<p>At my school, no one hangs out solely based on academics. My group is mostly theatre kids and there's a huge range of academic ability- some of them are in all 4-level classes (honors), some in all 2-levels, some are in special ed. There's not a lot of competition among most of my friends. Some of their parents put a lot of pressure, on, though.</p>
<p>I went to Boston this summer for a writing program and the girls there kept saying "You'd have to be retarded to get below a 2000 on the SAT" and "I really want to go to Harvard, but if worse comes to worse, I can be like everyone else at (insert prestigious over-priced prep school) and go to Brown"</p>
<p>I got a 1870 on the SATs and Santa Clara is my reach/match school.</p>
<p>So basically I was kicking myself.</p>
<p>But you know what....I am really glad that I've grown up in a "normal" enviroment. And that I've experimented with different things....and not just sex, drugs, and alcohol....but with different people of different beliefs and backgrounds. I've been forced into a society that is anything but homogenous...and I feel that as a result, I have received a far better education.........</p>
<p>but to each his own.</p>
<p>I hang out with academic people -- you know, the kind of people who study for tests and do homework. I don't do any of those things, so I'm the "slacker/non-academic" person in the group -- which is really saying something 'cause I'm pretty nerdy myself. I also hang out with a group of normal people, as well as a small group of quirky people who are a bit "out-there" as my normal friends see it.</p>
<p>Oh man, surfette, that's so obnoxious that someone said that to you... I'm sorry! </p>
<p>It brings back unpleasant memories of what I was like in middle school-- wrapped in a bubble of honors classes and adolescent arrogance, willing to declare myself a genius. Then I actually go to know some of those regular classes kids and found out that while I could best them in some silly classroom test, their knowledge in other things far exceeded mine. Moreover, they were kind, admirable, caring, and interesting people, not egotistical jerks like me. At least, since I went to public schools, I met some kids whose backgrounds differed from my own. But had I not met them...</p>
<p>I really am not very fond of the notion of prep schools for just that reason. People will have plenty of time to isolate themselves in a bubble of academics (or privileged pretension, take your pick) in college (when hopefully they will have grown up enough to realize that scholarly success does not determine a person's worth). Do they really need to do it in high school too? There's a lot to be said for learning to interact with people of different classes and races and academic drives/abilities. Prep schoolers largely miss those experiences, which teach lessons just as important as those learned in the classroom.</p>
<p>Of course, since I'm not in college yet, I can't say whether as a public school kid like me has been as well prepared academically as a prep schooler. That remains to be seen.</p>
<p>Over the years, I have met a LOT of different types of people. I'm one of those types that says "screw stereotypes." Over the year, I've befriended people from, the "smart" clique, the "hip-hop" clique, musical, theatrical, emo, popular, stoners, cheerleaders...and so the list goes. Why? Because my clique is basically the "no-clique", a.k.a, I don't feel binded to one particular group. I like to see all people through, and over time I have learned that if you're nice and have a good heart to people, a lot of them are actually the same.</p>
<p>^ But there are still a lot of jerks in high school who are popular and that confuses me a lot. Also, it seems that most people in HS are insecure and hang out with people they think are cool while ignoring people with great characteristics simply because they aren't popular.</p>
<p>I kinda talk to all people ranging across the "high school spectrum". I don't think I can classify myself among on particular group or clique.</p>
<p>My "group" doesn't have a name per se, but I have ruled out 'Gangstaas'.</p>
<p>Most of my friends are the AP/IB scholars who get straight As. As for me, I'm the one who is striving for As but still gets those Bs with an occassional C and is too perfectionistic. My boyfriend could be considered a "slacker" but it's only because his mom works as the band teacher at our school and his dad has a terminal illness. He's very artistic though. He got accepted to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh ^_^</p>
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AznN3rd: ^ But there are still a lot of jerks in high school who are popular and that confuses me a lot. Also, it seems that most people in HS are insecure and hang out with people they think are cool while ignoring people with great characteristics simply because they aren't popular.
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<p>My school is like that. It's humorous too because alot of those jerks get the lowest grades. Popularity will not get a person anywhere after they graduate from high school. My personal motto for high school: "Will it really matter 10 years from now?"</p>
<p>In high school, I somehow found an incredibly diverse group of friends, we all meshed for some reason. We do have similar interests in music, humor, art, and overall ideology, though. I'm really proud of them, so I guess that's why I'm writing this. If you think it will be boring, which it might be, don't bother reading the rest, this is a lot more fun for me.</p>
<p>One, Danny, is really good at math, has great test scores and grades, is a superb artist and musician, and a varsity wrestler. On paper, he's what you might call "Ivy" material. Both of his parents went to Princeton, were math majors. His dad is literally a rocket scientist; he worked for NASA. Danny wants to go to UCLA and major in art (I think), he's not really interested in any prestige, as far as I can tell, which I think speaks volumes about his character. He has a really loud laugh, and talks really loud without realizing it. He's a great guy.</p>
<p>Tim is next, I guess. He's very smart, with decent grades, although he hasn't "applied" himself like Danny has; he has a "D" in his French class because he is so far behind on turning in homework he missed on a vacation. He's really disorganized and casual, his favorite mannerism is a shrug and the occasional "whatever" when confronted with a problem (although I know he cares, he just doesn't show it). He is also a really talented musician; he has perfect pitch and is classically trained in the piano, and can play a whole bunch of other instruments. He also plays varsity tennis, I often watch him "get in his own way", he's pretty critical of himself sometimes, which really contrasts with his outwardly imperturbable attitude.</p>
<p>Up next is Joe. Another smart one. Lots of extracurricular activities, and good grades and test scores. Unusually (some might say freakishly) skinny, he's also a good athlete and he eats a lot of ****ty food. He did cross country, but instead of doing the 5+ mile runs, he'd run to Taco Bell with a couple of friends, or sometimes they'd go to his house and watch TV (if the route took him near there). They'd wait for a while, then sprint the last 50 yards to get a sweaty appearance to fool the coach. He has a very sharp eye, especially for irony, mistakes, and subtle humor. He carries a reputation for being a little "finicky" for this reason. </p>
<p>And Ryan. He has a superb athletic talent, although more in the "extreme sport" sense than the "jock" sense. He is at least partially what you'd call a "skater" kid, he's really good at skateboarding, although he does pretty much every other board sport well too. Not too long ago he discovered he has a really nice singing voice, and he just starred (very successfully) in his first drama performance this semester of his senior year. He also collaborated with the two aforesaid musicians to sing an admirable cover of Sufjan Stevens' "Predatory Wasp" song, which takes some real pipes.</p>
<p>Last one, I promise. Mitchell. Another great athlete, but more in the "jock" way; he's a star wrestler and baseball player, and he has crazy hand-eye coordination. He is very principled and observant, he points out nuances in everyday life I pass over. He is also a really talented magician and entertainer, which makes him the life of parties. He has a good sense of humor, although he ****es me off when he practices his obnoxious wrestling moves on me (does anyone else know a wrestler that does this?). He can seem outwardly "cool" sometimes, he has a lot of "popular" friends, which he hangs out with on occasion. He's a good link to social life for this reason. In person, he's really nice and almost parent-like in his concern for the group, although he hides it pretty well (he calls ME the parent of the group).</p>
<p>This is our "group." I fit in there somewhere, too.</p>
<p>Anyways. If you managed to stomach this self-indulgent post through and through, you deserve a medal. I hope no one from my high school reads this, it'd be embarrasing to get all mushy like this on a forum and be recognized. I can't hang out tomorrow because I'm going places, so I have nothing better to do than type and listen to music. Kid A is a spectacular album. So is Hail to the Thief, though as a whole album it's not as artistically beautiful. Oh, and if you like music that doesn't take itself seriously, unlike the two Radiohead albums I just mentioned, listen to the band Pavement. The best 90's band. </p>
<p>Later.</p>
<p>Fitter Happier: i definitely know wrestlers that do that. wrestling is HUGE at my school, we're ranked like fifth in the nation (i personally don't like it that much) but anyway yeah i hang out with the wrestlers (they are seriously like a klan, it's so weird, they don't have any other friends besides themselves) but anyway they'll like pin me and stuff and basically kick the **** out of me. </p>
<p>my group of friends is a mixture of the girls that think high school is the best time of their life and the girls that are in sports. and then pretty much the entire school classifies us as "easy" "sluts" but in reality only like 2 or 3 of my friends are actually that way. but anyway we're the girls that are friends with all of the best looking guys in the school. but then there's me. i'm one of the girls that plays sports in that group and i'm definitely a part of that group cause they're like my best friends but i'm also very good friends with almost everyone in the school. like my friends joke that i'm going to go to harvard and all this stuff, but 1 i'm not even applying there and 2 i would never get in. it's just that compared to them, they think i'm a super smart. but compared to the people that i'm in like all of my AP classes with, i'm not the smartest, but i'm not the dumbest (unless it's econ). so anyway, i guess that's how you'd classify me. as much as i think i'm going to miss my friends here, i know i will maybe keep in touch with like 1 or 2 of them. i really think i missed out in high school for having a true best friend cause the girls on my volleyball and softball team aren't the girls in my classes. and like i don't have one friend that i have a ton of things in common with. the girls i study with and talk about college with aren't the girls i hang out with on the weekends...maybe that's why i'm better friends with most of the guys...hmm....whatever. well sorry to anyone who read this, i just rambled.</p>