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<p>That’s just a defeatist attitude. You do have to go outside your school and close community, I guess. But you live in HOUSTON! There must be dozens of universities and colleges where research is taking place. There must be dozens of research scholarships available to less priviliged students, if you are one. And besides research, there are tons of other things to do, many of which are close to free. Like building useful stuff on with junk you find in the neigghborhood. I realize it’s hard that you don’t get everything handed to you, but not everyone does. There are people that search for opportunities and are relentless in their pursuit. </p>
<p>The Nebraska guy gets a break. He doesn’t have research going on at a nearby university. All he has is his farm and garage. The Nebraska guy is still expected to do stuff, just on his own. You have that expectation at the least. But, since you live in such a vibrant center, you have more expectations put on you. You may not be as advantaged as the girl down at that sick texas science school, but you certainly have more opportunities than some rural farmboy. You just have to be proactive. </p>
<p>I didn’t have EC opportunities handed to me. My former HS sucks for math/science activities. And I didn’t search for outside stuff, despite living in a huge metropolitan area. And I regret that.</p>
<p>Also, the soup kitchen volunteer would raise a red flag because he does it TWICE a year, which I mentioned.</p>