I am really smart and love learning, but hate high school. The classes are pointless and not challenging. I do computer programming on my free time and always learn about math and computers. I watch lectures from Stanford, ArsDigita, and MIT. In my free time all I do is learn. In high school however I don’t try at all. I am in all honors classes but just get by with a 93ish average. I have a list of issues with school and how it should be but I’ll save them for now. I want to get into a good college so this is my question. Should I throw out all my values, be miserable and in my opinion be wasting a lot of time in my teen years by trying to get a higher number in a system I don’t agree with and thus have colleges look at me or should I learn everything I can at home, get 93ish grades and be my own person, thinking outside of the box and try to explain that to MIT (my dream college)? I know if I really tried I could finish in if not near the top of my class.
If the classes aren’t challenging, why is your average 93 rather than 100? (This isn’t a rhetorical question; I sincerely want to know where you’re missing points.)
Does your high school differentiate between, say, 95 and 100? Aren’t they both just As? Is your class rank actually going to be low if you have a 93 average?
I get a 93 because I don’t pay attention and read other things in class. The difference between a 95 and 100 is just class rank.
The reality is that the only way those colleges have of deciding who they feel is qualified for their programs in through grades/ SAT/ACT scores. It doesn’t matter whether you agree with it or not, that’s how they decide. So if you do want to go the college route, those grades matter.
And “The difference between a 95 and 100 is just class rank” sounds like a poor attempt at double talk. Class rank is determined by grades, not the other way around. A 95 is different from a 100 because, on the average, the person has gotten 5 points fewer on every test. Likewise, a person with an average of 93 has, on average, lost 7 points on each test that the person with the 100 average hasn’t lost.
Don’t get me wrong-- a 93 average is a sign of a strong student. But they’re points that you’ve lost. Not that someone else or some system has robbed you of, but points you’ve lost.
The system was created for the majority. I know how you feel, I usually do other things in my classes and often skip school to pursue my interests. My grades suffer a little but I still make sure I make it to society’s “”“acceptable”"" standard for “”“smart”"" people by maintaining a 4.0.
Regardless, I think it’s in your best interests to keep pursuing things you enjoy and are passionate about. That’ll serve you best in the end.
And in regard to MIT, they’re actually well known for taking students that do things like you. I’m sure if you convey your interests you’ll be able to make a good impression.
I feel like my conclusion has come to meet somewhere in the middle. Pay attention in class and study, but not study to the extreme. I can then do what I love and still get improved grades