<p>kelowna, I think you are missing my point. The Zuckerbergs, Jobs, and Gates of the world, knew MORE than what their colleges could possibly teach them. That is what I was trying to say. For them it was a complete waste of time, because they knew exactly what they wanted and preferred doing that rather than sitting in classes that didn’t interest them. They gave it a shot (parents desire for them to go), and at least for Gates and Jobs, there parents didn’t agree with them setting up shop in the garage to gamble on something that to the parents might not lead to a future (i.e. paying job). </p>
<p>There are also people in those same schools who did NOT do that well in high school (read Mike Moyers book), and did get into ivies and other great schools, because their main focus was not school; it was an outside interest that consumed them. A great book to read is Cal Newport’s “The Relaxed Superstar.” You don’t have to be a serial joiner, you can just do one thing that is your sole interest and make something of it (he mentions kids doing web based businesses, or having an interest in horseneck crabs, or whatever it might be). I think I mentioned each year our state lists teens to watch (there are many more than listed for sure), but they’ll pick odd people. Many don’t have good grades at all, but have a talent for instance, like ice hockey. A guy my d went to high school with was superb, and in freshman year, got recruited to Yale, and all he had to do was keep a C average through the rest of high school. He signed on the dotted line. This junior year, he left to be on a travel team (Yale’s request), practice and play domestically and internationally. Some students (again I mentioned this in another post had bizarre talents, and were recruited in my d’s new school - moving things around all day with her eyelashes; a boy that can balance a ping pong ball on his toes; and 2 more quirky things - they got into Princeton, Yale, Harvard and Brown - this was before she got there, and we read it in the paper. The schools also sent a note saying "don’t bother to pick up a bizarre talent in junior year. we were only looking for freshmen. No one knows how they found them, but they did. So those kids are set, and it angered the upperclassmen who were working so hard in AP classes and going the extra mile. </p>
<p>Another woman I know had a d who was a B-C student, and her d played cello. That year, Harvard accepted her, and she had tutors for most of her time there, but they needed her in their orchestra. She knew that had her d not played cello, there was not a prayer in the world she would have been accepted. My d has friends at Yale and Cornell who are very smart, and did the whole AP thing, wrote for the paper, etc. and got into several ivies on their great grades. When they got to their chosen schools, there were kids with 2.7-3.2 gpa’s, and they all wondered how those kids got in. It just shows they had to have had something different (or their family donated a library). </p>
<p>I have to say, in the public school my d transferred to, the criteria to get in is not very high which is what bothers my d the most - intellectually the classes are boring because the kids just don’t participate and there are no active stimulating discussions. The colleges will always say public schoolers are top heavy in AP’s, which is why private schools put a cap on only 4-6 ap classes for 4 yrs because they are so difficult. And Andover only has computer science and AP stats. There are no AP classes there, because the school is so rigorous. Even with a C at Andover or Exeter, you are guaranteed entry into an elite college, because they know how difficult those classes are. </p>
<p>Her teachers know she is different, and she has covered a lot of the work already. But because of beauracy, she couldn’t go right into classes she was already scheduled for in her old school (i.e. from French III honors she would have gone to AP French (she began french in 5th grade with Latin) however, when we transferred over to the public school they felt jumping from French 3 honors to AP would be too much of a jump. They put her in French 5 honors, but she’s bored. Her teacher wanted to move her to AP but the change was impossible to make due to her other classes. Each school is so different, and for her physics would have been done in senior year, and APES or AP Bio, junior year, because she was not good in math. The college counselor at her new school, could not understand that it is possible to take an AP course and take physics in sr yr. She thought it would look bad. Again, she’s not going to study math or science, and the colleges understand that and said it was perfectly ok, because kids do it all the time. Both her math and physics teacher said she should have waited till senior year to take it, and so we were right. If my d screws up her chances to get in APES or AP Bio in sr yr (if we are still in this place, I will go to the supt as that was not my d’s choice). </p>
<p>I think it’s the luck of the draw. You can be super smart, and have it all and still not be accepted to a great school (like my d’s friend who made all the ivies except Brown and no one could figure out why that was since the other ivies took her). </p>
<p>Again, I do believe college is great for kids who want to learn and expand, and get to their goals. For those rare exceptions like Gates, Zuckerberg or Jobs who do know much more, they they didn’t need it. College can be a lot of fun (and much more fun than high school)! Daniel Radcliffe is going off to Harvard next January; Emma Watson is at Brown. James Franco is at all of them (he loves studying and teaching and he’s been at Yale, Columbia and Brown). </p>
<p>Depending on the part of the country you live in matters as well. As many parents ask in the northeast corridor, why are there so many manufactured students - they’ve got the great grades, perfect SAT scores, community service, summer internships, extracurriculars, so how do the colleges choose? And the Brown admin dir who came to my d’s school 3 yrs ago responded “we are actually sick of seeing these mass created students, who spend summers building latrines, and do it all - we are really looking for that kid that stands out with something special. The greats are needed, but how about just a plain old job.” I think many of the parents were shocked to hear that. </p>
<p>It is only my personal belief after seeing so many different kids getting into great schools, and some really perfect kids not getting in, that no one can figure the game out. Each year they are looking for diversity to fill their student body, and if you have what they are looking for, then you hit the jackpot.</p>
He cautioned the kids though not to quit the class in a situation like that but just carry on. So I guess my impression was - it is better to have one subject that you are not getting 100% in on mostly regular basis, than to have a few different ones. Or maybe I am just drawing wrong conclusions??? </p>