<p>In general, this forum was meant to be separate between the parents, High School Student, and College Student. But occasionally do I ever see many "Life" topics and posts. So I figured I shall make this thread for the sole purpose of discussing High School Life.</p>
<p>Lets remember some CC ground rules so hopefully my thread doesn't get shut down:
-No post degrading other posters.
-No post about religion unless it relate to school.
-And no politics unless it relate to the class.</p>
<p>Anyway, I'll start of with my life.</p>
<p>As a senior, I'm looking back at the school year and wondering like how freshman and sophomore years was just horrendous in term of GPA. And looking at junior year I did a complete reversal making nearly all A's. It kinda reinforce the need to make freshmen really aware of the college admission process. Like there isn't enough "Hey, you need to make good grades!" Heck, I didn't even feel this until Junior year.</p>
<p>I agree that freshmen need to be more informed about college. It’s not just about grades, it’s not at all about being well-rounded, people who get above a 30 on the ACT do not receive full-ride scholarships from Harvard, and “this is my essay” is not a respectable beginning sentence unless it was written by Captain Obvious. I exaggerate, but this is essentially what we are led to believe, at least in schools where the adults don’t know any better either.
I don’t remember my freshman year much at all. I have more vivid memories of eighth grade. I have no idea why.</p>
<p>Well, I’m a freshman, and my sister very well informed me about how college admissions work and how difficult it is to overcome certain obstacles. Not only did this make me feel worse about not already having a 4.0 GPA, it put a ton of pressure onto me that wasn’t really all that great. I got pretty stressed out about both my ECs conflicting with my non-existent study habits (flew by in middle school without really doing anything) and the thought of not doing well in my classes. </p>
<p>I agree freshmen, even eighth graders, should be informed about what really happens in high school, yet not to the point that I had gotten too. The other thing is also to not inform them too much, or they’ll start thinking about college more than high school, missing out on the only four years they have in high school.
Well, possibly three or five :P</p>
<p>8th grade was suppose to be this memorable year, maybe that why you remember it more clearer. </p>
<p>I thought middle school was suppose to be this transitioning to high school, not 9th and 10th grade. All four years was suppose to be this transitioning to college or life after school. How disappointing. Heck my parent could have taught me (and did!) about life after school. And now I’m learning that college will be even more difficult then high school and many college freshmen ended up messing up because they fail to “adjust”. A flawed education system imo, because they attempt to teach us to succeed in college but is it really to make us prepare for everything college have to offer?</p>
<p>“missing out on the only four years they have in high school.”</p>
<p>Is it really that great, though? It’s mostly just bad food, boring teachers, and a bunch of acne-covered morons bragging about their imaginary sex lives.</p>
<p>As a junior, I totally agree about wishing I was more informed as a freshman. I went to an “inner-city” middle school where by some fluke I was put in special ed! SPECIAL ED!! >:@ 11 year old me didn’t know any better though and my parents weren’t completely aware, so I stayed there and became severely depressed. I learned absolutely nothing at that school, and when I signed up for all honors for high school, my middle school consolers flipped out and said that was basically academic suicide. Freshman year, class rank and the importance of doing well was never explained beyond “get good grades.” I did get good grades, but definitely struggled do to do so based on how poorly my middle school prepared me. Now as a junior I’m in 4 APs getting As in all of them and have done lots of research on colleges. I just wish I could have done this well earlier and that my consolers would have actually cared about what was best for me…</p>
<p>I always knew that I needed to get good grades, because my parents put a lot of focus on education and school. I think this is why it’s sometimes not fair for all students, because not everyone’s parents inform them about college stuff–guidance counselors need to stress this more.</p>
<p>I always knew that I was supposed to get good grades, though I wasn’t quite sure why. But I never understood that you actually <em>need</em> ECs to get into college. They’re presented as something optional you can do that will help - as in, something not many people do, so you’ll have a distinct advantage! Which is not the case at all.</p>
<p>EC. I was totally under the impression that they were completely optional as well. And now I learned that scholarships want to see them, some good schools want to see them. I never done volunteering or community service or any of that stuffs. Yet I see them ask these questions. And part time jobs. No one is even hiring me so can’t add that. What? I suppose college expect me to do something after school other then hw? I can’t do chores? Have some free time to myself? Sacrifice these thing for some ECs I have no interest in… Idon’t think so.</p>
<p>I agree. Actually, until I got on college confidential I always thought ECs were something you did because you genuinely liked them and were something you did purely for personal enjoyment. I (and most of my friends) was under the impression that most good applicants are in a club or two, but I always thought “if you’re in them great, if not, who cares?” Unfortunately, my ec list is rapidly and drastically decreasing because this year I’ve really lost interest in my school outside of acedemic work. ECs are very important though and often overlooked.</p>
<p>“Is it really that great, though? It’s mostly just bad food, boring teachers, and a bunch of acne-covered morons bragging about their imaginary sex lives.”
Wow. Your school must really suck, or you just aren’t involved with any friends. Yes, there are those types of people, yeah the food isn’t that great, and yeah teachers can be boring. But you’ll always be confronted with bad food, annoying people, and boring teachers. Get over that slump, find something/people you’re interested in, make friends, join clubs you like or sports that you’re good at…
There’s so many things to do in high school that’s just a blast. I’m sorry that maybe your high school life may suck…actually no, scratch that. There is always the chance your high school life sucks because you aren’t doing anything about it. </p>
<p>And also, what’s with all the people oblivious to ECs? I didn’t actually know people DIDN’T know about the importance of ECs. Maybe it’s just reinforced in my school a lot, or maybe my generation has just been more informed about it as the years had gone by.</p>
<p>“find something/people you’re interested in, make friends”</p>
<p>You can do those things anywhere. The point wasn’t that high school is unbearably horrible…it was that it’s not so wonderful that you shouldn’t concern yourself primarily with the future. Presumably there are better things in life than high school. </p>
<p>“And also, what’s with all the people oblivious to ECs?”</p>
<p>We aren’t oblivious to them, necessarily, but no one tells you you HAVE TO do all this stuff to get into college. Joining clubs isn’t even good enough - you have to have an officer position. And that’s not good enough because what if you don’t actually do anything? And what if the club doesn’t fit with the rest of your application? What if you’re not demonstrating enough passion? And even that’s not good enough because there will be someone better and they’ll get in and you won’t. No one tells us these things because, for the most part, people at my school aren’t applying to anywhere selective enough to give a damn about ECs.</p>
<p>No. it’s your school. And this is the worse 4 years of life no matter how good u make it. When I leave I will have better friends, better food, and real people talking about real sex Lmao.</p>
<p>Junior here. If i could restart I would join one EC and stick with it to show commitment and such. I probably wouldn’t have quit Boy Scouts either.</p>
<p>Also, I wouldn’t mess up my frosh grades (3.7 uw #mfw fwp).</p>
<p>There are two reasons I have 2.8 GAP for both 9th grade and 10th.
In ninth grade, I get a D for not having my gym clothes for 3 days all because of some faulty locker. “If you lose it, it’s your fault.” Like I swore I closed my locker and to think that someone just manage to open my locker… out of hundreds in there… Just need some pe requirements reform. I would rather perform in my own clothes then spend 15 dollar on clothes I would never wear later on. By contrast, I got an A during PE 1, but I did lose my phone that trimester.</p>
<ol>
<li>Geometry teachers were weak, very weak (10th grade). Heck anyone taking classes under them have a hard time getting good grades. And I’m supposed to learn this for the SAT and yet they failed to teach us well.</li>
</ol>
<p>you only really enjpy high school in senior year. underclassmen are pretty clueless, so those aren’t exactly fun times, and junior year is just really stressful.</p>
<p>guidance counselors do need to make freshmen more aware, just not to the point of being CC aware. it adds too much stress. I thought it was just my guidance counselor who didn’t share much with underclassmen. I always want to know everything ahead of time, so sophomore year I asked her a lot of things, but she didn’t give me much info. because I wasn’t a junior yet. telling freshmen to just “get good grades” and “have any ECs?” isn’t enough. my GC was talking to this freshmen for their “freshmen counselor meeting” and I felt sort of bad, cause it brought back how clueless I used to be too.</p>
<p>Perhaps its just me, but this year, my senior year, has been the most stressful. All the applications for admissions and scholarships and deadlines left and right. Very hard.</p>