To College Students: Is HS Worth It?

Pre-Med & Medical School High School Student Topics
1

<p>Every day, I go back and forth on this subject.</p>

<p>High School - is it a time of fun, or a time for college prep?</p>

<p>A little background on me: junior, 4.0 UW GPA in one of the best IB programs in the world, class rank 1/800, 36 ACT first time, yearbook editor-in-chief, literary magazine editor-in-chief, school DVD editor-in-chief, runs track & field and cross country, on the Youth Advisory Board for my city, attended numerous journalism conferences / assisted teaching classes at them / won awards related to yearbooks and journalism</p>

<p>And lately, now that IB has picked up and school is getting consistently tough, my friends and I ponder daily whether it is worth it. Yesterday, my friend said to me "IB ruins my family ties; I never have time to eat dinner with them anymore." Same goes for me - I am always at yearbook or track or some meeting or doing hw on weekdays.</p>

<p>On the weekends, I do get some relief. I actually do party quite a bit and sometimes during the week I find time to have some fun - going out to dinner with friends, playing tennis, random sports games with my track friends, etc. </p>

<p>But still, I find myself in a pit of depression a few days of the week when I am stressed, busy, exhausted, sleep-deprived.</p>

<p>Is getting into a good college worth this crap? The other day, I decided it wasn't - and I skipped track practice, yearbook proofings, and a meeting later on in the night. Then the next day, I was thinking how stupid I was and that I have just a few more months before I send in my apps and relaxation (hopefully) ensues.</p>

<p>Please, someone, tell me it's worth it!! Or tell me I'm not the only one who HATES how society has turned our generation into a plethora of competitive, overworked, sleep-deprived pre-college students.</p>

2

<p>Ummm...I think we have a term for this...senioritis? I think it's setting in early for you because you're so busy (36???? Nice!!). Everyone experiences it. Really.</p>

<p>Is HS worth it? Look at all you've accomplished and all that you've learn in and outside of the classroom -only you can decided if HS was really a good experience or not. If I had those stats I would be thrilled..but that's just me :).</p>

<p>You ask if it's a time for fun or a time for college prep when you're the one who's a prime example of what HS is meant for -both. IMO, anyways. </p>

<p>Just stick it out two more months and take an extremely LAID-BACK summer. That should help somewhat for your senior year (it did me). </p>

<p>If you're seriously that unhappy, why not take a little break next year? Take a year off or apply early to college?</p>

3

<p>First, try to keep everything in perspective. This will just repeat in college as you try to get into med school, and then again in med school when you try to get a good residency match, and then again afterward when you try to make it in the real world as a physician. It's sort of called "life." </p>

<p>Then again, as a person with very high standards for themselves (I'm assuming), you may feel pressure when even small things go wrong--a pop quiz on the wrong day of the week, people falling through on their responsibilities in yearbook, or a sudden weekend paper due on Monday. I know because my junior year was one of the toughest. Keep going though, because it IS DEFINITELY worth it when during your senior year, you receive a thick envelope from your first-choice college. And the long-term benefits are grander, if you look at the chronology I mentioned earlier. Just make to sure to take a deep breath every now and then and to keep things in perspective--everything will turn out great. (Optimism helps, too.)</p>

<p>Disclaimer: I am a senior in high school, so I am not in college yet, but I can relate to you still, and that's why I am telling you this.</p>

4

<p>good post sari</p>

5

<p>expect something similar in college if you are going to be premed and then in med school and then in residency</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
Keep going though, because it IS DEFINITELY worth it when during your senior year, you receive a thick envelope from your first-choice college.

[/quote]

Heh, that fat envelope from the first-choice is not always going to happen. I got the thin envelopes from my top choices.</p>

<p>Regardless, the advice is good in that you should keep going and that it will be worth it. At the end of high school, it seemed to me like all the hard work I'd done was pointless, as it didn't get me into my top choice schools.
Then I got to college and realized that my years of toil and self-imposed torment had made me an excellent, hard-working student, with a strong work ethic, good communication skills and time-management skills that have helped me to excel in college (at least to date).
So in that sense, yes, it was definitely worth it.</p>

7

<p>The other big piece of advice...don't do it just to get into a goood college. What happens to most of us on here is we get into our top schools with the THICK acceptance package (like Duke for me for example) but then the financial aid package comes in THIN....so you can't go.</p>