<p>So, I'm a freshmen and a long time lurker on this site. Looking around, I feel like quite the underachiever.... Everyone has prestigious summer camps, volunteering, internships, and jobs, and are taking a bunch of APs. I mean, i'm taking AP's next year (couldn't this year), and my upcoming schedule is good, but still....</p>
<p>How do you guys find these jobs/internships/volunteer work? I mean, its easy if you are a science student, but I'm not interested in that, really. Research is fun and good, but when the opportunities are science I get significantly less interested, you know what I mean? </p>
<p>And for ECs... There are barely any I'm interested in at school. I'm not the person who will do it just for college--I'd rather enjoy it, thank you very much.</p>
<p>EDIT: Oh, and if anyone knows any specific stuff in Cincinnati, or Chicago during the summer, do tell :) I've been looking into some stuff, but more can't hurt....</p>
<p>I am reposting my rant from a different thread. </p>
<p>I hate posts like this- it shows that people are really comparing themselves to the absurdly high-achieving trolls roaming this site, systematically deflating the self-esteems of perfectly intelligent students.
I used to think I was doing fine- or more (6 APs by the end of high school, 3.8/3,9 GPA), but this site has infected me with the inferiority virus.
Do what you want. RANDOM INTERNET LURKERS DON’T MATTER IN YOUR LIFE CHOICES.
That said, my take (this is for you, raclara):
YOU’RE A FRESHIE. (Frosh, whatever you call it.) You’ve got time to join clubs, find your interests/passions, rack up your internships, and do all those application-busting activities. Right now, you need to get into the swing of things in high school and leave the worrying to the presidential candidates (or their campaign managers). Not to mention the fact that freshman year, you’re probably too young/inexperienced for most of those jobs and internships, anyway. So chill. You’ve got the rest of your life to worry.</p>
<p>EDIT: I don’t hate the posters! I hate the fact that they feel the need to make a post like this.</p>
<p>No. Just no. You are NOT an underachiever. My class of 2015 is about 450 students, and I<code>d say there</code>s a solid 100 different students who take AP classes, most take more than one usually. There<code>s about 50-75 honor graduates that graduate each year (No Valedictorians, they got rid of that a few years ago). So basically, anyone who take at least one AP is smarter than all the others. This site is for those who wish to go to college, and prestigious ones at that, for some. You are NOT an underachiever, I know many others will tell you this too (I</code>m sure by the time I<code>ve finished this almost book-sized post, others will have said that). At my school, freshman can</code>t even take APs. I<code>m taking one this year (although I do wish I was taking another) and I</code>ll take others. Why am I taking them? Because I like to learn about that particular subject. And yes, quality > quantity, which most do on here…they just have quantity too. I<code>m not in that many EC</code>s…quiz bowl, Track, International club. Some volunteering. NHS next year. But that`s it.
Seriously, DO NOT stress about being an underachiever...people were just saying on another thread how CC is stressful to those who arent taking a full load. It does make you feel like an underachiever, but youre not. There are people on here from all over the country, and in all honesty, compared to the average student, youre probably better than OK. OK is even better than underachiever. So stop feeling like an underachiever. Youre not, I promise, take my word for it. OK?
If you agree to those terms...then read further.
How to find them? Well, my dad owns his own company, so I just work for him, but just look around in the newspaper, if you know somebody who has an opening/knows someone who has one.
Internships....just depends. Sometimes my school will announce them, sometimes I`ll here about something from whoever. </p>
<p>Volunteer- I volunteer at my local food pantry. Just find a non-profit organization (SPCA, food pantry, etc, etc, etc)</p>
<p>Summer stuff…I here about different things. My teacher got an e-mail about a summer leadership program that<code>ll get me 3 college credits, so that was just kind of by luck, but if you look around on the internet, there are plenty. I know people who work as camp counselors (Rural area, so we</code>ve got lots), I go on mission trips with my youth group, and I know people who go to summer programs at colleges…colleges usually have different ones (Medicine, journalism, STEM, etc). I<code>m sure U of Cincinnati has some, and I know Ohio State and Ohio U do. I</code>m sure University of Chicago does, Northwestern definitely does, and there are others.</p>
<p>Chant this non-stop: “I am not an underachiever. I am not an underachiever.”</p>
<p>EDIT: Yeah, Hannahbanana`s post was the one I was talking about.</p>
<p>Well, my schools kind of prestigious, so pretty much everyone has taken 2+ APs by the time they graduate. Among the classes im in right now, its defibetely more than that. Good thing i like a lot of those classes!
Anyway, thanks to both of you…just what i needed to get out of the stressy mood I’ve been in lately. :)</p>
<p>I’m a frosh, in Cincinnati as well, and the thing that I am struggling with the most right now is finding a volunteer place that will accept me for my young age. Most places say 16 and up- I won’t be 16 until I’m a junior. </p>
<p>I’m in six clubs, and I still feel like an underachiever. Then, one day, I told my friends about my plans for the future which sound perfectly normal on CC, but my friend told me I was crazy. That brought me back to reality. I go to a competitive school, but no one does what people on CC do.</p>
<p>If you’re looking around Chicago, Northwestern, UChicago have some pretty good summer programs if you’re interested. Also there’s also a summer program at UChicago towards the end of June called Youth about Business. Its really cool, and if you place in the top two for the region you go to Columbia University in New York for a whole week. As for EC’s, you’ll never know unless you try. There were a few clubs at my school that I initially never wanted to do, but after some coaxing by a buddy of mine, i joined the clubs and fell in love with them. And besides, you’re still a freshman in High School, you have at least 2 more years to decide. So don’t worry and stop comparing yourself to others. I learned that when you compare yourself to others, you tend to make yourself feel bad. All that matters is that YOU know that you tried your butt off for what you do - and sooner than later it will all fall into place.</p>
<p>Eveningswan, What are these places that you have to be 16 for? Might as well bookmark them for junior year… I know the zoo has a summer thing, but I found out about that in like august. Sucks for me.
Thanks everybody!</p>
<p>I’ve got nothing constructive to add, but I’m pretty sure you can’t call yourself a “rising sophomore” until after you finish freshman year. I’ve never heard of a first semester freshman calling themselves a “rising sophomore” before this.</p>