<p>Whitneylm, you and my son must be identical twins (unless you're a girl :) ) separated at birth - he had the exact same attitude. And surprise! He got into his first choice - which was a top ten lac, but he first picked it when he was a kid and didn't know a top ten school from a top ten mutual fund.</p>
<p>You should cross post on the students' board if you haven't already.</p>
<p>What a wonderful post. I too am worried about all the students who are doing things that they don't want just to have an EC list a mile long. When I was in high school (graduated '79) we certainly did not have any of these worries. Of course maybe there wasn't such a competition to get into college then. </p>
<p>Thank God I didn't find CC until after my son had applied to schools. I would have been worried to death if my son would have gotten into any college after looking at all the other poster's scores, ec's, etc. </p>
<p>You will be happy to know that he got into one of the top 50 universities w/o doing things he didn't want to do. He did exactly what he wanted to do in high school - academic challenge, drama, foreign language club, NHS. He did do over 300+ community service hours which I'm sure helped but he didn't do them for that reason. He did it because he enjoyed it (did most of them during the summer). Actually we stopped marking the hours down because we decided that it was ridiculous (our high school requires 40 hrs to graduate). He did not take the SATII's just the plain old SAT. People in our family were very mad that he wasn't going to apply to the so called Ivy's, but he didn't want to. We only chose the one university because it offers a fabulous program in his major. He would have been just as happy in the Honor's Program at our state school in case he didn't get into the other school. </p>
<p>As I have stated before - there are a lot of extremely happy people with good careers, etc. that went to their state school or other less-name brand schools.</p>
<p>One last comment, just read on this board the unhappy students with no merit scholarships (great scores, etc.) and now they are sorry they did so much and got nothing. I feel sorry for them. They really thought that if they did all these things they would get into the top tier schools and get scholarship money. It's too late to apply to other good colleges (not top tier ratings) that would have offered these students fabulous merit scholarships and a great education:)</p>
<p>Great post and I wish more kids could figure that out. I shake my head at some of the stat profiles kids here have put together. How in the world do these kids get these grades and scores, and then in their spare time, captain three sports teams, editor the school paper, cure cancer, etc.? Way to suck the random fun out of life. It's not worth it. Do something you love to the fullest and enjoy it. </p>
<p>I work in a hospital and I see the kids putting in their volunteer hours on the weekend. Sorry, but this is a complete waste of time EC, at least at my workplace. They gain no insight into anything about medicine, instead they spend their time hiding in TV lounges chatting with their friends. When you can find one of them, they work as couriers or do collating and such. I'm sure they do it because they think it will look good that they put in so many hours of volunteering at a hospital, but the reality is that they are wasting time that could be much better spent. An EC should be a learning experience which helps you define your interests, not just something to put down on an application.</p>
<p>MomOFour-
I was a hospital volunteer in a large teaching hospital's ER in Philly. It was an amazing experience. I still remember the ambulances screaming up to the door carrying people who had been shot, stabbed, drowned.....and I can vividly recall the woman who threw herself and her two kids off of a bridge. They brought her in....and had yet to find the drowned kids. Thinking back, I'm surprised I was so involved in the work....and so close to the action. People were always running and yelling. It was great!</p>
<p>I would wheel all of the pregnant women up to L&D....and sometimes answer the phone where people were telling me their symptoms and/or emergencies and asking me that to do....and my response was always the same - "come in". I was 16. </p>
<p>I couldn't wait to get there each day. The more blood I saw, the more excited I was about it. </p>
<p>Maybe it was just the ER...and the rest of the hospital volunteers are bored to death. For me, that was a fantastic EC. It's soo bad the kids you are seeing aren't finding the work interesting.</p>
<p>Whitney:</p>
<p>Awesome post- this is all so true. It is easy to get sucked into the competitive atmosphere of seeking a prestigious admittance for it's own sake, if others around you are hyping it....jsut read any number of threads on the kids board.</p>
<p>Really, you should be learning about who you are and doing things you enjoy. The bitter tone of the thread from kids who did what they were told to do with the expectation of admissions or $$ is so sad. Think how many of them may have actually gotten in to a better fitting place if they had taken the time to find their dream and pursue it with passion. Imagine what a more interesting person they would be on their apps, and more importantly, to those around them, if they found their passion and pursued it.</p>
<p>The tough spot is the kid who has the drive and has simply not found a passion yet or even worse the kid with no drive who wants to watch TV or play video games, shop at the mall etc. I am not sure how to help some one find their passion, other than to provide exposure and opportunities to try new things and experience interesting activities.</p>
<p>Oh my god I can't believe this MzLover.</p>
<p>If every country limited each couple to one child, even if every couple had their one child which wouldn't happen, each generation would cut in half the population until the country became small and economically powerless.</p>
<p>The OP is the essense of what these kids SHOULD be doing - follow the path that will make you happy - even if it doesn't 'fit' into the mold that may be expected of them. I have posted about being happy in the past and gotten flamed big time over it - we have encouraged our kids to follow their hearts and NOT to fall into the competitive hole that can make people so stressed and miserable.</p>
<p>It's funny - we have talked to both of our kids about what they think is most important for them - and happy is the top of the list. How they get/got there is important to them also - by their own paths - not some one elses - and in their own ways - they are both very unpredictable types and have done it their way - and are/will be happy in the world they live in - doing what they love to do. Neither of them are of the thinking that $$ is the top goal at all - there are enough of those types already out there.</p>
<p>I love to see independant thinkers in our young - who go after their passions and don't bother to worry about what others may think - KUDDO's to all who can do that - and especially to both of mine.</p>
<p>I think we push ourselves because we grow up that way. I know that everyone thought I would go to UCLA or something, but when I messed my freshman year up, they sort of decided that my option would be a Community College. That's not fair at all. I guess simply put, I agree. Parents, teachers, and even councelors put a lot of emphasis on grades, test scores, and TOP COLLEGES. They forget to ask us what WE want in a school.</p>
<p>Excellent post Whitney. Very comforting and refreshing. :)</p>
<p><em>blushes madly</em></p>
<p>Thank you everyone! I wasn't expecting near the response that I recieved... In fact, I was a bit worried I'd be unclear and muddled. Anyway, thank you for your kind words. :D Its good to know I seem to be on the right track and I'm glad to hear that so many of the kids here seem to have similar views. And, thank you parents. ^_^</p>
<p>Sorry for not replying earlier... ironically enough, theatre's been eating up my free time. XD</p>
<p>i have an exact same view and i've tried not to do anything only for admissions to colleges. (oh and i'm doing the theatre .. excessively :D)</p>
<p>and after all, (i have very similar SAT scores as your) i think i've spent my last four year really well. perhaps a lot richer and happier than most of top guns in my school. you know what i mean :)</p>
<p>be proud of your achievement and rock your theatre !</p>
<p>I think you post is slightly contradictory...you really dont care about what looks good for college??? then why take every AP known to man....i dont understand that part</p>
<p>please dont take this as rude but its wat i read and im not just going to "wholeheartedly agree" like most others on here</p>
<p>I think the issue is more complicated than you make it sound. Many students don't see it as simply "forcing themselves" to participate in activities they don't enjoy in order to please college. Because the prevailing attitude among applicants seems to be that the prestige of a college determines career options, many probably believe they are sacrificing their present happiness to ensure future success. Basically, I'm sure many students believe that doing a few unpleasant activities is a small price to pay for ensuring financial and social success. I understand the point you're trying to make, but maybe you shouldn't be so quick to judge.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I think you post is slightly contradictory...you really dont care about what looks good for college??? then why take every AP known to man....i dont understand that part</p>
<p>please dont take this as rude but its wat i read and im not just going to "wholeheartedly agree" like most others on here
[/quote]
</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Some people like to learn.</p></li>
<li><p>Some people would like to skip college classes for which they already know the material.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>birdofprey425 , true true.</p>
<p>Moco86 , i did not, neither did OP mean, one type of students are better than another.
if some can be "less happy today" for "happier tomorrow", that's great. (i mean i do that too. but just not for colleges) but i guess this thread is just a little opening for people who think differently.</p>
<p>.I dont doubt that but still...is there even enough time in the day for all that?</p>
<p>I'd also like to ask what makes a college such a fit for someone? If you work hard and get accepted into Harvard isnt that a good enough fit? I'm sure most people dont care much about class size and things like that because I dont.</p>
<p>Sorry, I guess the OP already said s/he wasn't trying to judge other people. But it seems like many of the replying posts have been eager to criticize.</p>
<p>ElCommando: I don't take any offense. I took all the AP classes because I absolutely adore learning... and at my school its either AP or classes where most people just goof off. And, if you really know Harvard and want to go to Harvard, I say power to you. This isn't a "people who want to go to elite schools are silly" thread and wasn't intended to be. </p>
<p>Moco: Sorry if I sounded like I was judging. I think that its fine if people want the prestige and everything so their career can be more successful or whatever else. I'm mainly referring to these people I know who force everything to fit a mold and don't even bother seeing if their "dream school" is actually a fit or not. If prestige is one of your criteria, then it would go into being a "fit". </p>
<p>dreaming: Wahoo! Theatre all the way. :D</p>
<p>This isn't a "people who want to go to elite schools are silly"</p>
<p>lol i understand because i hate taking classes with the idiots as well who are just weird. =)</p>
<p>actually, just speaking for myself, i find that taking AP classes is alot easier than sitting in a boring "regular" class. But that's just me... And most of my 9 AP's have been for my own enjoyment, not necessarily for how i thought college's might look at them...</p>