<p>Thank You. I know I can be in top 10%, as a matter of fact, if I had not worried about popularity and gotten my ■■■■ together freshman year, I would be in top 2% right now. I’ve made bad choices, just like we all have, and I’m trying to see if there can be a solution for all this. Does anyone else have any other opinions? I would just like to know if anyone has ever heard of another case like this. </p>
<p>Question: Why are you obsessed over being in the top 10 in your class?</p>
<p>Look, your question is impossible for anyone to answer. We don’t know the GPA’s of all the kids ahead of you or how they (and you) will do in the coming years. But my guess is that you have no chance of going from number 179 to number 10. None. It just seems like way too many kids to overtake. So stop worrying about it, just do your best and enjoy high school. </p>
<p>My daughter graduated from high school this year. Would it surprise you if I said I don’t know whether she was in the top 10 and I never will? I know she wasn’t #1 because I saw the GPA ranges on the school data sheet. I don’t even know which student (or students) were #1; they don’t announce it. I’m so, so happy that her school doesn’t create all this needless anxiety and and a nasty backstabbing school culture where kids want other kids to do poorly so they can advance in the rankings like race horses. Why don’t you pretend you go to such a school and just ignore these rankings?</p>
<p>Why is this important to you?</p>
<p>I’m not obsessed, I’m just beating myself up for choosing popularity over my grades. I don’t even know why I did that, and I’m super upset about it. It’s really important to me because I want to prove to myself that I can do it. My school allows the top 10 to wear a different colored band around their necks for graduation, and the Valedictorian and Salutadictorian get to give speeches. I know it seems stupid, and impossible, but I plan on getting there somehow. </p>
<p>Look kid, this is high school not the army. You’re suppose to have fun in high school, you have no reason to beat yourself up. It’s not like you exchanged popularity for Ds and Fs. </p>
<p>I’m going to avoid ranting about everything wrong with the next sentence and a half because profanity isn’t allowed here on CC and simply say that winning national competitions/debates proves intelligence more than any grade would.</p>
<p>Here’s a little secret about speeches given by college/high school Valedictorians/Salutatorians: No one remembers them, not even the mom/dad of the kid who’s the first to graduate high school/college in his/her family. I don’t believe this is impossible, not in the least, but what you’ll give up in order to reach this goal makes it beyond pointless. </p>
<p>Thank You!</p>