<p>My life is nothing like that and I’m perfectly content. I’m only involved in three or so clubs that I’m actually interested in. Even with 6 APs classwork isn’t that much of a problem. On most days I only have less than an hour of homework. Every once in a while it might stretch to two hours. Could I try harder and do better in school? Probably. To me though, it’s worth the extra work and stress. I get 8 hours of sleep pretty much every school night. I’m never tired during the day and never sleep in class. I’m not stressed about grades or college apps. I’ve been done with my regular decision apps for four months now.</p>
<p>Well, I was just accepted to Yale, and am excited for this college stress to just be OVER. My condolences to those deferred/rejected from schools early… College admissions at elite schools is largely random. Once you are qualified, a significant amount of luck determines your decision.</p>
<p>i’m beginning to wonder if it’s all worth it. life’s too short.</p>
<p>lol yea i hope most people realize that high school isn’t like high school musical.</p>
<p>I think that high school students need to chill out.
The elite colleges aren’t for everyone.</p>
<p>I feel guilty because all of the kids on CC work so hard. Even though I take the most challenging course load at my school, it’s still easy. Even physics and AP spanish aren’t bad at all. I just go to an easy school. The leadership positions sometimes wear me down, but even that’s not overwhelming everyday. My family responsibilities are more stressful.</p>
<p>My life:</p>
<p>Wake up at 6 to get to school by 7
Finish school at 4 after 8 hours of work
3 hour marching band practices every Tuesday accompanied by competitions every Saturday
Clubs
3 hour orchestra rehearsals during the weekdays in the late fall season
Average of 3-5 hours of homework a night
Practicing my instruments
Weekly community service/Youth organization
Sleep at midnight or later on average
Rest of time I manage to find goes to sleep or studying (which I have not been doing much lately)</p>
<p>I think it’s becoming increasingly common for 15 year old teens such as myself to be exposed to such schedules. I don’t think mine’s really rigorous in any way though…music does take up a lot of time in my life but I do enjoy it, so I guess it is worth it for me. Honestly I think some of the things people do to get into the top colleges nowadays are absurd, but I suppose it’s worth it for them if they get into their dream schools. I know I’ll never get into those top top universities, but hopefully I’ll get into a top 30 university. I feel like I only have 6 days in my week since all my Saturday’s are occupied and it’s getting harder to find time to study with band, but I guess that’s how life is when I accept these challenges. I know there are thousands of other students with more stressful lives than me, and sometimes it inspires me to do better, but normally I wonder why I should even bother with my work.</p>
<p>Anyways, I have to go back to my homework now.</p>
<p>why don’t you guys try taking IB? its much more work than any of the other classes. unless you’re in at least 4-5 AP or IB classes, you really don’t know what stress is</p>
<p>I know elite schools aren’t for everyone, and the only top 20 school I really want to go to is Notre Dame. But I would also like to go to a state school, be in the honors college, and get a nice scholarship.</p>
<p>But hell, it doesn’t matter, lol, we’re all going to die in 2012.</p>
<p>In a way, this really could be me. There are some weeks in which it feels like one big repeat day after day after day. I’ll usually get up between 6 and 7, go to school and attend my classes and then I always have one activity or another- always. Why don’t I just cut some activities then? Well the thing is that I actually like my activities. I’ll admit it, there are some academic ones in which the studying and practices aren’t necessarily the most fun experiences Ive ever had…but competition/tournament days make it all worth it because they REALLY are fun! Sometimes though just all of the homework, activities and now college applications can keep me up way past midnight, and the absolute worst part is knowing that the next day is most likely going to be the exact same thing. But when Friday finally comes around, I’m smiling all day, thinking TGIF. And when everything’s done and I can finally go home, I go home and I…SLEEP.:)</p>
<p>This is so true. Jesus, I’m applying to 16 freaking schools because I think that I won’t get in anywhere, even though I have spent the last 4 years of my life sleeping 4-5 hours a night. Ugh. College is going to be such a breeze.</p>
<p>“lol yea i hope most people realize that high school isn’t like high school musical.”</p>
<p>WHAT?</p>
<p>-“why don’t you guys try taking IB? its much more work than any of the other classes. unless you’re in at least 4-5 AP or IB classes, you really don’t know what stress is”-</p>
<p>I’d say that’s quite a statement. IB isn’t offered everywhere and some EC’s can be more stressful than taking 3 extra AP classes. You can’t down play someone else’s stress compared to your own/ what you think stress is. I had a friend who only took one AP class last year but had loads of music and athletic obligations (4-5 hours a day) last year and had her dad die during the year, how does that factor into your stress theory?</p>
<p>I’m not trying to be mean, but I was a little irritated by that statement. I’m taking 4 AP classes and a class at the local college and have a bunch of EC obligations, but I pale in comparison to the stress levels of my friend. :(</p>
<p>On a lighter note, I’m with hawaiiboy15 lol. At least I’ll have experienced college for a bit! haha.</p>
<p>Undoubtedly the story of my high school career.
I vividly remember a night last year (my junior year)…after arriving at home by 9:45 PM after dancing in a school variety show that I was responsible for choreographing/publicizing, I had to study for an AP Bio exam and write two papers for AP US.
I was up until 4 AM that morning…oh how I miss it! Haha that was a rare night, but to be honest, after all my extracurriculars (two varsity sports, competitive dance, StuCo, MUN, community service, etc) I was up pretty much until 1-2 AM every day during my junior year. It was hell to say the least.</p>
<p>What high schoolers don’t know is that the stress doesn’t end when you start college. College classes are harder than AP classes–I got by in high school doing very little work, and yes, I still passed all my AP’s and graduated salutatorian, but now I have quite a few hours of reading every day, even on my easiest days, and then I have papers to write and tests to study for. I’m also president of one club and secretary of another. I do volunteer work, I go to various club meetings, I sit on a committee, I write for/edit a section of/lay out my school’s paper, I do a work study job. But I don’t do these things because they’ll get me somewhere (although that’s always a plus); I do them because I love all of them. Before this semester, I hadn’t even considered transferring, which I am in the process of now, but instead I got heavily involved in all these activities from the get go. If you’re the type of person who gets stressed out about this kind of stuff, the stress never, ever goes away, even if you love it too. You’ll always be worried about maintaining a perfect GPA, or getting into grad school, or getting your first job, or getting a promotion, or finding a new, better job. One thing I’m trying to learn to do is enjoy every minute of it and realize that there’s more to life than commitments and goals. I find time, even during the school year, to sit down and read a book, to watch a couple of TV shows, to crochet a scarf, to spend time with my wonderful boyfriend. When you look back, it’s going to be those kinds of things you remember, not how long your list of EC’s was on your college apps. Do as much as you can, but only do it because you love it. And make sure you leave time to enjoy life, because unless you make that time, life will always be a race to the finish.</p>
<p>Wake up at 7.
Snooze until 730 because I slept at 2 last night, and 1 the night before, and 2 before that.
School from 800-300.
Academic team meeting from 300-515.
College essays from 515-700
Dinner from 700-730
College essays from 730-1000
Study for a test from 1000-1200
CC from 1200-100</p>
<p>yourfire_escape -
Good post, even better point.
And it’s a point well taken.</p>
<p>To me it seems that one thing that separates the elite students from the very good students is the ability to get by with little sleep. Some people can keep a hectic schedule like some of yours and only sleep 4-5 hours a night and be OK. Other kids would get physically sick or psychologically imbalanced if they were always that busy and slept that little.</p>
<p>^Tell me about it.
There are some people I am friends with who sleep so little that we constantly make fun of them for it, 
I sometimes get very little sleep but that has nothing to do with my ‘busy schedule’, that is the insomnia talking.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Doesn’t <em>end</em>? High school was a total cakewalk next to college. :p</p>