Something all high school Freshmen--and others--should read

Applying to College
21

<p>Good post, 1337hax0r. Couldn’t have said it better myself.</p>

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<p>Thank you! I was hoping to read that…!!</p>

<p>Taking difficult classes can sometimes be a burden for me. I don’t know anyone that enjoys editing essay after essay, doing a busywork assignment day after day. But for me, most hard classes that I take, are intellectually stimulating and INTERESTING! I love learning about Mexico’s government… and Nigeria’s struggles in AP Comparative. I love reading scholarly opinions on FDR’s controversial presidency in AP US Government. I love learning about rhetoric and how it is employed by authors in various methods to achieve a certain feeling or opinion from the reader.</p>

<p>It’s interesting to me! I hope students don’t feel that Ivy Leagues are the “prize” or the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, because although I don’t know yet, from what I’ve heard and people have told me, college is when the REAL work starts. If that’s how you feel… then I think colleges have been cheated by admitting a student who is doomed to fail.</p>

<p>Now, of course achieving admission is something to be proud of. But as someone above me said, it’s a foot in the door that leads ways to supreme opportunities.</p>

22

<p>I am only a freshman in highschool, but I can clearly see that somethingtosay is merely a pessimistic person. Your life is great! You did great in highschool, and now you are going to one of the best schools in the country. If you honestly are doubting the value of the hard work you put into your schoolwork in highschool, you should see a therapist or take anti-depressants. There are millions of people who work just as hard as you and don’t even come close to that level of excellence. It shocks me that you are telling inspired, young minds not to try because it isn’t worth it. I am going to live it up in HS and get the best grades and test scores possible. If I get into my dream college or not, it will be worth it because I will know that I did everything to the best of my ability and reached my full potential.</p>

23

<p>First off, better schools do help students get better jobs, both in the name and in the environment that fosters success.</p>

<p>Secondly, there’s a major logical issue with the OP’s argument. The purpose of high school is not just to get into college. The high school experience provides important educational benefits, as well. Yes, succeeding in high school may require some sacrifices, but so does every decision in life. We can’t avoid sacrifices - we must always pick the best option, and sacrifice all the others.</p>

<p>Further, college provides valuable life experiences while preparing students for careers. College does not carry a sole purpose.</p>

<p>If you’re working hard in high school and college and then in your job and have a problem with it, then what you’re doing isn’t right for you. Most of one’s adult life is spent in a career (rather than in retirement), so it’s important that the career is enjoyable and worthwhile</p>

<p>Many people who work hard in high school and college enjoy that hard work more than they would enjoy the life they’d have if they weren’t working hard. Many people thrive on challenges and success. Personally, I would be miserable if I had slacked off in high school or if I had gone to a less competitive and less difficult school. While, yes, the sleep-deprived days and stressful nights are sometimes quite bad, for the most part I enjoy my life and am happy with it even though I have had to work extremely hard. I do not see my difficult high school experience as a waste, as I was happy while in high school and I am being further rewarded with success.</p>

<p>The people who should work hard in high school are those who find more value in it than the outcome. Spending the majority of your life in misery for some ever-postponed outcome (high school to get into college to get a good job to have a good retirement) is not a path that anyone should choose, regardless of how nice that retirement might be. While that may sound like a depressing life plan, especially considering the age at which people retire, the important thing to consider is that many people who work hard are still satisfied and happy with their lives while they’re in high school, in college, or working at their job.</p>

<p>Just because the actual experience doesn’t satisfy the OP doesn’t mean it can’t satisfy others.</p>

24

<p>Thank You SO MUCH for this. But I am still keeping my eyes on Yale (Just saying).
You are so right. my cousin has got into an Ivy. He was so happy about it when he received the acceptance letter. I believed he applied Early Action or Early Decision, something like that; that’s why he knew it around winter. But his happiness only lasted for a month. It turns out he has nothing to do rest of the senior year. </p>

<p>I asked him “So What do you do in weekend?”
“Practice ACT or SAT, learn hard words for SAT, or write a research paper, prepare for the AP tests…”
I felt sorry for him. Now he has nothing to do. He put 4 years of effort into this but had never enjoy high school life a bit. Does it worth it? He had never been to Pep Rally. Never been to a game. Never wear school colors on Fridays. Never hang out with people. Never gone to a party. </p>

<p>IS he happy? Yea, for a month. But he never enjoy being a teenager, the most fantastic period of life.</p>

25

<p>Many people are making the ridiculous assumption that students who get into the Ivies have no social life whatsoever and do nothing fun. That’s ridiculous.</p>

<p>I attend a high school where many students go on to very prestigious schools. Nearly everyone still has a social life (and, in fact, much of the top of the class has more of a social life than the middle of the class). Barring any sudden change in GPA, I’ll be Salutatorian, but I’ve still enjoyed my high school experience and I still have a social life.</p>

26

<p>I, personally, don’t find much appeal in Ivies and prestige. I could have worked harder in high school and shot up my SAT score by 100 more points, worked myself to exhaustion with 5 APs, overburden myself with tons of extracurriculars and could have gotten into a “good” school, but I didn’t. I can look back and regret my decision for an hour, but then realize that the stress and mental burden that achieving well comes with isn’t worth the acceptance letter. As a freshman, I did want to aim high, go to an Ivy, but as you grow older, you realize that going to a good school isn’t the end of it. If you continue along the path, you will have to keep working hard. You don’t have much time to enjoy yourself and do the things you truly want to do (we do only live once).
I always expected college decisions to be exciting. I wanted to be that person who would cry with joy or whatever they do these days when they get accepted into their dream school. Well I did get into my dream school, and that feeling didn’t match up to what I thought I would feel. You feel the same. Your work is still waiting for you, your parents are still giving you talks about the annoying practical issues, and stuff like that.
Also, I chose not to apply to any of the top schools because I didn’t want to set myself up to the judgment I know I can’t handle. When accepted into an Ivy, say Yale or Brown, people assume you to be that caliber. They expect you to keep performing well, set higher expectations for you. Yes, you do earn respect, admiration, maybe jealousy too, but in order to maintain that status, you have to keep working. Life isn’t all about work.
Lastly, I feel that people base too much of their decision on the prestige. They assume that the better ranked the college, the better education you’ll get. That’s not true. I already know my career path (in which I’m really lucky), and my parents are pushing me to choose the best ranked program out of all the ones I applied to. However, I know that I can learn the same information at a less well-known college, come out with my degree, and start working. Employers don’t really base too much on where you graduated, but how you work in the workplace, how you behave, etc. I know some people find satisfaction, and maybe even happiness, in being on top, being the best you can be. I guess that’s their choice, and I admire them to be willing to toil their lives away pushing themselves further. But I know I was a naive freshman, easily influenced and carried away by what I envisioned I could be in the future that I didn’t realize the grim reality of it (the all-nighters, the constant headaches). </p>

<p>This was probably more of a rant than anything else, but I really needed to get that off my chest, especially since all I hear about these days is college talk, who got into where, **** like that. Good luck to all.</p>

27

<p>OP, I read an article a while ago that argued the same topic as your post. I can’t recall the name of the article or the newspaper that published it, but I do remember the author’s name. Are your initials KZ by any chance?</p>

<p>I think it might have been a poem written by a high school freshman who was predicting his/her own fate though. </p>

<p>The article received a lot of attention in my school district and eventually provoked the school board to reform some educational policies and attitudes in the classroom. I’ll try to find a link online and share it here, because it echoed the very same sentiments you described in your post.</p>

<p>Anyways, I agree with the OP to a certain extent. But it’s important to find that balance between “I’m doing this for college” and “I’m doing this because I love it”. That means making some sacrifices here and there, but letting yourself have reckless teenage fun while you still can ;)</p>

28

<p>@ Threadstarter</p>

<p>I wanna say that I think your argument is absolutely would I would tell every freshman who I ever meet again. But I also think this is the wrong forum to be seeking sympathy in. Although I understand that part of your argument is directed strictly towards those who are smart (ie those who speak “your certain language”), there are also people on college confidential who genuinely find pleasure in working hard and gaining awards and whatnot. Perhaps I’m biased because I never had the grades to get into a great school, but I think that a lot of the masses of high schoolers out there would agree with your message; college confidential, no matter what it seems, is not representative of most high schoolers. I think they, like I, would find comfort in your message. It gives me a nice, fuzzy feeling, knowing that I have someone sane out there who thinks like me.</p>

<p>Moreover, I think you connect better to your audience (most high school kids) than all the people who disagree, especially that one person on here who kept using all those big words (I digress, concur, accolade). Very convincing argument and very nicely expressed. =D =D =D </p>

<p>Mooie moocow =D =D</p>

29

<p>Interesting thought. I’ve always been bent on elite colleges but in the past few weeks I’ve realize that I’m not really looking forward to studying engineering in a crazy rigorous level… The state flagship, where several good friends are going, sounds more appealing every day.</p>

30

<p>I get what you’re saying. too many people think that getting into an ivy is this huge momentous event. But the truth is that life just keeps on going either way.
But there ARE some people who want to get into ivy and don’t make those assumptions. granted, many people like that don’t get in. but still, though education isn’t everything (seriously by the next century you’ll probably die and it won’t really matter x) ), it is important. people should still do they’re best.</p>