<p>What’s wrong with being a tryhard?</p>
<p>“If your not trying your hardest, why even bother trying.”</p>
<p>Bluestar- I think personal statements coerce some of the criteria you were mentioning. An Admission Officer should be able to conclude a person’s drive and logic through them.</p>
<p>by the way, what does College Confidential consider natural intelligence?</p>
<p>pokemonfan Keep in mind that teacher recommendations are not impartial at all. As for natural intelligence I consider it to be the measure of a person’s ability to acquire and apply new intelligence.</p>
<p>Sometimes it’s possible to have very high grades and lower test scores, but grades that high and an ACT of 23 is very alarming. Is your school a joke?</p>
<p>Like I said before -
For clarification: my High School was ranked number two in my state two years ago. Also, only the top fifteen percent of students are completive. Our school does suffer from “grinders” who only try in school for the GPA, but they tend to get weeded out of the top fifteen percent. My graduating class had eight National Merit Finalist and a few who got commended. However, my school does have some grade inflation. Sometimes it is easier to pull off an A in an AP class than in an Honors.
Also, this year about 12 kids were sent to Stanford, Yale, Wharton, UChicago, Northwestern, WUSTL and others got into some acclaimed programs at state universities, so I don’t really know.</p>
<p>Yes…</p>
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<p>maybe … but you would be a particularly odd one to be aware of it, and to question if you are (and i guess in sum just to make this thread).</p>
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<p>I think that’s a fine excuse … some kids are born to Princeton graduates and easily score very high on their SAT’s. other kids are born to less intelligent, more common people and don’t… It’s okay to acknowledge that our intelligence and other biological traits are largely inherited from our parents, and that we have a limited ability to rise above or change those things :).</p>
<p>Pokemonfan What do you mean by 15% of your class being completive? Competitive? And there are many highly ranked high schools in the country that suffer from grade inflation and handing out 4.0s left and right. And the 2nd best public high school in a state like Oklahoma doesn’t hold a candle to one from, say, California.</p>
<p>^ the #5 HS in the country according to USNWR is in MI…</p>
<p>Also, my HS is top 5 in my state, and I’d say that the top 40% or so are competitive, definitely more than the top 15%.</p>
<p>It may be because of test anxiety- it can get in the way of your true intelligence</p>
<p>Elnamo- perhaps. I do tend to get anxious and knew I made some ambiguous mistakes. </p>
<p>Also, on the SAT I got a 1980, but I honestly think it was a fluke.</p>
<p>hmm … so you got a 1980 on the SAT … the plot thickens.</p>
<p>i’m not sure why you wouldn’t include that in the OP unless you wanted to exaggerate your insecurity about being a try-hard (or, i mean, make it seem more believable and legitimate so ccers would take your concern seriously).</p>
<p>i mean, it’s okay to do that i guess.</p>
<p>anyway you scoring a 1980 on the SAT makes much more sense to me given how you type and your story and everything. I think considering the ACT the fluke, not the SAt, would be more reasonable.</p>
<p>School measures how hard you try in my opinion. You are given all of the necessary information and as long as you are dedicated enough to practice with that information, as well as study it, you can do well in school. On tests like the ACT and SAT, however, you are measured by what you can reason and deduce (as well as what you know in math and English regarding rules). This is why some students who may not seem intelligent in school can score highly. I believe high scores are a somewhat faulty indicator of college readiness unless paired with good grades. A student with little drive but above average test taking skills probably wont be as likely to succeed in college as a student with lesser test scores but a better work ethic. Ideally, a student would want great scores and grades, and that is why colleges look for both of these things. The flaw in this is that you can prepare for tests like the ACT and “game” them. This way a student with a strong work ethic can participate in a lot of test prep and raise their scores. So to answer your question in the most inefficient way possible, you do seem like a try hard. That is actually a compliment though, so don’t use it with such a negative connotation. Be proud that you put forth the effort required to make yourself successful, and maybe consider putting that effort in the right direction by prepping more for the ACT and getting a higher score that you can surely achieve with enough dedication.</p>
<p>My opinion: </p>
<p>WHO CARES if you have to work hard to master material vs. can make things “click” without much effort? </p>
<p>Both types of learners will end up in the same place. Both will find success in their future careers. </p>
<p>You do what it takes to master the material. I don’t understand why there is constantly a feud brewing over fluid vs. crystallized intelligence. </p>
<p>At the end of the day, it really makes no difference. </p>
<p>Once upon a time there was an advanced Physics student who never needed to study and made great grades. Another student worked hard and asked many questions. Guess what? They made the same final grade. </p>
<p>The best student in our highest level Spanish class is not a native speaker nor Hispanic. She is an incredibly hard worker. </p>
<p>OP, do your best on your standardized tests; however, never underestimate the merit of your consistent hard work.</p>