I just finished my second year at an ivy league school. My first semester, I got 3 A’s and B+; the second, I got 2 A’s and 2 A-'s and the third and most recent semester I got 4 A’s. I was also taking 200 and 300 level classes, so it’s not like I was taking easy intro classes. They were all French, Political science, history and English classes, and although I know people think humanities classes and a political science major are easy, there were people in the classes who struggled. I honestly feel like high school was harder. I’m not saying this as someone who is trying to brag, I’m saying it as someone who wants to be challenged and be prepared for a poli sci Ph.D. program or for law school. What do I do? I thought this was supposed to be one of the hardest schools in the country.
Take more classes. If you’re going for a PhD, get some research experience. Get a job. Do more extracurriculars.
I assume from the lack of math and science, and the courseload, that you’re at Brown. You’re allowed to take five; take five.
There comes a point where challenging yourself isn’t just about doing enough work to get an A. I assume you are doing research, writing papers, engaging in class discussions. Challenge yourself. Write better papers, do more in depth research, push your field forward. Make appointments to meet with your professors and discuss your thoughts with them. If you are bright enough that your Ivy classes are too easy for you, its time to go beyond the classroom.
@allyphoe this student isn’t at brown because brown doesn’t grade using - and +.
It may come as a shock, but I don’t think most Ivy League schools are known for being ridiculously difficult. They are, of course, extremely difficult to get into. Quite a few Ivy League schools are known for grade inflation. So here are a few thoughts: If you really want to be challenged, you could transfer to a school like U Chicago, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Swarthmore, or Reed, which are notorious for being very challenging. Or you could just go with it and realize that you are probably highly intelligent and things might be easier for you than for others. Or you can do what others have suggested, above.
If being challenged had been your number one priority, it would have been easy enough to have applied to schools like the ones I mentioned. Transferring is always an option. And don’t worry, I’m sure you will be prepared for doing a PhD, wherever you end up getting a degree from.
I agree with allyphoe. If your course load is easy for you, that’s a huge bonus because it frees you up for the best things about college: independent study, teaching assistant jobs, research jobs, clubs, academic explorations, seminars, community outreach, or even social events! It’s a unique time in life when a little initiative can yield a huge variety of opportunities. It sounds like you’re already prepared for graduate work, so take some time to broaden your experience!
Do research. Do side projects.
Believe it or not, I’ve heard this before from alums of my kid’s school who went to Ivies. I might suggest you get involved with politics. Organizing people is extremely challenging in many ways, and will give you insight and skills that will be immensely helpful later on in life, especially if you go into law or academics.
First off, if you do well in college you will be prepared for grad school. But here are a few things you might do:
–Inquire about taking some grad level courses. My brother did this at an Ivy school in a subject he excelled at.
–Take some courses that are not right in your “wheelhouse” to broaden your horizons and challenge your intellect. Consider adding a STEM course or two to your schedule.
–Consider taking some philosophy as that level of reading, thinking can be helpful for grad school.
–See if you can get involved in research with a professor. Sometimes the challenges can come outside of the classroom. My D did this and ended up being a co-author on an article published in an academic journal.
One more idea…You can get invioved in extracurriculars that interest and challenge you (debating might be one example).
If you’re unchallenged, that’s probably good news for you. This means you can get A’s and get into a great law school.
If you want a PhD, get involved with research with one of your profs.
Take harder/more advanced classes. I too thought high school was easier until I started taking grad level courses, or as others have said - what are you doing outside of class? If I didn’t commit myself to 60+ hours of ECs/week I probably would have easily gotten straight As every semester too.
One of my classmates told me that he was not challenged enough as well. My major involves physical activity and fitness, so some of the classes just involved us teaching and learning about the basic aspects of Phys. Act. & Fitness.
Overall, my major isn’t too hard. If I were you, then I’d just continue to take those classes, no matter what. By taking harder classes, you wouldn’t want your GPA to be affected, but if you want to challenge yourself, then go right ahead.
“They were all French, Political science, history and English classes, and although I know people think humanities classes and a political science major are easy, there were people in the classes who struggled.”
Indeed, humanities classes are much easier for certain people. You may want to take broad area of studies that you are not familiar with before you make an assumption that college classes are not challenge enough for you.