<p>The main drive for most people on CC seems to be "If I do well in high school, I get into a good college. If I do well in college, I get a good job. If I get a good job, I make good money/end up with a career."</p>
<p>Sure, that's all fine and dandy, but all of these my-life-choices-are-based-on-how-much-adcom-butt-I-can-kiss attitudes make me sick. Do you even enjoy your lives as youths? "Why work like a dog so you can pant for a moment or two before you die?" That's from The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail, by the way. I remember reading that because I find it fascinating, not because colleges want me to find it fascinating. I go to class every day because I love learning about certain subjects. All throughout high school, I suffered through my history and science classes to get to my English and music classes. I just hope that people aren't suffering through their childhood and young adulthood just to get to a wealthy middle aged lifestyle.</p>
<p>And for the record, most colleges won't give a rat's arse if you swap out one of your 6 AP classes for an art class. Your 3.7 GPA will not deter you from being successful in life. And finally, just do what you want. Don't try to game your future. It never, ever, ever works out just how you planned it to be anyway.</p>
<p>I do love learning, very much so. I read and study on my own time. If I like a subject in school, I excel in it. But if it doesn’t interest me much, I do poorly. (that’s my problem I need to change)</p>
<p>But how well you do in high school reflects, in a way, how well you do in life, unless you make drastic changes. I, for one, am not willing to put my future in jeopardy because I did not work to my full potential in high school. And yes, I do enjoy my “youth”. I have a newfound positive, determined attitude, and it is far better than my previously lazy,slacker attitude. I enjoy being productive and challenging myself.</p>
<p>And lastly, you say “Just do what you want”. I think I can safely say that most people on here want a good education at a great college. A good college staffed with Nobel Laureates can challenge you to think in ways you have never done before.</p>
<p>There are indeed a lot of people on this site that are ridiculously over-achiever-y, but hey, that’s just who they are. As for you, are you just here to ■■■■■, or…?</p>
<p>I love to learn, but that doesn’t mean that I go to school, write the essays, and go to certain classes because I want to. Sure I love to learn mathematics, music, chemistry, etc. I can’t stand a bad teacher, and that’s what motivates me to be involved in class and learn for the sake of learning, how nice a teacher is and how good of a teacher there are. I can’t just have a teacher who get’s all of her students to do well but is annoying/mean, and I also can’t have a teacher who’s really nice but I feel like I’m not learning anything. I think that math and music I will love no matter who the teacher is, but in any other class it really depends upon the teacher (the class as well I suppose). For example, I used to hate english but last year I had the best teacher of my schooling career and this year I have the best class. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed going to english even though I have my worst grade in that class both years. I love to learn but that doesn’t mean I love everything about school. As for extra curriculars I do what I do because I love it. Sure they may be a pain because they interfere with the rest of my life sometimes but I would never want to stop doing them. I’m not like other people who joined the debate team or became an EMT just to look good for college. I do what I do because I want to, not because some people think it’ll look good to the adcoms.</p>
<p>I’m glad to hear that you all think this way. No, I’m not a ■■■■■ in the least. I really do hope that most people on CC want a good education for the sake of a good education, but it seems as though a lot of them are a bit over the top. It’s as if they probably like school, but not as much as they like gaming the system for adcom approval and prestige points. You know the ones I’m talking about. The many who come here and post about how they “have to” take 6 AP classes, be president of every club, and volunteer every week of the summer just so they can put it in their app. It doesn’t seem like genuine passion to me.</p>
<p>It is important to do well for college, careers, etc. as you mentioned, but I actually do like to learn. </p>
<p>Right now I’m reviewing music theory stuff, partly because it’s interesting, partly because I want to be prepared for being a music major this fall in college and not forget theory I’ve learned, and partly because I’d like to take a placement test and get out of 1st semester theory, so see, different motives.</p>
<p>I think a lot of this is fueled by uncertainty about the future. In today’s America, 1% of people control 99% of the wealth. And things aren’t getting any fairer. While there are a few notable exceptions, for most people not going to college will lead to basically becoming a wage slave and barely being able to get by. Going to second tier colleges seems to lead to entry-level positions in education/business that dead end before 100k. </p>
<p>What we envision as a “middle class lifestyle” can only be afforded by 10% of Americans, if even that. So I think this fear and uncertainty, as well as the abominable concentration of wealth that globalization/capitalism has brought, are sending people clamoring for Ivy-type colleges, which are seen as portals into medicine, law, government, and elite business.</p>
<p>High school does not matter at all, as long as you graduate. I do think alot of the q’s on these boards are ridiculous. </p>
<p>Mainly, I’m in college to get my sheepskin and hopefully get a good job in the future but I definitely have some good old fashioned college fun along the way :). Some of my classes are interesting, most are dull, idk if I would categorize any of them as “fun.” but I do enjoy being intelectually stimulated every once in a while. but, whatever, a college degree is required for most decent jobs, if you suck with your hands, like me.</p>
<p>honestly, i’m a person who thinks school is not fun and i hate learning. I’d much rather travel the world and just live my days as a traveler, but thats just a dream which can be fulfilled by graduating college, getting a job and making money; there’s my drive.</p>
<p>Honestly, nerdy as it sounds, I’m gonna have to agree. Sometimes, school is fun just for the sake of learning. Not to say college has nothing to do with it, but the big part of it is learning. That doesn’t necessarily I attend all my classes with this glee, because some classes I take for the graduation requirement, but in general, school has come to mean a lot more for me than grades and college.</p>
<p>i hate learning in every way but im still really good at math and science because i know that being smart is correlated with making money, AND I LOVE MONEY!!!</p>
<p>You must have an inflated view of a “middle class lifestyle”. A lifestyle that can only be afforded by the richest 10% is by definition an “upper class lifestyle”, not a “middle class lifestyle”.</p>
<p>^ Try doing some research. Look at how much the 90th percentile of American households makes. Then look at the cost of living. There’s nothing objectively “upper class” about their lifestyle…they are “upper class” only on a statistical basis. You are also wrong about the definition of an “upper class” lifestyle. It’s not based on percentiles. When wealth is unequally distributed, you could have 90% of your population lower class, 9.9% middle class, and .1% upper class(which is a pretty accurate breakdown of the US). Only with a relatively normal distribution of wealth would your viewpoint be valid. Is the average Nigerian, by definition, a member of a middle class? No. He’s the 50th percentile, but who cares?</p>
<p>I am currently doing research at Wharton on income concentration. Since 1950, income has become increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few. Most Americans have seen their living standards decrease. In term’s of real income(today’s money) automotive assembly line workers in the 50’s and 60’s were making around $80/hr. We also have a working estimate of the “middle class income” that provides the benefits people associate with their ideal “middle class” American life, and it’s around $130,000.</p>
<p>Are there plenty of US families living this ideal lifestyle and making far under 130k? Sure. But they’re crippled by debt. It takes 130k to get it all debt-free(by ‘debt-free’ they can still have a reasonable mortgage).</p>
<p>@27dreams: I thought the same way at the beginning of this year (CC and others). I actually fell into despair and ended up with a less-than-stellar school year (along with an existential crisis - thanks a lot, CC). I know, I know, it’s Caulfieldesque and I sound like a hopeless and whiny snob, but I couldn’t help it.</p>
<p>I still think this way; I am upset at the norm, but it doesn’t seem that it will change very soon.</p>