I’m a high school junior at a very competitive school. I am likely top 10 in our class, and possess good AP scores (all 4s and 5s), SAT 2 scores (perfect or close to perfect), and SAT scores (ivy-tier). I am also an officer in three legitimate clubs, participate in a good amount of community service, participate in two varsity sports, and will (hopefully) write great essays and get good letters of recommendation. I am also seeking out a major-related internship.
But I’m not exceptional. I haven’t done anything of note beyond a regional level. I’m not the kid with insane talent in anything; I’m not the kid with rich alumni parents, I’m not the kid with national-level awards. I’m not the kid who stays after class everyday of the week to talk to his or her teachers about how much they love the subject. I’m not the kid with a boosted resume.
I like learning; I like my sports; I like my clubs; I like service; I want to gain experience in my potential field. To be honest, I only really do things that I like.
But every time I read a post from a person with stats similar to mine on here, I become disheartened. Am I generic and lifeless? Do I have no passion because of my lack of awards?
Have I “done” high school completely wrong? Will I get into any top schools? Or am I destined for a mediocre college and a mediocre life? Will I be completely forgotten in my death?
I feel like I’m staring into a mirror, so I’ll give you the same advice I’ve been given throughout high school.
The problem with the modern education system, based on the numerous lectures that have been given to me in the same subject, is that they put too much emphasis on what you do in high school and undergrad. I’m not saying they’re not important, but it’s as though if you are not a super genius as you seem to claim, you are apparently not going to get into any Ivies.
First, let me debunk that last sentence. While the big boys seem fixated on scientists or engineers or writers who experiment or write as good if not better than practicing adults, there are lots of people like you who often feel this exact same way about Ivy and other selective private school admission. Take me: let me go through your criteria and show you just how similar I am to you.
High school junior: yep. Top 10 in class: yep. Competitive high school: yep. Good APs: 4 5’s. SAT2: perfect math II check. SAT: not great but been studying. Officer in three clubs: two for me. Two sports: one in which I am fairly committed. Community service: actually did 8 hours today! Not exceptional: I am jealous of all these CC tryhards so check. Nothing beyond regional: best I have is honorable mention in lower state math contest. No insane talent: pretty good in math but not EXCEPTIONAL. Rich alumni parents: haha funny, dad went to a SUNY, mom to a small PA school. Boosted resume: YES.
That last bullet right there is where I feel like you might be misguided, so hear me out. All these things that you have done actually create a very good resume. Two sport athletes as well as officers in three clubs can obviously manage their time, and admissions officers notice that when screening applicants. Ivy tier SATs are very hard to get, and falling within the Ivy average is something to be proud of. Rich alumni parents sure help, but there is no rule that says you have to have involved alumni parents that make half a million a year, and many more do not have them than do
The beauty of college is to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life. High school comprises the very basic stages of this process, and by no means should it show that you are career ready at age 18. Only a select few are able to have this kind of maturity, discipline, and determination in one thing for 4 years, and unless all of one’s time is spent researching (something an athlete and officer cannot do most of the time), it can’t be done. Plus, access to resources like labs and faculty mentors also helps, so if someone were to have connections, they would be more likely to conduct research than you would. So my point is since it is so difficult to do sustained undergraduate research in high school because you’re not exceptional in anything or don’t have the academic connections, the fact that you can’t says nothing about “being forgotten” in life. If you work your tail off in college, undergrad and grad, you can be highly successful.
Last thing: undergraduate prestige, despite what you hear from CC, isn’t everything. If you want to have an impactful career like one that will make you known to the world, you must attend graduate school. If you attend a high-level public university like UVA, Cal, GT, UCLA, UNC, or anything like that and go to an Ivy for grad school where admissions are slightly easier, you will still have connections to whatever you want to do. For me, I plan on attending my state flagship’s honors college and transferring to a selective private for grad school, and I don’t believe any of the prestige of connections will be lost.
Tl;dr: You’re crazy. You don’t have to be a super genius to get into wherever you want go in life. High school doesn’t make or break you. Do what makes you happy, not what you feel like you have to do.
Since USNWR started ranking schools, we’ve been suckered into believing that we have to go to a “top” school to be successful. This myth still persists even though it’s been thoroughly and repeatedly debunked.
First, not everyone who go to amazing brand X is ultimately successful. Trust me. I know some.
Second, and most important, top students such as the two of you, do well no matter where you go. More students at amazing brand X will be like you, but you will be awesome at Podunk U also. That’s not to say everyone at Podunk U will be. They won’t.
Don’t take my word for it. Look it up. Students who are top achievers are successful no matter where they go.
Why? It’s not about the school. It’s about what you make of your time.
Look where Fulbright Scholars come from. Look where NASA Scholars come from. They are random schools, often ones you’ve never even heard of. You can and will be amazing anywhere. Don’t fall into the trap.
Good luck.
“I only really do things that I like”
It sounds like you have done well enough at sufficiently important things that this is good. You should be doing things that you like to do. If you are near the top of you class then you clearly have also learned quite a few things that your teachers want you to learn. Don’t let a prestigious university tell you what you should do with in your spare time (such as “do the right ECs”).
“Have I “done” high school completely wrong? Will I get into any top schools? Or am I destined for a mediocre college and a mediocre life?”
Sounds to me like you have done high school rather well. You don’t need to get into the most prestigious university. You need to get into a university that fits what you want to do. The worst software engineer that I ever worked with had a degree from Harvard. His software had to be abandoned after he left. The best software engineer that I ever worked with has a degree from a large public state university. He has done very well and is well known in his field. He is also a genuinely good person.
“Since USNWR started ranking schools, we’ve been suckered into believing that we have to go to a “top” school to be successful. This myth still persists even though it’s been thoroughly and repeatedly debunked.”
Very well said. Prestige is very much overrated.