"Don't do it just to get into college..."

<p>hey, guess what? your a sanctimonious preacher
"don't do it just to into college, do it cause you have a passion for it"
Almost everything I do to put on my college app is done just for college. If I wasn't trying to go to Harvard I'd get horrible grades and spend my time getting drunk and getting around... if you know what I mean... </p>

<pre><code> My big thing is research, in my school, which is pretty heavily into all this research crap I am the little poster boy for the research program. Look at him hes done so much blah blah blah. A little credibility to this is that I got into RSI (some super nerd program at MIT which is supposed to be more selective than the top colleges). You would look at me and say, oh he has a real passion for this research, he must really enjoy it. That would be true to an extent, it is quite fun to discover stuff and work on high science concepts and such. I also think high school science research is total bullsh!t but thats another story, maybe I'll start another thread when I feel like it.

If I didn't have to apply to college would I be doing this research? Wow, thats a good question I'm glad you asked that, the answer is, probably not, while it is cool to work on nanotechnology, it is infinitely cooler to hook up with cute chicks, no competition. And while it is possible to combine the two ;-), it doesn't usually happen.

About these extracurricular activities that everyone seems to have such passion for.  People are like, oh I'm a member of this and that and you ride them for creating a laundry list of clubs with no real focus.   No one cares about your focus, be the President of as many clubs as you can, you can always fake a passion in your application, its not hard. "Only do things that you have a real passion for." If anyone followed this advice I'd be willing to bet all of the clubs in every school would fail due to lack of members. Everyone is lazy, you're not special, no one likes to do anything extra beyond what is required. 

Every passion on a high school app is faked. And for those of you who have real passion but didn't get in cause you were too narrow minded and the kid who had your achievements, but not your passion and other stuff besides that gave you what you deserved. I don't feel sorry for you, I laugh at you and your passion, I got into college I wanted, you didn't, You and your passion didn't play the game well enough.

Because that's what its all about, playing the game right and winning.  If you know the rules it isn't that hard to push the right buttons and win that huge teddy bear prize. High School is the game, and College is the prize. For those of you who say it shouldn't be like that, and kids should be free to follow their passions, well, I say, can you come up with a better system? Didn't think so.

Don't tell people not to do things just for college, please people, do things just for college so you can get into the college you want to go to and do more things just for the sake of grad school. High School isn't about discovering yourself, it isn't about cultivating your bullsh!t passion, thats not what high school kids do, they experiment, are all over the place and do stuff so they can go to the college they want and discover themselves and cultivate their passion and find their goal in life.

</code></pre>

<p>Do things just for college, who cares if you like it or not.</p>

<p>I live in a world where so much is done just for college. I guess we'll all see if it was worth it!!!!!!!</p>

<p>Ah, what a world we live in. One day, you will be very unsatisfied.</p>

<p>LOL. Yes, I agree with filmxoxo17. And you wonder why Americans switch jobs an average of 8 times in their lives...</p>

<p>Can you say "mid-life crisis"?</p>

<p>So, you'll do what you do in college just to get a job? You'll get a job just to save for retirement? "Then what?" asked the Grim Reaper.</p>

<p>Hmm, great job. Too bad its an opinion, and like all opinions, no one CARES.</p>

<p>One question for you though, what is this "something" that one must do for college? Hmm? Research? Are you stating that research will get someone into college? Or is it, writing a book? Join a sport? Are you guranteeing that these will get you into college because you did it FOR college?</p>

<p>And another question, let's say I'm good at...auto. Fixing cars, etc. I'm also into woodshop and pottery. But those are OBVIOUSLY not benefit for college admissions, so following your advice, I should join one of these "somethings" that are benefit for college more than others (eventhough I have know idea how you categorize an activity as this "something"). Ok...let's say I join science club, and research. But I have no PASSION for it, and I'm not good at it. But I MUST DO IT for college. So I end up not getting any positions, and being mediocre in it, while if I had joined auto club or something, I could have been an officer for it. So did I choose the right path?</p>

<p>No. People are saying this phrase to assure you that if you do what you love, you will be good at it, because you ENJOY what you're doing. And if you do what you do without reluctance, you will gain hierarchy in it eventually. </p>

<p>Again, this is MY opinion, and similar to yours, no one cares. But just to show you that this is how people see it when they say that, not to be a "sanctimonious preacher" as you so phrased it.</p>

<p>Another rant for the ages</p>

<p>i completely agree with spydertennis. welcome to the unfair planet that we call "earth"</p>

<p>spydertennis is correct insaying that the game can be played to get into college and that people do things only for college, but the biggest dissapointment has to be spydertennis...he played the game to get into college and did not spend time doing what he wanted...in effect, he got played into college admissions and wasted parts of his life doing things he didn't want to do</p>

<p>Great job at conveying the truth, but the truth here is that you got played into college admissions and even if you do go to Harvard or wherever, you won't be getting any "hot chicks" over there</p>

<p>hahaha i have GOT to agree fully with the OP. i am sharing the same hatred with people (who arent even applying) who love to tell you to stop doing what your doing (volunteer/studying/prepclasses) and "dont do things you dont like.. your wasting your time"..</p>

<p>well guess what. i dont exactly like taking the SATs.</p>

<p>I'm with spydertennis, for the most part</p>

<p>interesting. i thought aboutg college before hihgschool, but never really cared about getting into the top (HYP) until a few months ago. i made As just for myself because I wanted to know info.</p>

<p>in any case, it paid off.</p>

<p>no one cares?
I beg to differ my friend, whether you care or not anything posted on this board gets replys proving that someone cares.</p>

<p>"somethings"
Are you serious? You don't know what the somethings are? Theyre things you do to get into college. I don't know what they all are or even what yours is. I just told you mine, research. I'm not saying thats the only one, just what I did.</p>

<p>wasted my time
I did not waste my time doing this, I did it so I could get into college and when I got there I could follow what path I choose. This isn't some never ending cycle as some of you would like to see it. That is exactly the argument that bothers me so much; that by doing things to get into college I will end up unsatisfied and unfulfilled. I most definitely will not. I do whatever I need to do to get into college then when I get to college, those "intellectual breeding grounds," I can do whatever fulfills me as you like to put it. But if what fulfills me necessitates graduate school, I would then need to play the game again to gain admission there.</p>

<p>the ridiculous auto example
I did not mean that you should give up auto's, rather that it should be relgated to being a hobby and you should try to do things that maybe you don't enjoy, just so you can get into college. Being an officer in the Auto Club? Come on, what college wants to see that? And even if you don't enjoy something, doesn't mean that you are no good at it. You don't have to do research, you could do community service, that doesn't take any special skill and the colleges love it. There are types of research, such as biology or chemistry that don't require any special intelligence. So you can't say that if you don't have a passion for it you won't be good at it.</p>

<p>My hats off to you spyder</p>

<p>true true. If I didn't constantly feel the looming pressure of college admissions, I wouldn't be doing **** right now. All the studying, participation in clubs, volunteering...yeah, to some extent it is about passion, but I wouldn't be this motivated if I knew nothing I did would matter for college. Period.</p>

<p>Hhhmmm if we do things for colleges, wouldn't that make colleges are to select their future students? Applying to do some research etc etc? That's BS. Some people can't afford it even though their dreams is to get into one of the best colleges. Besides if you're saying that we should do to make our applications be the best and have no passion, that means all of our applications would be the same. --; Ack, guess we should turn into robots so we could all be perfect. -_-; "If you weren't trying to go to Havard,I'd get..." Who the hell pay for your school and high school? You? I don't think so. Your parents paid for it. If your parents don't give a damn about you, they let you do what you want which is to get bad grades and get drunk. If your parents care, they beat the crap out of you for wasting their money. For some parents with different culture they would make sure their kids don't waste their money to get bad grades and get drunk. I definately disgreed with you. [Shrugs] Just have to get it out before I explode.</p>

<p>Haha, spydertennis is my new temporary hero. I always see someone on CC responding to a chances post by saying "you need to find a passion" and for ten minutes the he or she will be the sagacious CCer with all the answers to life.</p>

<p>To copy what the OP said, college admissions is a game, and we decide how we want to play it. Yeah, it may be unsatisfying, but to tell some one "you need to go find a 'passion'", then expect them to go to their library and check out "the Big Book of 'Passions'" and arbitrarily choose one is sort of absurd.</p>

<p>Props to spyder for going against the laws of nature and getting into college without a 'passion.'</p>

<p>X] Ok how about this, if Spydertennis got into Havard without passion, then he is right. xP But if he didn't then he is wrong! :] I'm going to go for passion and if I get into one of the Ivies then....oo;;; uumm...hmmm....Spydertennis is wrong! Bingo! ^_^ 2 more years! W00t!</p>

<p>Wow Sneakiie you get the prize for the worst grammar. I usually try not to comment on peoples syntax but I seriously have problems understanding what you are trying to say. I hope english isn't your first language.</p>

<p>From what I gather some people can't afford something, I'm not sure what though, and everyone is the same if no one has any passion. Also it seems that I'm wasting my parents money because all I want to do is get bad grades and get drunk.</p>

<p>Seems to me you are way off base here. I get amazing grades and take hard courses and all the standard bs. I'm not wasting my parents money because they dont pay for my high school, its public. But when I do go to college I don't think my parents will consider an Ivy a waste. </p>

<p>Doing things for college doesn't make you a robot, it just maeks you smart cause you know what you need to do to achieve your goals. I have no idea where you got that robot junk from. Also where did getting drunk come in? I'd really like to know how no passion suddenly equals alcoholic. </p>

<p>Maybe you should've kept it in and exploded... [Shrug]</p>

<p>If you'll excuse me I need to check out the Big Book of Passions so my parents don't beat the crap out of me for getting bad grades and wasting their money which they didn't pay for high school.
/sarcasm</p>

<p>I always see someone on CC responding to a chances post by saying "you need to find a passion" and for ten minutes the he or she will be the sagacious CCer with all the answers to life.
-that is exactly what I'm saying</p>

<p>Wait I don't understand hwo whether I get into Harvard or not has anything to do with you wackjobs preaching to people about their passions. And how does you going to one of the Ivies prove me wrong?</p>

<p>I hate it when people argue with irrelevant information.</p>

<p>ummm... W00T! Bingo! I used some contemp slang so I'm right!
/more sarcasm</p>