<p>What's your definition of an "unrealistic" goal or dream?</p>
<p>Maybe I should rephrase the point of this topic...</p>
<p>How often do you feel that some of your peers have a "sincere" desire to pursue something, yet do not exhibit much effort to prove that they indeed have a fervent yearning to achieve?</p>
<p>I have a dear buddy who wants to go to Princeton, yet, at the same time, does not show much passion in what she's involved in (except sports). She avoids AP courses whenever the opportunity allows and is barely in the top 10% of her graduating class. She's bedazzled by the myth that once you're in the top 10%, you can go anywhere you choose, thus eliminating any rationale for going the extra mile. I have suggested several times that she set more goals for herself, but she comes back with, "I'm not going to stress myself out like YOU." She has a point, I guess, considering that I'm up until 3 in the morning during the school year. However, I'd really hate to see her not getting what she wants in the end, for I know that would really crush her.</p>
<p>Why is it that counselors at my school mislead people into thinking that doing the bare minimum will lead them to their ultimate objectives? I mean, one of my friends was a victim of that, applying to prestigious schools (Cornell, Georgetown, Tulane, Berkeley, and Rice) and eventually facing rejection from all of them.</p>
<p>BECAUSE COUNSELORS LOVE TO DECEIVE PEOPLE!
As i read your post, i felt very nostalgic. I was in 8th grade, discussing with a counselor about my courses. She recommended i take Alg 1 again, even though i aced it easily..^&% anyway, i had to take a math class over the summer to compensate for lost time.</p>
<p>I got lucky and had a great counselor who really likes me, and he's very realistic with me when it comes to college. But I know where you're coming from because I've had a lot of friends in the same situation.</p>
<p>But I'd also like to try and play devil's advocate for your friend, at least on the whole area of APs/class rank.</p>
<p>First, you can't really control your class rank. You can't control how many people are going to do better than you, especially if you're at a more competitive school. All you can do is the best you possibly can.</p>
<p>Second, take it from someone who knows: if you haven't been taking AP courses since you were a freshman in HS, it is EXTREMELY difficult and intimidating. I took APUSH as my first AP because no one told me how difficult it was, and now I'm completely turned off to the idea of AP courses. </p>
<p>I think you need to take more time to consider this from her perspective.</p>
<p>She's going to this college fair tomorrow night where Duke, Harvard, Georgetown, and Stanford admission officers are hosting.</p>
<p>She keeps telling me she has an advantage because she's going to learn how to write a resume and such, whereas I have already attended such seminars and have actually read how-to books when it comes to creating a college application.</p>
<p>Oh, and she got my other friend, who makes Bs and Cs and made a 1 on her AP exams, to come with her.</p>
<p>And she claims to have talked to a Princeton alumni (her neighbor) who told her that it wasn't that hard to get in.</p>
<p>Unless your school is some super Ivy feeder like Dalton or Andover or something, chances are your conselor doesn't know diddly-squat about getting into Top 25 colleges. And if your counselor doesn't know anything, most of the student body won't know much either.</p>
<p>I would have assumed I was a shoe-in for Ivys (URM, good scores, 3.8 student) until I visited CC, but it's worked in my favor because I've been pursuing more activities and working harder towards becoming a better student and a more well-rounded applicant.</p>
<p>Maybe you should show your friend this site to get her on the right track!</p>
<p>Thanks for the pragmatic reply, which clearly illustrates the scene at my school.</p>
<p>Nah. We're not Dalton or Andover or Hotchkiss. Just a humble public school in rural, sub-suburban Texas.</p>
<p>My particular counselor was wise enough to tell me to not get my hopes up when I told her of my college endeavors, though. The other counselors BS it and tell everyone that grades will get one "anywhere he or she wants."</p>
<p>I told my friend about this site, but she told me to shut up and stop being so stuck up. She told me it was probably a fake and that I shouldn't believe everything I see on the Internet, though of course, the likelihood of budding applicants faking thier stats here sounds incredibly low.</p>
<p>With her attitude, honestly, I don't think I would like to associate with her for the time being. I've lost hope for people who dream irresponsibly and don't want any true, blunt assistance.</p>
<p>I agree with SDMS12, Counselors are the ultimate evil. Never listen to anything they say, research things for yourself. They know very little about the selective college admissions process, and want you to do things that will make their lives easier, which is not necessarily what will help you suceed. Recommend that your friend do some research on her own, but often, there is no helping people who are that sure of themselves.</p>
<p>These types of things are why I LOVE CC with a passion. You get so much better info on here than from any counselor, save maybe councelors at AECDH.</p>
<p>Sigh... one of my friends wants to pre-med at JHU. The thing is, he isn't very strong in sciences. He had to drop out of AP Bio in sophomore year and is retaking it now as a senior. He's pretty smart, but with his grades and scores, I just don't know.</p>
<p>
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How often do you feel that some of your peers have a "sincere" desire to pursue something, yet do not exhibit much effort to prove that they indeed have a fervent yearning to achieve?
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</p>
<p>I want to write a roguelike game.</p>
<p>It's not like I can program or anything. =/</p>
<p>You're friend is very confused by the top ten percent rule.</p>
<p>IT ONLY WORKS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN TEXAS!</p>
<p>So she'd be in to UT, but not her major of choice.</p>
<p>Top 10% is almost a prerequisite to APPLY to the schools she's looking at. To get in requires amazing grades and scores and EC involvement. Having a hook--URM, athlete, first generation in family to go to college--really helps but is no guarantee.</p>
<p>Most guidance counselors don't know what they're doing because they don't do their research--they assume that college admissions was the same when they applied as it is now. IT ISN'T!</p>
<p>Luckily our guidance department is outstanding. They're great with helping kids apply to their dream schools while also finding realistic alternatives. When a kid in the bottom quarter went in to the Notre Dame presentation, he also made sure to direct him to the Ole Miss presentation as well. They're also really good with working with the top students on their apps so they get in to good schools. While not everyone at the top wants to go to or could go to a top school, if they desire it, the guidance department can really do it.</p>
<p>It helps to have 3 college counselors for 1000 kids plus other guidance counselors who have nothing to do with college counseling but academic concerns and personal issues.</p>
<p>some interesting things are written here. i think the more urban the city where your high school is located in will probably yield counselors who know more about the college admissions process. you don't have to be a student at dalton or andover to find a good college counselor. of course, i learned much of my info from cc boards than my counselor (who knows about the forum as well).</p>
<p>lol, your post reminded me of a girl at my school. She decided that she wasn't going to go to Yale because they wouldn't take the college credit that she will have earned by graduation. It wasn't even a thought to her that she could, by any chance, be rejected and not be able to go to Yale. She decided, basically, that it wasn't good enough for her. :/</p>
<p>My poor counselors, there is only like six of them for 2,500 students..today mine mistook me for someone else and asked how Mr. Barr's class was (no idea who that is). I think I'm a little unrealistic in thinking I can sucessfuly major in biochemistry (pre-med track), when I am awful, just terrible, at physics..(I'm in AP chem and bio) Will tackle AP Physics next year some how, <em>cowers from P-chem</em></p>