Some food for thought.

Applying to College
1

<p>With the exception of my faith and my athletic pursuits, I don't think i've ever felt this passionate about something in my life.</p>

<p>Anyways, before I begin, here's a little context:</p>

<p>Throughout high school I was a decent student. My senior class is particularly gifted (long-time teachers have said we're the most gifted class they've ever taught, blah blah blah). We don't do rankings, but i'd say out of the 150 or so kids in our class i'm maybe 30th, give or take 10-20 kids. My SATs and ACTs were pretty mediocre but my subject tests and APs were decent. I had a few extracirriculars and people told me my essay was pretty good. </p>

<p>I've gotten all nine of my admissions back. I got rejected from one school and accepted to the other eight (though six of the nine schools aren't terribly difficult schools to get into). I turned in my papers and i'll be going to a good(not top 10 anything, but decent nonetheless). I really happy I got into this particular school, but I wouldn't trip if I had been rejected.</p>

<p>Anyways, enough about me.</p>

<p>To put it frankly: it's been utter bedlam at school lately, especially for the "real smart" cookies. Bobby got rejected from Harvard, Suzy got waitlisted at pomona so she has to go to Michigan, yadda yadda. </p>

<p>It's been kind of hard to fit into discussions at school these past two weeks for a couple reasons. First, my future is set and I don't have to worry about this whole college admission thing anymore. Second, I honestly don't get how these kids can trip about getting rejected from the nation's top colleges. </p>

<p>"Well, XCdude24, you just don't get it. You didn't bust your balls and get straight A's for four straight years, you didn't become glee club captain, and that's why you're going to a 'mediocre' college while i'm going to UCLA, my safety school."</p>

<p>If you're a person like this, I need you to take two steps back and read this New York Times article. It's five pages, but there's lots of pictures and crap, so it won't take you that long. When you're reading it, pretend you're someone from a country like Saudi Arabia or Uganda where getting into college isn't freaking the end-all, be-all of life like it is here. Anyways, here's the article (read the article, then come back and read the rest of this):</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/education/01girls.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/education/01girls.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I don't know about you, but I was in shock. EVERYTHING that these kids do revolve around making a college application sexier. I'm not saying that these kids are clueless to the meaning of life. What I am saying is that as a society (especially in the middle and upper classes) we are taking this success thing to a new level. While these kids are studying or directing plays, they're also failing to realize that they're probably not living life(emphasis on probably) the way they'd like to be. Many of these kids will live the rest of their lives like this. </p>

<p>For most of us, what is done is done, and we really can't do anything about it. But what I want you guys to do is take a step back and look at your experiences thus far: do you feel that looking good on paper is hindering other aspects of your life? Are you bent on going to these top schools because you want to be successful later in life, or because you want the best education out there? Are you doing all this because you like to do all this or because someone is telling you need to do this?</p>

<p>I'm not trying to troll or whatever, i'm just asking a question. Feel free to agree or disagree.</p>

2

<p>Ive seen so many kids kill them selves all through High School for all the wrong reasons. People should be themselves during High School because that guarantees the best fit for college. They are in it for the wrong reasons (parents, 'a better future', etc.) You go to college to become an adult. You can form any career without a 'top 10' school.</p>

<p>Its to bad that its not like the old days when a 3.8 and a 1400 would get you wait listed at Harvard. A lot of these 'ambitious' kids are not genuine people and I wouldn't trust them with anything. Therefore, I am one of 2 kids in my group to be going to a 4 year college.</p>

<p>Go outside and do something, college really doesn't matter this much</p>

<p>EDIT
btw, you and I are gonna get FLAMED</p>

3

<p>then tonight we dine in hell</p>

<p>(300 reference, if anyone caught it)</p>

4

<p>that movie was full of Epic sauce, i saw it on IMAX and regular screen</p>

5

<p>I just read that article in the morning -- a friend of mine sent it to console me. I have to say that the girls in that article were indeed brilliant. However, I don't believe all of them were tailoring themselves for college.</p>

<p>I do things because I want to. Which is a lot more than most other kids at my school can say.</p>

6

<p>I agree with your sentiment about not packaging yourself. I will say, first, that not everyone who has great extras is packaging themself (they might be pushing a little harder than they would otherwise, but they aren't necessarily in it just to build their resume). However, I think that a lot of people are packaging themselves, which is sad in my opinion. The college admissions process is totally unpredictable. You CANNOT package yourself to ensure that you will get into X school. You might get in, but you still probably won't. I am pretty sure that my only okay extras got me rejected at Yale and Princeton and waitlisted at Columbia and Brown. I still got into great colleges (Carleton, Wellesley, and NYU), and more importantly, I spent the last 4 years of my life doing what I wanted to do, not what I thought a stranger on the admissions board somewhere wanted me to do. I'm happy with what I've done, even if it did end up keeping me out of an Ivy.</p>

7

<p>Definately, the way i saw it, i did what I wanted in H.S. That way my application reflects me better than the MUN president/Newspaper Editor/Varsity track runner etc. and I will be more likely to go to a college that fits me, not a college that fits who I am trying to be.</p>

<p>Kids also think that if they slip in to Harvard, they may be at the bottom of the class and be miserable going through college trying to catch up. I think it is best to go to a college where you are in the 25th-30th percentile, (or above but that might keep you to a really bad school). That way you perform well, socialize well and look good for grad school</p>

8

<p>Tom Freidman gives readers a cute anecdote in his book, "The World is Flat" that sums up globalization well. It was something like: "When I was a child, my parents told me to finish my peas, because people in China were starving. Now, I tell my kids to finish their homework because people in China are starving for your jobs." You're correct in your assessment that kids are working in high school for the wrong reasons. </p>

<p>But the thing is, going to college doesn't guarentee a great job anymore. Of course, I am just speaking from my limited view of the world, but from what I understand from Freidman's highly mainstream take on globalization, we really do need to work our butts off so we can get into a top college and get a great career. </p>

<p>Furthermore, what makes me wary of those like the OP, we are growing up in baby-echo generation. Why is this important? It's important because of the way our parents have raised us. When our parents were growing up, most all of their families pursued a family ideal where the child was in the background and the dad was just - in charge - PERIOD. So, as a way to correct this, our parents have always affirmed our desires and goals, saying we are amazing, capable of anything, and rarely pointing out our mistakes. As a result, we have these high expectations for our lives, yet not all of us are willing/think we need to do the work to succeed. In fact, a recent poll found that around 2/3 of high school students expected to get into college, yet fewer than 1/4 actually completed a college-prep (AP / IB) track in college. It seems that our generation holds some very high but unrealistic expectations for our lives. </p>

<p>Though I'm sure the OP's point is not completely compromised by this revelation, I am certain that this has played a part in the OP formulating his/her contention. Sometimes we NEED to spend a lot of time on our papers. It's still very possible to end up at a top 10 college, pursue your passions, and present a nice package to college admissions. Because ultimately, if someone doesn't love the activity in which they participate, they are bound to never succeed very highly. We know from author, Steven Levitt that our talents result from our passions--things we like to do--, and not much else. As a result, it's impossible to become nationally ranked or even gain state recognition in something if someone is just making you. Many times students will put up the excuse, "my mom is making me compete in science olympiad" as a front to cover their own passion in science because they fear others will malign them. </p>

<p>I think, what is more important, OP, you should be concerned about kids trying to get into college because they believe it's an end in itself. We need to show kids that though college is an important step in maturation and intellectual development, getting into college is not the ultimate goal. However, with such a limited perspective, it's hard for even the most mature of juniors and seniors to take such an omniscient persepctive on college admissions.</p>

<p>I get what you're saying, but I think given the status of global commerce, 'busting your balls' really isn't all that bad, and is almost necessary to stay afloat in our highly connected world.</p>

<p>Okay, fine, sorry, I was procrastinating... the arguments are kind of circumlocutory, but it's better than studying calc - right?</p>