I am deffinately NOT used to. My high school is just average, so I end up being one of the best. I know this is a situation that many new freshman face. How has it worked out for you or people you know? Are there things that help you deal? Or do you wish you had gone to a less difficult school?</p>
<p>I think you just kind of have to accept it. There will always be times when you move from the top to the bottom. For example you went from the "top" in eighth grade to being the bottom of the food chain as a freshman. The same will happen when you go from being a senior in hs to a freshman in college. It's kind of a continuous cycle. I've experienced this in many ways -- one being with my music. When I was in band or anything at school, I was always the first chair in my section, but then when I went to an arts camp over the summer, I was sixth chair (out of six people that is). It was kind of a shock at first but then I realized that they were all used to being the best at whatever school they went to and it just meant that they either had more competition or that they just happened to be better than me. Once I got past that fact, I realized I could learn from them rather than just sit back and be jealous. It's kind of a good snap back to reality if you know what I mean. Every once in a while you need to fall off the high horse.</p>
<p>i agree with Silver and Jade...and it's all relative. there will always be somebody above us and below us...forever. i think it's not unusal to be a "big fish" in high school going into a much bigger pond in college. i think a critical trait for adjustment is humility. know your strengths and accept the things you know you can improve on, and as already stated , use it all, grow from it all, and you'll be the better person. i've read(and observed) that the kids who have the most trouble adjusting to college are the high school "stars" who took themselves seriously, rather than enjoying their brief ride of "fame" but stayed grounded. all the best to you, 2much2do....you're already ahead of the game, as you're asking the question.</p>
<p>Best is college is really impossible to predict in my opinion. I was ranked 13/458 in high school in a south texas public high school (it was pretty bad with an average SAT of like 750ish). I thought I would be on the low end at Rice grade wise because many people said I got in simply because I'm a URM. Also, I only came in with 13 hrs hehe, IB screwed me over, as opposed to the 50+ that some people here have. In fact, my counsler here said take math 101, phys 101, etc because he didn't think i was adequately prepared. I ignored him though because i really didn't want to and I'm doing fairly well with honors level math and physics courses and a 3.55 GPA (Above the 20th percentile by a good bit).</p>
<p>There is no way to predict how you will do. You can control it though because it is mostly about effort. If you have the potential to get in, you can most definitely succeed, but you MUST try.</p>
<p>I was tops in high school, then went to a tough college. It was a real adjustment! I struggled throughout freshman year, trying to find the best way to study, figuring out how to balance my responsibilities (like doing laundry!), finding time to socialize (very important). I finally got it all together sophomore year. In the end, I did not graduate at the top of the class. I did, however, have some excellent grades along the way, made Dean's List a few times, had a respectable GPA, and have always been pleased that I did it. Don't be afraid of not being the best. It's really okay!! I think knowing that you will be in a place with lots of incredibly smart people will help you --- you'll realize that going in, and you'll be ready for it. I remember being so amazed by how smart some people were --- in awe, to be honest. I am glad to have known them & been in classes with them. There is much to be gained. Just do your best ... that's all that is ever required for personal success!!</p>
<p>it'll happen to me too...relax</p>
<p>kelsmom: great post. I agree that no matter how well you do in high school, college will be different and challenging. It doesn't mean it's impossible to be at the top, but you'll learn that there's more to college than just GPA.</p>
<p>Hell, I applied to Ivies and other elites and I ended up at my flagship state university. I thought I'd be the smartest here (at least among my peers), but there are people that give me a run for my money! Doesn't stop me from trying though, because I'm a perfectionist with a love for winning (and I count winning as being the best). I'd say I'm doing fairly well, but I'm not the best yet.</p>
<p>Honestly, it depends on your ability and how much effort you put in. If you're anything like me, it will eat at you, but you'll feel good when you do meet your expectations.</p>
<p>it's kinda funny...i was my high school valedictorian, but i was fully aware that there were people out there who were far smarter and tried far harder than i did (hell, i was out doing dumb teenage male pranks part of senior year). knowing this, i lowered my expectations of performance...not to the point where i let myself slip, but that in the case i got a B <em>gasp</em> i would be fine with it. i was also aware that i probably wouldn't be the smartest person in the school anymore...i was fine with that, because at some point along the line, even during high school when i was getting nothing less than an A, i came to the conclusion that being the top isn't that important...in fact, it was practically useless to me. i had no aspirations of ever being a valedictorian, of always getting As, but it just happened by chance. as far as academics went, i took myself out of the context of everyone else, and did things for my OWN good, because i wanted to do things to the best of my ability. that was the most important thing...doing things relative to my own goals, and not others. if given the circumstances my best was a B, so be it. i say given the circumstances because i made social and cultural trade-offs with academics, not always studying when i could have, and if i saw those as ultimately worth it, i would make them. and that made me a LOT happier when i realized this, and took a lot of stress out of my first semester of college. it let me be more social, it let me do things in all aspects of my life that maybe i wouldn't have done before, etc.</p>
<p>and all that said...i still got a 4.0 my first semester of college, with an engineering class and calculus II with one of the hardest professors teaching the class that semester. call me uncompetitive, but without the stress of trying to best other students, i've been happier and i've performed at least as well as those busting their brains to best others (and in engineering, those kinds of people are everywhere!). i don't think (great) sacrifices of quality of life should be made in the pursuit of success...and even at that, success and happiness aren't necessarily defined by grades.</p>
<p>to answer your question, i'm glad i didn't go to a less difficult school...and actually, considering the caliber of students that came into my school and others' relative competitiveness, many students aren't THAT competitive. and despite the fact that i'm not really competitive, being around intelligent people motivates you and cooperation and collaboration really help you through those tough classes. also, at least in my case, admitting my own short-comings was the first step to being a better student. i went to tutoring when i never needed it in high school, i asked others for help, i studied for hours (when i literally never did in high school), and the benefits showed.</p>
<p>College is harder for me than high school.</p>
<p>i dunno, i'm kinda in the same boat, but i absolutely love it, because everyone here @ berkeley is soooo smart that it makes you feel really proud, and conversations just seem cooler</p>
<p>The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.</p>
<p>Also, try to think of it a bit as your high school has been holding you back. Sometimes, people rise to the level of the people around them. You'll probably be around people with a lot more ambition and capability than you're used to.</p>
<p>Consider it a challenge, then, to excel even though you might be a bit of an underdog :)</p>
<p>i love the pulp fiction quote</p>
<p>"and i will strike down upon thee with... 1.21 gigawatts!!!"</p>
<p>2much2do, I know a firend of mine that was among the top of her class, but when she entered freshman year she had a lot of trouble with her grades at the beginning, but right now she is back on her feet and doing really well. </p>
<p>I know another person who was a C student in in high school and when he got to college he was doing a lot better. I really don't understand why but its what I'm told.</p>
<p>The truth is I have been worried enough trying to get into my favorite university and havent really thought about how good I will be there, although now that I think of it, I am a little worried.</p>
<p>it depends if your are a good student, and if the school has teached you well and has prepared you for college gabrielc.</p>
<p>I was the top student at a poor gradeschool, then one of the top students in my poor highschool. Now, I'm at a big Ivy League University.</p>
<p>I found that I was behind from day one. I was not prepared for what top colleges would throw at me. I went through my freshman year feeling like everyone was smarter than me.</p>
<p>So the only thing I could do was keep working hard while everyone else slacked off. Now I'm a sophomore withan above average GPA that looks to only go up. I'm certainly not among the best anymore, but I feel more accomplished having set myself above most of my peers.</p>