How to get advantage of Field Hockey Skills to get into Ivies?

Applying to College
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<p>DSC : "Kids really are able to ace every test, get A's in every class, etc. Me, along with many of my friends either don't study or hardly do. Only in the hardest 2-3 classes at the school is 'studying' an actual requirement to get an A."</p>

<p>I just can't believe it if that is possible to do then everyone at CalTech would be getting A's and spending time at clubs enjoying but they endup studying nights without getting all A's.</p>

<p>So your school must be way too easy. At D's school even the smartest kids have to study hard if they take hard classes. All APs are taught at college levels and they are hard. You won't find kids in AP classes who can't spot Iraq on the map.</p>

<p>The point came out to bring to the table that the intelligence in scientific terms is limited to one area and everyone has to work hard to keep straight As and the purpose there is to beat the admission game nothing else.</p>

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<p>3-2go : It is not the my D doesn't play FH. She had to give up because of the club closing and the schools she attended never had any team.
Since both my wife and I have not attended any University here, so we were not aware of Women FH.
It came as a surprising news to us when my D informed me of this. Since I know how good she is at it, I thought she might have gotten some advantage out of it.</p>

<p>Now I know that it is not easy and she is set for summer now in a research that is her other passion; so I'm over it now.</p>

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<p>Newjack88: Any student who take AP Calculus AB at D's school is not considered intelligent. Most intelligent students at D's school take Ap Calc BC in 10th grade.
They all would get an A on AP Calc AB in 9th grade.</p>

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<p>DunninLA : "I appreciate your doggedness and desire to help your DD... but YOU CANNOT FAKE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"</p>

<p>I was not trying to fake anything. She is a good FH player. It is sad that she could not play on a high school team. But I'm over it. She is set for summer and that is good.</p>

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<p>Sigh. Most people think this way they just don't admit it. Really, if everything was so destined and you kids will always end up someplace that is the #1 most perfect fit for them, why are there so many parents on this site anyways?</p>

<p>
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All APs are taught at college levels and they are hard. You won't find kids in AP classes who can't spot Iraq on the map.

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Psh, this is nothing compared even to my school's classes. Stop whining =P jk.</p>

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Most intelligent students at D's school take Ap Calc BC in 10th grade.

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Being good at school is "fake" intelligence...really. Most people who try would do well. Does wanting to study make you smarter? no.</p>

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<p>
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I just can't believe it if that is possible to do then everyone at CalTech would be getting A's and spending time at clubs enjoying but they endup studying nights without getting all A's.

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Well that's because CalTech is a university not a high school. Last time I checked there were no high schools offering advanced degrees in engineering, math, physics, etc.</p>

<p>
[quote]
The point came out to bring to the table that the intelligence in scientific terms is limited to one area and everyone has to work hard to keep straight As and the purpose there is to beat the admission game nothing else.

[/quote]

Just curious, are you Asian and did you apply to/attend universities in an Asian country? Most people are not this cynical about college admissions. Also, I think you are sadly mistaken that kids only get good grades to get into college. Most kids who are truly intelligent get good grades because it's natural for them to get good grades.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Newjack88: Any student who take AP Calculus AB at D's school is not considered intelligent. Most intelligent students at D's school take Ap Calc BC in 10th grade.

[/quote]

Well that is your daughter's school. The intelligent kids at my school take both AB and BC so that they can fulfill the requirements of having taken 4 years of math. In addition, our calculus classes are not geared towards taking the AP Calculus AB/BC exam; that would be too easy. Our classes are about college level calculus and it is taught by a man who received his PhD in math from Rice University. Judging from what you are saying, I would assume that your daughters classes are more geared towards the AP exams.</p>

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[quote]
They all would get an A on AP Calc AB in 9th grade.

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That proves a lot. Would they have gotten 5's? Also, who exactly is the "all?" If they all would get A's doesn't that suggest there is some grade inflation at your daughter's school?</p>

<p>Anyways, you completely missed my point which is that intelligent students do not have to "grind out" results. I do not want to put down your daughter because clearly she has been successful academically which does suggest a good degree of intelligence, however, if your daughter has to put in as much effort as you are suggesting otherwise she will get B's or maybe even C's, then that does say something...</p>

<p>
[quote]
I was not trying to fake anything. She is a good FH player. It is sad that she could not play on a high school team. But I'm over it. She is set for summer and that is good.

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You know my Harvard interviewer told me that having real work experience where you have to interact with people in an every day environment is a good way to show maturity, leadership, confidence, etc. Perhaps you should encourage your daughter to get some real world work experience so that she can "beat the admissions system."</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Would they have gotten 5's? Also, who exactly is the "all?" If they all would get A's doesn't that suggest there is some grade inflation at your daughter's school?

[/quote]
How far does this "grade inflation" thing have to go? If the tests at my school are about 4x harder than the actual AP test, and everyone is pretty much guaranteed a 5 just by signing up to take the class, and everyone studies their butts off just to get As, would it be grade inflation because they all do get As?</p>

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<p>Narcissa :"Being good at school is "fake" intelligence...really. Most people who try would do well. Does wanting to study make you smarter? no."</p>

<p>True; That is the point because one school course is not same as that of another; That is why some schools send more students to top universities than other schools.</p>

<p>Does taking a course or getting an A makes you smart and intelligent? NO</p>

<p>That is why there is emphasis on the ECs and that is the reason admission process is so unpredictable, as even from one admin officer to another the definition and perception of a good fit to the same college changes.</p>

<p>So you need to take control of this process, understand it and try to beat it.</p>

129

<p>"In addition, our calculus classes are not geared towards taking the AP Calculus AB/BC exam; that would be too easy. Our classes are about college level calculus and it is taught by a man who received his PhD in math from Rice University."</p>

<p>That shows the school doesn't offere more advance classes post calculus which shows lack of ability of the school staff. The teacher at D's school are all PHD who teaches Ap classes and many are from MIT and Ivies.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
How far does this "grade inflation" thing have to go? If the tests at my school are about 4x harder than the actual AP test, and everyone is pretty much guaranteed a 5 just by signing up to take the class, and everyone studies their butts off just to get As, would it be grade inflation because they all do get As?

[/quote]

Classes at my school are graded on curves with a B- being the safety net unless you are totally worthless and manage to get below that. 40 out of about 300 juniors were allowed to take AP US History last year. 28 of those juniors managed to get 5's on the exam, while the other 12 got 4's. In terms of grades, only 13 kids had A's.</p>

<p>
[quote]
That shows the school doesn't offere more advance classes post calculus which shows lack of ability of the school staff.

[/quote]

Not really. Again, you are assuming that my classes are structured like your daughter's. I could have aced both the AB and BC exam after my first year of calculus, but the AB and BC exams are offered on the same day.</p>

<p>Anyways, I am sort of curious as to what "post calculus" classes your daughter's school offers.</p>

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The teacher at D's school are all PHD who teaches Ap classes and many are from MIT and Ivies.

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I doubt that "the teacher at D's school are all PHD" but I will humor you...</p>

<p>Why are they teaching at high schools? My teacher is came back to teach after working in the business world. Is it a similar story with your daughter's teachers?</p>

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<p>^^It's not that unheard of at a private or magnet school for the teachers to have PhDs.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
28 of those juniors managed to get 5's on the exam, while the other 12 got 4's. In terms of grades, only 13 kids had A's.

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That is like my APUSH class; same % of ppl getting As. However, they all got 5s. The AP exams have a <em>very</em> low floor. For AP Calc, however, the class has about 10 people in the first place--and, obviously, they are the top 10 smartest people in the grade. Any college first-year calculus course, even at MIT or whatnot, would be quite simple after you take this class because of how hard it is and, consequently, how much time people spend on it. I wouldn't say that it is grade inflation since the few people who get As in other schools would most likely fail out of this class unless they studied a lot more than they do at other schools. Or is my definition of grade inflation totally off?</p>

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<p>...From ivies and MIT?</p>

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<p>
[QUOTE]
The teacher at D's school are all PHD who teaches Ap classes and many are from MIT and Ivies.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>Wow! It's a full circle. Kids attend the prestigious prep school so they can study hard and get into a prestigious college so they can study hard and get into a prestigious grad school so they can come back to prep school and teach.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Or is my definition of grade inflation totally off?

[/quote]

Example of grade inflation:
25 out of 40 kids have A's in AP Calc AB.
3 get 5's while the rest get scores =< 4's.
See how the grades "inflated" the degree of achievement?</p>

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<p>Yes, but that does not apply to my school...</p>

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<p>
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It's not that unheard of at a private or magnet school for the teachers to have PhDs.

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Ok, but even so it merely means that his daughter has had more opportunity than most other intelligent students.</p>

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Yes, but that does not apply to my school...

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I know. I do not think I said that it did...</p>

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<p>^LOL @ UCDalum...</p>

<p>Anyway, it's rarer for the teachers to have degrees from the ivies and MIT, but it happens. Nowadays, the curriculum at magnet and private schools are so advanced, that you essentially would be teaching college material. I got taught by a guy in HS with a PhD in math from Berkeley, and he taught multi-variable calculus, number theory, and group theory. So he actually was using his training. Plus, the students he got to teach were more talented than if he had taught at a university. Think about it--to be a professor at a decent state university you have to be amazingly smart and also be totally devoted to research. In order for him to teach to students at a similar level as us, he would have had to have been one of the top mathematicians in the world. </p>

<p>So a lot of the people who in past generations would have taught at a small liberal arts college end up at prestigious high schools.</p>

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<p>
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I know. I do not think I said that it did...

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Lol, okay.</p>

<p>And i agree, UCDalum's post was hilarious. However I do know an absolutely brilliant guy...usamo, usapho, intel, etc...wants to be a math teacher...I was like what a waste of talent :)</p>

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<p>"They all would get an A on AP Calc AB in 9th grade."</p>

<p>Really? Honestly? Why do these super-smart kids bother with high school at all? Why not just start college at age 14?
Of course, it's kind of hard to see the point of all of this super-acceleration. Is there one? By age, say, 30, will all of these kids with super-charged high school transcripts be earning more money in more prestigious jobs than those humble souls who "only" took Calc AB as high school seniors?</p>