Lost Freshman

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

<p>I'm a freshman. I live in Illinois. I am Asian.</p>

<p>I do fairly well in school, but I feel like I don't have a life outside of it, and I don't excel in school THAT well... </p>

<p>I don't really have a "life". </p>

<p>I mean, I am NOT ATHLETIC in the slightest (though I want to try out for badminton), I am not artsy, I don't have any significant talent... I play piano (not well), and that's about it. For clubs I do JSA, Science Olympiad, and Model UN. None of these at my school are very time-consuming and I don't spend much time for them.</p>

<p>My parents are divorced, and my mom is a single parent. I have 2 younger brothers (ages 6 and 8), with the 8-year-old having ADD, developmental issues, etc. so my mom doesn't often have time to deal with me.</p>

<p>A lot of my friends are hardcore Asians, as in they do sports, many clubs, get A+s in everything, have already taken the SATs, ACTs, and are planning to take 12+ AP classes in their 4 years. They all want to be doctors, engineers, etc.</p>

<p>I just can't seem to do it. I don't know if I'm too lazy, if I'm too dumb, or if I'm just lost.</p>

<p>I just know I want to do something in the science field. I don't know what. I don't know how to get there. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing at this point.</p>

<p>I'm not sure of anything.</p>

<p>How can I find my way?</p>

<p>Can anyone offer some advice, help, or anything at all? :)</p>

<p>What am I supposed to do?</p>

<p>Thank you for reading this. :)</p>

2

<p>It’s alright to feel a bit lost at times. Just think about your qualities and skills, and see what you can do with them. Since you are a freshman you still have time to experiment and find your niche. Just remember you are always capable of being great you just have to know you are great. Also don’t compare yourself with others, it takes away your focus from focusing on you.</p>

3

<p>I must be a little tired…when I first saw the title of this thread…I thought some poor freshman was literally lost, and the first line didn’t help (“I live in Illinois. I am Asian.” etc.) with that.</p>

<p>Haha anywho.</p>

<p>Try and find a mentor perhaps, or someone who will sort of take you under their wing and teach/help you abut whatever you are interested in. You say science, so maybe someone can help you discover exactly what kind of science you are interested in.</p>

<p>Yes, definitely try out for badminton if you want to, sports are a great way to let loose and just have fun. It doesn’t matter if you’re not athletic, you can still have a lot of fun.</p>

<p>Don’t feel pressured to take a bazillion APs and all, take some if you want to, don’t if you don’t want to.</p>

<p>I don’t think you’re dumb or lazy, just a little confused about what you’re “meaning in life is” and that’s OK, no one expects you to do everything/know everything. Take classes you’re interested in, find an outlet to get rid of energy (not an electrical one, please) and have a good time.</p>

<p>Maybe your mom could try and set aside at least an afternoon at least once a week for you and her to do stuff together? Talk to her about how you feel; just because she’s busy doesn’t mean you’re not important.</p>

<p>I’ve never been the advice-y type person so I hope that helps at least a little.</p>

4

<p>Don’t feel bad – everyone is lost during their freshman year. Do what you love and talent will follow.</p>

<p>I know it seems like your friends are multi-talented, but as a high school senior looking back, high school is a game. Some people just know how to cheat the system. Test scores mean absolutely nothing, IMHO – on the ACT, I scored a 29 in September and a 32 in October and I didn’t study either time (I entered the test thinking it was a back-up plan for the SAT). Does that mean I learned 3 points worth of knowledge in a month? Doubt it.</p>

<p>Same goes for the SAT. Within a few months my Writing score jumped from 680 to 800 with no study. I went from a 1990 to a 2150. Again, I am NOT super smart or anything. I am just showing you that these scores mean NOTHING.</p>

<p>It is all about passion and what makes you happy. Find that, and you’re good no matter where you go to school. Don’t try to fall for it all because it is literally one big game where Asians like you are forced to work twice as hard. It’s completely unfair.</p>

5

<p>Don’t worry. I think a lot of us on here when we first came to this site absolutely freaked out from all the “I-cure-cancer-over-weekends” types here. Just do what you love (yes, I know it sounds cliche and hippy-ish.). However, I think colleges would rather see a student, especially Asian, who is actually passionate about what they’re doing instead of obviously cookie-cutter mom-produced alien who seems to have no emotion.</p>

<p>You seem to be in a position I was in actually a year later than you, in my sophomore year (last year). I go to a school filled with try-hard Asians who probably all have 4.0 UW GPA and do all the stereotypically Asian activities there are. I used to feel like such a dumb Asian (and I still kind of do, since I’m pretty pessimistic). </p>

<p>What I learned over the years was this: no matter what you do, there is always someone who will do that thing better than you. So in other words, if you continue to compare yourself to your overachiever friends, it will only make you depressed. I mean, I still sometimes inevitably compare myself to others, but once I started doing it less, I felt a bit better. </p>

<p>Do you take care of your brothers (i.e. babysit?) That could be an “extenuating circumstance,” and while it is not an excuse to slack off, it can help explain less extracurriculars.</p>

6

<p>The stuff you do sounds pretty similar to me. I’m definitely of the ‘too lazy’ type, but that doesn’t mean you are. Or that you can’t change what you do. </p>

<p>Try to find things that you’re really passionate about, whether it’s an EC, a subject or a future career. With something you’re interested in, you’ll WANT to work and enjoy it as well. I was worse last year (freshman) but I’ve decided against doing medicine as a default choice and am instead going to pursue history which I eould never have even contemplated a year ago.</p>

7

<p>You’ll be fine! :slight_smile:
Work hard, study hard, but have fun. Spend time with friends! Join clubs that sound fun, try out for sports (don’t worry about looking like a fool, we all have to deal with that once in a while). Things will get better. </p>

<p>Everything will turn out alright. :)</p>

8

<p>Don’t fret!</p>

<p>Find a time to sit in a corner or quiet place for an hour, no distractions, and think about your place in the world. Who are you? What do you want for yourself? What are your passions? Seriously, you should try it sometime.</p>