This will give you a skewed sense of reality, if nothing else

Pre-College Issues High School Life
41

<p>
[quote]
these kids were pressured by parents. notice that many of them randomly organized fundraisers(surely to pad their applications). we also can't be sure how much of their research was their own work. most of america's brightest minds led NORMAL childhoods.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I wouldn't generalize, but I see where you're coming from. 95% of high schoolers in this country have never heard of USAMO or USAPhO or whatever. Even fewer know that 16, 17, 18 year old kids can do research while in HS. The kids with the professor/scientist parents are the ones who've heard of that stuff and started at an early age.</p>

42

<p>But still about 400,000 kids a year get around to taking the AMCs, so the contests are easily accessible if one wishes to participate...</p>

43

<p>The point is not that these kids are not smart, but that many bright kids who have the talent are unaware of many many things (as I was minus the talent part, I didn't know anything about colleges until I came here). </p>

<p>I'm sorta with the corny idea that we'll see what happens in the end, when these kids are in their 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's vs the kids who had a "normal track".</p>

44

<p>
[quote]
But still about 400,000 kids a year get around to taking the AMCs, so the contests are easily accessible if one wishes to participate...

[/quote]
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<p>Yeah it's not as if you have to attend a certain school to participate, but I don't think the AMC does a very good job promoting itself. I went to a pretty good private junior high school and I had never heard of MATHCOUNTS or AMC 8 etc. I don't know anyone who's taken the AMC (irl at least), despite the fact that my area is peppered with some top public and private high schools.</p>

45

<p>lol... I never took the AMC... my school doesn't even offer testing for that...</p>

46

<p>I'd never heard of the AMC before I came on here either.</p>

47

<p>^Me too. And why are their parents' names mentioned? It's probably safe to say that their parents actually work less enough to pay attention to their kids' educations.</p>

48

<p>what the *<strong><em>??? that didn't help me at all. i *</em></strong>in wanna go to harvard and i'm nothing compared to these kids... screw them!</p>

49

<p>i feel like a dummy lol</p>

50

<p>actually by reading the comments now i'm like, I HAVE WORK TO DO!! time to put pressure on me</p>

51

<p>i'm glad someone represented us melbourne, floridians</p>

52

<p>I had never heard of all that stuff until I stumbled upon CC a few months ago.</p>

53

<p>word…I feel dumb too</p>

54

<p>How do people do that?</p>

55

<p>I think these kids are very talented, but they also had access to certain programs and situations that helped them to achieve all that they did. :/</p>

56

<p>I wish my parents pushed me more when I was young :frowning: what a watse of a childhood…</p>

57

<p>Yea? Well, I know a guy that can pee standing six feet away from the urinal. He makes it in every time. NO SPLASH.</p>

58

<p>um…bump?</p>

59

<p>Dang, I feel really bad right now.</p>

60

<p>Guess who’s never getting into Ivy League now?</p>

<p>This girl. >_></p>