I am a high school junior who has always thought going to a highly ranked academic institution was the path for me.
Recently I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about things regarding these schools and just wanted to see if any fellow high schoolers had the same doubts/fears/thoughts. Or if any parents know their kids experienced these thoughts as well.
My worries are that I won’t fit into the intellectual environment. I’ve read a lot, on a variety of websites in which students review their own colleges, that lots of so-called “intellectual” conversations and discussions happen virtually 24/7 at these schools. I have always thought of myself as someone who is driven and usually very successful to achieving the high expectations I set for myself; this is the reason I thought these top colleges would be the logical next step for me, not just some state school, especially since I’m not really into partying or anything. However, I don’t know if it’s just because I’m only a junior, but I currently don’t see myself partaking in “intellectual” conversations all day. It’s not at all something I’m opposed to, and I definitely want to grow a lot as a student in college and learn more about world views and things like that. I’m just wondering if other high schoolers felt this way prior to college, and if most kids just eventually become more intellectually invested upon arrival to such schools. Or do they all go through high school already being like that? I hope my questions are somewhat understandable or relatable and I’d love to hear people’s experiences on this.
I assure you this won’t be the case…I am sure you could look on CC and find people who wanted intellectual conversations 24/7 and can’t find them at their college.
The kids at whatever college you go to will be like you…interested in academics but also wanting to have fun.
When you visit colleges, try to make sure to talk to some students to see what they are like. And when you do admitted students days, see what your fellow students are like.
What schools advertise, and what students write in public, is often what they want people to think about their schools, not necessarily reality.
I went to a T20 school and, sure, we had philosophical conversations about topic of the day, historical figures, life, the universe, etc. That was in-between keg parties at our fraternity, going to concerts, getting in trouble with the school administration, and normal teen student things.
Tour schools, talk with students, sit in classes, eat at the cafeteria and observe other students to get a feel for the vibe I’ve been through the full cycle once and am partway through a second - I haven’t seen any campuses full of Thoreaus, Sartres, etc.
My kid is at a T-10 LAC which is known for its “intellectual” atmosphere, and I can promise you that they spend a lot of time doing silly and meaningless things as well. My D is somebody who actually enjoys those types of conversations, but she has spent evenings in with friends drawing fake tattoos on their arms, tried to make candy in the snow, has gone out with friends to explore local attractions, play games. She is also part of a hip-hop dance company, and has done some partying.
in fact, most of the most competitive colleges have a strong (often too strong) party culture. Many of these “intellectual” conversations are fueled by alcohol and other chemical aids…
So I wouldn’t worry about having to Talk Seriously About Important Things all the time at any college out there.
Well, you’re putting the cart before the horse a bit. Getting into a “highly ranked institution” is no sure thing. Many colleges are highly ranked in some particular major, or location, or quality of teaching, or school spirit, or something that you might not have considered yet, and they are not all called Harvard. If you’re talking strictly about top 20 universities, or top 20 LACs, yes, kids there do stupid stuff too and aren’t discussing molecules and Nietzsche 24/7.
It does sound as though you might consider avoiding some schools that are known for being a bit dry and intellectual, such as Cal Tech and U Chicago. Probably even those kids do have stupid conversations too.
I do think you need to let go of some ideas: that you must attend a highly ranked school, that only kids at highly ranked schools are intellectual, and that people attending highly ranked schools don’t want to have fun. Trust us when we tell you that kids at Yale know how to party, and I bet even a few kids at Chicago do too. You may be surprised to know there are intellectual kids at your local state U. You’re going to find your people at whatever college you attend and I’m guessing that far more of your college conversations will focus on the merits of Cool Ranch Doritos than on the merits of existentialism.
Intellectualism on college campuses, as distinct from intelligence, does not correlate consistently with college rankings. For example, consider this perspective from a recently hired Hamilton professor: