<p>So, I'm a senior in HS, and nearly four years of social isolation and pushing myself to the limit have nearly gotten me to the point of having seven perfect 4.0 uw semesters. I'm on track to be valedictorian if I can seal the deal in January.</p>
<p>Anyway, the problem is that the best I can do is be co-valedictorian if things keep going the way they are because I know of at least one person in particular who has a 4.0 so far and a good shot at securing one this semester. </p>
<p>Here's the contrast and comparison:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I'm quiet, skinny, scientifically-minded, and conscientious. I like to think of myself as that sort of brooding intellectual with romantic dark eyes and a Beatles-style haircut. But I'm sure the perception of me is that of an eccentric geek who carries a big-ole binder to every class and doesn't say much. My parents are educated, but they aren't tiger-parents and really don't give a damn about my grades. I'm planning on going to Uni of Wisconsin to major in bioengineering and hopefully become an MD eventually. </p></li>
<li><p>Now this girl--oh geez--she is one of those argumentative, bossy, obnoxiously loud, teacher's pet-type girls who will argue any and every question she gets wrong on the test with the teacher. Her parents are very involved in her schooling. At the NHS initiation last year, her dad asked if they could "attach more extracurriculars if the [four page] packet doesn't provide enough space?" Like, give me a break. This is NHS admittance, not the Nobel Prize. Everyone with a 3.5 or better GPA gets in. Also, she never stops talking about her ACT scores, not to me but just in general. It's like she NEEDS acknowledgement for her success. She wants to be a politician. Figures.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Clearly, you can see why we are at odd ends.</p>
<p>Anyway, I just had a rough week grades-wise (still 4.0 right now, I hope it doesn't change :( ) and I rekindled our rivalry. </p>
<p>I guess I was wondering if anyone else on CC has a "scholastic rivalry" or a grades-nemesis. If you do, I want to hear about it!</p>
<p>so you just want to be valedictorian to avoid feeling like your efforts were partially wasted? or is it seeing someone less deserving get that immense honor the thing that really bugs you?</p>
<p>competing against friends and people you like is much more fun than competing against people you don’t really like. I think you would be better off to not think about her. </p>
<p>I never competed academically with anyone really. but that’s not because competing isn’t exciting to me; I just found I was was unsuccessful at that type of competition.</p>
<p>@enfieldacademy To me, it would be a great injustice if this person were to be the sole recipient of the award simply because they have a personality. I don’t care for. I don’t feel more entitled than she does, but I still want to win. </p>
<p>I feel like I’m representing the common man, proving to my classmates the world what pure drive and motivation can accomplish in lieu of tiger parents or some hubristic sense of entitlement. I suppose the irony is that for all the work I’ve put into my schoolwork, the “drive and motivation” thing hasn’t held much water in the other facets of my life (social, work, exercise etc.). </p>
<p>Mostly I want to be valedictorian to prove to myself that I can be. Not to sound like a drama queen, but after all the sacrifice I’ve had to make to keep my record perfect, I don’t want to slip up in my last year.</p>
<p>Like I said, I did poorly on some tests this week, so I really hoping that my grades remain A’s. </p>
<p>Seriously, though! Nobody else on CC has any academic rivalries or any sort of scholastic conflict? I thought this place would be rife with stories…</p>
<p>Ooh, a battle between the common man and a bastion of evil. I found your story interesting to read and hope you succeed in your conquest against the forces of obnoxious people.</p>
<p>I have a fairly large class size (840 ish) and my school typically names about a dozen valedictorians. The three people who are almost certain to be ranked 1, 2, and 3 for my class have been friends since middle school. I went to a different middle school, but I’m also friends with them. So no, there really isn’t any academic grudge match going on at my school; just four friends in a friendly competition. That’s not to say that we’re not competitive though. When its all said and done, we’ll probably each have taken 14 or 15 AP classes each.</p>
<p>The nice thing about our high school was anything above an 89.5 was an A, and all A’s counted the same. So basically as long as I got above 89.5s in all my classes and took the hardest load possible, I never had to worry about being valedictorian. I’m actually not sure how they distinguished ranks 1-10, since for the most part we all took the same courses, but somehow they did name a single valedictorian, I think. Probably would have been me if I hadn’t dropped out of high school.</p>