<p>The main question is... How do you know what you want?</p>
<p>everyone wants prestige, parties, easy A's... great location in a big city... fine girls/guys</p>
<p>how do I find a school that closely resembles these characteristics or in other words... how do you find a school that fits you best... i haven't even visited Princeton... the only reason i like it is because it's 1 hour from Nyc and Philly and its prestigious... -_-</p>
<p>and I'm scared living far away from home could be a killer... but at the same time.. it appeals to my interest...</p>
<p>Skymall, you're not alone in the questions you ask, the concerns, the fears... however, what may appeal to you may not appeal to others, certainly not ALL others. Not everybody seeks prestige or grade inflation or proximity to a big city. The great thing about being young is that you've got your whole life ahead of you. There's a lot of discovery ahead of you, and the only thing you will want to sustain is your sense of curiosity, motivating you to learn and to apply that gained knowledge. Everything will work out -- it usually does. Whatever school you attend will be the best for you if only you seek out the opportunities and unlock them for the benefits each holds. That's what college is about... to become curious, to ask questions, to communicate and collaborate with others who share common objectives, to grow personally. You'll hopefully take risks and fail a few times, but learn by the experience. You'll get homesick, just like everybody else... and you'll make adjustments, because you'll have to.</p>
<p>Just be yourself, and you'll know when those moments hit on you and say, "oh, yeah!"</p>
<p>One book that I think is an excellent book for those entering college (a time of change and transition) is: "The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College" by Harlan Cohen. I've met the author, and he's got a lot of insight. A lot of it is somewhat intuitive, but then not everybody is intuitive.</p>
<p>well the main thing i'm aiming for is becoming a corporate attorney and to earn lots of $$... I am very stubborn when i say this , but i'll say it anyway- I believe that the only reason i am going to school is to get a good job and make money... This is the only and soley reason I work hard in school.. it is poor motivation. I dont understand why I need to learn about quadratic functions or the mass of argon gas... But some people do udnerstand it... This is why i want to go to a great undergrad and more importantly a great grad school. However, the problem i see is that I think too much about the future and not about the present...I rarely think about the past compared to the future... I guess I'm working hard now so I can get a nice hosue on Newport Beach next to hollwyood make a seven figure salary and get a pretty wife and have a happy life... i think too much about that than about my sociology test tomorrow or a big final coming up... I also think too much about college and getting good grades. It's a sad fact... also I don't think I'm doing great things as a teenager that i should be doing like going out, attending football games w/ friends.. maybe hit up a few parties... I think that the only thing I think about is getting into a good college, making my parents happy and making my friends moms feel jealous, and getting into a great law school and earning a lot of green paper. It's hard to deal with here... I hoenstly believe that most people have the same feelings too as they are reading this.</p>
<p>Skymall, I can't say you're unusual in your aspirations -- because you're not -- but I suspect that you will change in your outlook as you mature as a human being. </p>
<p>BTW, I have a cousin who is a top corporate attorney, an expert in the field of high technology IP (Intellectual Property), a highly complex field. He earns plenty of money and lives in a very nice home in an affluent community near Stanford (yes... Stanford grad and Harvard Law School J.D., magna cum laude). I'm positive that if you were to ask him what is most important to him, he would say it's his family. Both of his parents are immigrants, and although he's earning "a lot of green paper", I'm sure that he places family before all else.</p>
<p>Many of the material things you mention are just that... things. Earning "a lot of green paper" is meaningless in and of itself. Money only serves to further a means to an end. It does not make YOU a "rich" person. That is measured by the human qualitities and attributes by which others see you. That "pretty wife" won't be forever living a "happy life" with you if you are not sensitive to human needs and understand the interpersonal traits useful to engaging with others. </p>
<p>You may yet attend a great college, go on to law school and find yourself in your dream corporate law job. What then? Life doesn't end there. And what are you going to do with all that "green paper" anyway? Don't forget about nurturing yourself. Be a sponge to knowledge of all kinds, and "richness" will pursue you, rather than vice-versa. </p>
<p>One last thing, stay in the present... there are enough problems today to deal with. Tomorrow's problems will come soon enough. ;)</p>
<p>yeah i also care a lot about the community and those in need. I have about 500 hours of comm service. Your very true about this:</p>
<p>"One last thing, stay in the present... there are enough problems today to deal with. Tomorrow's problems will come soon enough. "</p>
<p>I wish i could abide by that... but it's hard... i'm trying though :p</p>
<p>why exactly do we study then? why do we go through school for 10-20 years? I wish i could understand it... Money does give happiness, but only to a certain extent I would totally agree with that. Currently, i have two english papers due tomorrow, but instead I am looking at other peoples stats and "how to get into ivy league and top schools" forums... it's sad , but I guess it's hard to change otherwise. The future is constantly coming up and I know I am not alone on this idea and viewpoint on life.</p>
<p>I really do hope that my viewpoit will change as I mature because I myself understand that is the wrong viewpoint, but cant think of anything otherwise.</p>
<p>and relating back to your last statement... its not tomorrow problems i'm worried about... its the problems that could happen DEC 15 when letters come out...ahhh or the problems that come 10 or 20 yrs from now... i'm even scared about the war with iran... if we declare war on them... well there will be a draft... heck, anyone can take a suitcase filled with C-4 and walk into a big building in any major city... there are too many problems, but I can't get them out of my head! : (</p>
<p>k that post probably had nothing to do with anything : ) k honestly though which schools on my list do you think i shoukd completely cross off my list... or base don " what I look for in a college" do you think I shouldn't apply to...</p>
<p>Well I know Princeton ED for sure and maybe G town or MIT Ea not sure though... if it gets past my gc counselor : )</p>
<p>why didn't your daughter like Princeton...</p>
<p>love Princeton , but as I've said there is no perfect school... Princeton lacks grade inflation and a social life... but i can work harder and I can travel to NYC regularly to party... : ) We all have to make changes...</p>
<p>Actually, Skymall... perhaps you can milk your neurotic tendencies and attempts to control things out of your control and make films, ala Woody Allen. He's made lots of money doing this. ;)</p>
<p>Re. Princeton, my daughter just didn't feel a personal "fit". She's not alone. A couple of her good friends have shared sentiments. One of those friends just finished her freshman year at Stanford, and another is starting at Stanford this fall. One of them even had a boyfriend attending Princeton. As I mentioned before, personal preference.</p>
<p>If you are at all uncertain, I would not recommend apply ED to Princeton, since it's a binding commmitment. Also, if you have any concern about financial feasibility, do not apply ED. After serious consideration, if Princeton has risen to the top of your list... again and again, then you have your answer. If you do apply ED to Princeton, all of your other apps must be RD.</p>
Your post #25 made me chuckle... and I just saw a Woody Allen movie ("Melinda and Melinda") that is very classic "Woody Allen", dealing with neurotic personas. Just joking, nothing serious. ;)</p>
<p>You cant do gtown EA. i was looking into it too, but if you want to, no ED. all the EA applications you want, but if you apply anywhere ED, they will throw out your app. and grad schools know chicago is hard (its a well known school, not some random place). besides, high GRE, MCAT, GMAT, and LSAT scores will show your Bs and Cs dont mean anything. also, if you cant do ED princeton, look into columbia ED because they allow you to apply EA lots of places. the thing is you have to want to go to the schools you do ED to. and colleges will know where you apply if its SCEA or like princeton or georgetown because they share the info. its the same way if you get in ED because the school will put your name on a list so you cant get in anywhere else. you can back out of ED though, but for financial reasons (like if your dad loses his job in january).</p>
<p>k i'll just have to stick with princeton ed and all the rest rd apps.. i dunno how good Columia is for my majors and how good of a school it is overall... it has one of the best locations ever though!</p>