<p>@DingDz would it be funny if I expected a comment like yours to appear eventually? A critical thread full of bandwagoning is bound to attract some condescending replies like yours, but let me tell you what. It doesn’t make you look any cooler or wiser. If looking down on people here makes you feel like a superior person, get a life.</p>
<p>Stop being proud of your ignorance. The post below yours perfectly exemplifies my point. </p>
<p>Superiority is a word you shouldn’t use lightly.
With a 22 on ACT English, disregarding my potential score, would you, in my place, be “arrogant” enough to look down on everyone? What is the truth? my score of 22? or my potential score? The score of 22 is what people will base me on. What if I add that my composite was 30? This is not a great score, but people will take another stance in evaluating me.
If my previous post was written without the negative connotation, never mind, you won’t understand. </p>
<p>I’m stating the truth: the creator of this post earned and reached his truth, who are you guys to so lightly take a stance and agree with him? His truth is not your truth, neither is it mine.</p>
<p>Nothing is condescending but ignorance.</p>
<p>@pkim850 - You write that in high school </p>
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<p>Will you be living like this in college to get into grad school, living like this in grad school to get a job, and living like this in your job for a promotion? That is a pretty bleak life that will lead to nothing but bitterness. If so you might want to look closely at yourself and read the top post again.</p>
<p>@DingDz</p>
<p>First of all, I’m confused on what your point exactly is. Your idea seemed to have changed between your two posts. I don’t know if your ACT scores are relevant to this discussion either.</p>
<p>If I did not see a negative connotation in your post I wouldn’t have replied that way.</p>
<p>“I find the replies to this post to be pitiful.” “Stop being proud of your ignorance.” “If my previous post was written without the negative connotation, never mind, you won’t understand.”
If you think these comments are anything but condescending, I don’t know what to say.</p>
<p>First of all, I’m not defending the OP nor the posters on these threads. I’m simply disturbed by your tone in your first post. You’re attacking the OP for being preachy and hypocrite by saying “To the OP, I hate people like you because what I may is not what I can.” You can’t deny your hostility when you used a word like “hate”.
Then you go ahead to preach to others to “Live in your facade of the world because that’s your reality and the truth.” This seriously sounds like addressing some lesser people, clearly much more so than OP’s post. But ironically, people do know that they do live in their facades of truth, and they are simply enjoying OP’s post. As much as they already knew about “the truth” that’s always been there, they also know that they have their own reality and truth.
Do you seriously think you could generalize the people on this thread based on their one or two replies? Some of them could be more intelligent than both of us. Please think again before making another condescending post on a thread like this.</p>
<p>DingDz, why so angry? All the OP has said is something along the lines of “it may do you some good to relax a little”. In that regard, I think he’s correct. There are hordes of applicants who make themselves miserable just to stay on top of their 12 clubs they’re in, maintaining their high GPA, doing some more community service, stressing about the applications, stressing about the SAT and just doing a whole lot of stressing without having much time for themselves. At least, that’s the impression I get when I read some posts here and I could well be wrong. In the event that I’m correct, then I think what the OP said is sound. In all likelihood, all those people won’t get into Harvard. A few will but most won’t.</p>
<p>So why induce misery to oneself when one could be doing something they enjoy? If they don’t know what they enjoy, then they may well try find something. That’s why I did. I’m happy with what I did and what I’ve been doing. Getting into XYZ college does not hold so much weight to me. Sure, I’d be happy for five seconds when I’d read that acceptance letter and I’d probably be down for a couple of hours if I were to be rejected (i.e, rejected everywhere I applied to) but I’d get over it. I don’t need any specific college. That’s my truth. While not the same as the OP’s, that’s good enough reason to agree with what he’s said. That and my other post. (although I started ranting at some point)</p>
<p>Wonderful writing, especially at this point (rising senior). I guess if I get to think your way I would be able to get rid of a whole load of stress…</p>
<p>But sometimes, it’s just too difficult 
Someone mentioned above that the American system, despite its flaws, is still better than the Asian system. I agree, I’m from there. That’s part of the reason why I want to go to America for university. The competition here is crazy; everyone seems to have this perfect GPA or incredibly high SAT, not to mention their fabulous EC. And everyone is talking about colleges these days. What college they’re going to apply to, how anxious they are or how confident they are, how much they did, whether it’s going to be enough, etc. etc. In short, I’m literally listening to “chance me” threads in real life everyday. If you’re here, you would probably agree that it’s almost impossible not to catch the anxiety. I see this friend next to me with a perfect GPA, then another with a perfect SAT, then yet another with a whole stack of ECs that take pages to even list. And they’re thinking about the same colleges as you are. How could you just stay calm and remind yourself that college is just one option in your life?</p>
<p>Perhaps this is just a problem here, but I think that a lot of anxiety comes from the fact that everyone is just nervous. Nervous about themselves and their lives. It’s just… natural for us at this point. We’re still young, we don’t know what to do with ourselves, and how we’ll turn out. We hear our parents and relatives harping about good jobs and six-figure salaries; we see or have jobless parents and mortgaged houses; and we see the college application deadline looming up. Probably ten years from now we’ll realize your truth. Maybe it’ll come right after we get in college, even. But for high school seniors who are going to apply to college less than four months later, it’s really hard to see as clear as you do. We are, after all, only high school students.</p>
<p>Well, maybe this is just me. I guess there will be a ton of students who can absorb your advice wisely. Anyways, I guess I should get a grip on myself and try to follow your advice anyways 
Thanks for your post!!</p>
<p>ByNietzsche, thanks for taking the time to write the awesome post! If you’re not reincarnation of some already existing poster, you should post more often. It’s people like you who can make this forum a more useful resource for everyone.</p>
<p>I see lots of great essay writers here LOL Great post by the OP by the way; I completely understand and agree with your points. </p>
<p>And to DingDz: Contrary to what you believe, using “utilise” instead of “use” makes a person sound much dumber and pompous. “I utilise forks to eat bacon.” BLARGH what a bad sentence. The post is good in the fact that it is outspoken and honest in its views. (And it never asserts that it is undeniably true.) So your arguments stand invalid. Take some time to get out of the angry passion (that I assume you must have been in to write such a confusing and badly worded post) and think about it some more.</p>
<p>DingDz - So you want Veritas? YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE VERITAS!!!</p>
<p>(Sorry - It was such a great straight line that I thought someone ought to do it. :))</p>
<p>I’m going to disagree.
Life is much different for those who have experienced bitter poverty. At this point, because of my socioeconomic status, attending a top school is my only chance to live comfortably. I agree wholeheartedly with one of the posters here, the one who mentioned his/her lack of finances as a hindrance to living life fully. Sure. Money does not guarantee happiness, but would you rather cry in a bus station, homeless, or in a nice home? Think about it.</p>
<p>Whenever I discuss my undying love for the Harvard there are always the morons who reiterate the notion that there is more to life than prestige. Don’t you realize this isn’t true for all? Some of us work twice as hard.
But I’m not complaining. I just request that you all understand every situation is different. If I can gain admittance to Harvard or some other top school, that gives me four years of stability. Because of my finances, I can go free!</p>
<p>My motives are most likely not the same as the people to whom OP is referring.</p>
<p>I don’t go to Harvard, so I am in no way qualified to say this.</p>
<p>However, I think that a lot of Harvard students–who are intelligent, charming (hopefully), and ambitious–will probably be successful anyways. So their success is less a direct result of going to Harvard, than a prediction upon which their acceptance was earned.</p>
<p>That last sentence was really wordy, but I hope the gist is understandable. </p>
<p>Harvard wants students that will be successful in whichever field they choose. This is basically the entire point of SAT scores, grades, extracurriculars, and legacies. </p>
<p>So if you want to go to Harvard for the sake of your future career, you may want to reevaluate your goals. Harvard alone won’t make you successful; you also need an innate drive to succeed which will probably show itself somehow on your application.</p>
<p>Of course I am not saying you do not have this passion! There is no way I could judge that based off one or two lines on an internet forum. just sayin is all.</p>
<p>PS @OP, can I quote this line in the future? </p>
<p>“That English essay, that French test, and that college decision email are not ends of life. Death is.”</p>
<p>Nietzsche, everyone should have a chance… don’t push the falling! ;)</p>
<p>Finally got around to reading this. Thanks so much. We all know that kid who spent thousands of dollars to do “community service” overseas or the one who will do anything to gain the upperhand over others. Hopefully a few in college confidential will take some serious reflection.</p>
<p>Amazing post. Everything you said was right on target, especially for kids on this website (myself included!).</p>
<p>that was beautiful.</p>
<p>Thank you for this post. As a rising senior, I’ve been getting increasingly stressed out about college an playing into the whole college game. This helps me remember that the college you go to is not everything.</p>
<p>Lol this post made me imagine my ideal life. thanks for great post.</p>
<p>There’s something about this post that bothers me. The irony is it’s always an actual Harvard student who tries to reassure the masses it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. My kid is Junior at Harvard is grateful every day of her life she was accepted there, regardless of it’s imperfections. We are a poor family and Harvard’s financial aid was a lifesaver for us. So: if you’re physically perfect, don’t tell the rest of us how hard it is to be beautiful; if you’re wealthy, don’t tell struggling families being able to pay the bills doesn’t bring you happiness; and if you get into Harvard, try to be grateful for all the opportunities it affords you. You’ll end up sounding a lot more humble being grateful for what was probably a lot of hard work on your part, but undoubtedly, a bit of luck, too.</p>
<p>As someone going to apply early action very soon, this helped quell my nerves a lot. Thanks.</p>
<p>Very true and very inspirational. I am happy that someone else confirms so many of my views! There is someone out there!</p>