<p>Before discovering this website, I thought that I had pretty decent grades. After discovering the website, I realized that the competition out in the world is brutal! With the underlying pressure of trying to be your best constantly, I certainly have my melt downs. But all in all, I think I try to suppress the constant comparison I do. How 'bout y'all? </p>
<p>Get better.</p>
<p>Take what is of value from CC, which is more often than not the purely objective material, and ignore the subjective. Don’t let overzealous Ivy applicants and their helicopter parents instill in you the notion that they somehow understand college admissions and can properly “chance” you at a school - because they can’t.</p>
<p>The things on this site that are causing you concern are the exact things you should be ignoring. What is it to you that some nameless, faceless entity in cyberspace has a perfect SAT score? What does that mean in terms of the narrative that is your own existence? (Nothing.) This site should be an asset; not a burden. If you find yourself more anxious than you are relieved after visiting this site – then get off it. You don’t need additional stress from people who you will presumably never meet. Never get caught up in CC. </p>
<p>As for me - I see kids with stats that far exceed mine and think; “their parents must be really proud” with absolute authenticity and then move on mentally. This website exists to help people with the college admissions process - and I use it as such. I’ll be damned if I ever let this site make me somehow feel inferior or lesser because I didn’t score in a higher percentile for the SAT or bang out a higher rank at the end of my high school career. Be proud of your accomplishments and to hell with everything else. </p>
<p>You are right in that I should not let anyone else’s accomplishments belittle my own. After all, we all are given different cards in life, I guess the way we shuffle them is what defines our success. I think the underlying issue is the constant support for competition held within the educational system, you cannot expect students to hold independent opinions about themselves if they are constantly being slapped in the face with their “inadequate” standings in comparison to other students (ex. class rank). t </p>
<p>You are right in that I should not let anyone else’s accomplishments belittle my own. After all, we all are given different cards in life, I guess the way we shuffle them is what defines our success. I think the underlying issue is the constant support for competition held within the educational system (and society), you cannot expect students to hold independent opinions about themselves if they are constantly being slapped in the face with their “inadequate” standings in comparison to other students (ex. class rank). In an effort to wrap up my senseless comment, I think the problem is not with how students should deal with pressure but what and who is continuing to allow the bars that initiate such self-criticism to continue. </p>
<p>You need to set your own standards, standards which exist exclusively from what any individual or institution says or does - yes, class rank <em>can</em> foster unhealthy and even cut throat competition, but that is only if you hold a specific rank to be a priority or an indicator of your worth or success. My high school tells students their Freshman year to imagine where they want to be at the end of 4 years – they say that high school can get you there. The mode is secondary schooling – all else is irrelevant. If you want to go to college; you can go to college, if you want to go to a specific college, look at their data sets and use those as your standards, not the standards of those around you on a daily basis. If you are on par with the average student from your dream school, a girl getting a higher grade than you on a Chemistry test isn’t going to somehow void that accomplishment. You have to be very solipsist in your approach and mentality in high school. </p>
<p>There are always going to be lots of people smarter than me. There’s nothing I can do about it and it’s not like the existence of these people makes me worse off anyway, so I shouldn’t worry about it. It’s not like “the good life” is only available to valedictorians/Harvard graduates/whatever. </p>
<p>Forget about the “competition.”</p>
<p>You are the best at what you do. </p>
<p>Awesome advice guys, I don’t really compare myself to others much (I used to, though). But, in one of my classes, my teacher would go up to me and various other people and tell them if their friend or someone else did better than them in a recent test. First time I ever witnessed, or encountered, that. </p>