<p>I hope that this thread will provide an outlet for anyone on this site who, like myself, thought of him/herself as a moderately accomplished student before reading the posts and stats of other CCers, and afterwards began to develop an inferiority complex.</p>
<p>You are all very gifted students and have fantastic prospects ahead of you. Try not to lose sight of your achievements just because certain aspects of your academic or extra curricular career do not measure up to that of someone else! Colleges look to create a diverse and interesting student body, not a compilation of identical Mensa members.</p>
<p>Feel free to post your insecurities, ask for reassurement on stats you have begun to doubt, or supply encouragement to other members on this thread.</p>
<p>Hahaha I just think that there are probably some other CCers like me who are easily stressed and my logic was that it would be better to share that stress and realize, at least, that there is a community of people who feel the same way!</p>
<p>I suppose I’ll start, then:</p>
<p>I earned a 2120 SAT score on my first attempt and was incredibly disappointed. Even with my 770 Writing score. I am waiting on class rank, but will be surprised if I am not valedictorian or salutatorian; rather than excited at the prospect, I am nervous that my ranking will not be looked on kindly by schools which also receive applications from valedictorians in schools with 300+ kids per grade because my grade has only about 170. </p>
<p>Also, to those with 2300+ on the SATs: Please don’t retake or feel bad about yourselves because other CCers have perfect scores. The Ivies have been known to reject candidates with a 2400 who are otherwise one dimensional; you have fantastic SAT scores. Focus on something else instead and seriously stop worrying. You are easily within the top quarter of Ivy applicants.</p>
<p>To those who have excellent academics but are lacking in extra curriculars: It is NOT a bad thing to be intelligent but clumsy, motivated but uncoordinated, brilliant but shy. I know that colleges emphasize well-roundedness, but there is a place for everyone at some school somewhere. Your grades and test scores will be noticed by admissions committees regardless of the fact that you weren’t captain of the squash team since your freshman year.</p>
<p>I’m sure I’ll have more to add later, but I’m passing the baton for now :)</p>
<p>I actually did nothing in high school. I am very intelligent, scored a 33 on the ACT (while doped up on painkillers- it was AWESOME), and had a relatively modest 3.8. I got a D in AP Calc AB because I didn’t try. Didn’t care much either. ECs and friends ALWAYS went above school. I have amazing memories of high school that mostly centered around theater and community service. And I had an amazing boyfriend there every step of the way, and I had the best friends one could ask for to bring me back down to Earth when I got wrapped up in my studies. THAT is what I remember, not how to integrate sinx^3.</p>
<p>I realized really early on that I had to follow where my heart took me, not where everyone else told me to go. I also had parents that supported me every step of the way and ultimately told me that I needed to go where I was happy, not which had the best name recognition. So, I am now going to a school much lower ranked than the top one I got into, and I am loving every single minute of it. </p>
<p>Ultimately when you look back on high school, you won’t remember your GPA or your test scores, you’re going to remember what you did outside of school. So just learn to live a bit people. Take a chance or two. You’ll regret it when it’s gone. </p>