How to become valedictorian!

[TheAtlantic]

<p>

I’m with halcyon here. The real plebs in this thread are the ones who believe that the crux of education is to get to college and get a job. If you get a job that pays well but isn’t your true passion – congratulations. You have now become a carbon copy that lives for nothing more than a paycheck. People who prioritize grades and monetary success over passion, ECs, and personality are the true failures in life IMHO.</p>

<p>On a side note, anyone else looking forward to seeing some of the prominent carbon-copy elitists on this forum posting the colleges they were rejected from in a few months?

1- Paychecks are pretty
2- No not really. I don’t really enjoy the ill-will of people unless they really irritate me.</p>

[relativelysmart]

<p>TheAtlantic, I agree that paychecks are pretty. However, I would rather be doing something with my life that’s relevant to my interests (and make a decent amount of cash while doing so) instead of spending the next few decades making an exorbitant amount of money and succumbing to the monotony that soon ensues.</p>

<p>2 - I just mean the really condescending people on here. :(</p>

[halcyonheather]

<p>

You have now become a carbon copy that lives for nothing more than a paycheck. People who prioritize grades and monetary success over passion, ECs, and personality are the true failures in life IMHO.

</p>

<p>Many people see their work lives and home lives as sort of separate. They pursue their interests outside of work. A lot of people value learning and/or formal education less than I do, and I wish they’d value it more, but I wouldn’t trivialize their lives by seeing them as “carbon copies” of everyone else. People are more nuanced than that. </p>

<p>(Especially because not everyone has enough privilege to follow their passions. Being able to do so is luxury even if I wish it weren’t, and obviously I think it’s one we should pursue if we have the means, but historically it hasn’t been possible for most people. A lot of times people just do the jobs they have to do.)</p>

<p>But like I said, you can choose a practical major for practical reasons and still get a well-rounded education. It’s more about mindset than anything else. </p>

<p>ECs and personality sometimes have even shallower bases than grades and monetary success. A lot of people do ECs to make themselves look better on paper, and personality is often equated with popularity or charisma or being outgoing rather than reserved. Everyone has a personality (and I believe almost everyone is interesting if you talk to them for awhile), but not everyone is great at showing it. </p>

<p>

On a side note, anyone else looking forward to seeing some of the prominent carbon-copy elitists on this forum posting the colleges they were rejected from in a few months?

</p>

<p>Nah. Selective college admissions is a great equalizer, though. Almost everyone gets rejected from somewhere.</p>

[Repede]

<p>Engineering majors can major in their passion and make a ton of money. GGNORE</p>

[klokt152]

<p>So if I am ranked third and the two people above me had an “accident” would I become the new valedictorian? jk</p>

[halcyonheather]

<p>As long as the accident was getting a B and not, like, dying or something.</p>

[tangentline]

<p>“Engineering majors can major in their passion and make a ton of money. GGNORE”
And not have to go to a prestigious college to be a guaranteed hire!
Especially when Demand > Supply, and be it they have to pay you more because of this.</p>

<p>So yes, I may be rejected to the only other college I applied to, but it matters not.</p>