Why Do We Care So Much?

<p>The knowledge that acceptance to an ivy league makes one immortal</p>

<p>Getting into an Ivy will please the first generations, comme moi.</p>

<p>It's human nature to want the best of everything...college is no exception (at least not for the majority of CC's population).</p>

<p>arbitrary and meaningless? If you truly think that, there's really nothing more I can say. Everyone perceive reality in different ways. In the end, it's really a matter of attitude. Just so you know, there are people out there who thrive on intrinsic motivations: the will to advance yourself, to make yourself better. </p>

<p>Many goals we set for ourselves involve BOTH intrinsic AND extrinsic motivations, to say that one is doing something for the sole reason of gaining recognition, material awards etc. is most likely not true, and the same goes for internal advancement. It's just that sometimes, one might be a stronger drive than the other.</p>

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I am utterly shocked. She blows their average admit stats away

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<p>Maybe that was the problem. They might have thought there was no chance she would attend.</p>

<p>There's nothing actually wrong with wanting to go to top schools, contrary to popular belief here (a belief that seems almost as common, though not quite, as that that one's life is ruined if one <em>doesn't</em> go to a top school).</p>

<p>Everyone who does it has their own reasons, presumably. For myself, one of the big reasons was that I wanted to be surrounded by people who were as smart as I was (or smarter). I was tired of being put on a pedestal...pedestals are lonely and isolating, and people love to throw things at you (note: this is mostly still metaphorical) to make you look bad or try to knock you off. People know you for being on the pedestal, but they don't know <em>you</em> at all.</p>

<p>I found a place where I most definitely was not on a pedestal for my academics. In fact, it was farther than I expected in the other direction. But it made me a better and stronger person in a way that would not have happened had I been a big fish in a little pond, and it allowed me to get to know people without my defining characteristic being "the smart kid".</p>

<p>^ agreed!!!</p>

<p>jessiehl</p>

<p>I hope you are right. Although it is very scary that safeties aren't safe because they are worried about yield.</p>

<p>yeah... is not what education you receive in those top schools.... is the fact that you passed and survived that process...
it is not the education self but the student body that make a school good.</p>

<p>On the subject of intrinsic/extrinsic motivation:</p>

<p>People who are intrinsically motivated:
-want the environment the top school creates (see Jessiehl's post)
-Even though they will learn where ever they go, we all know that it's easier to learn at some schools than others
-The facilities at whatever school they're applying to allow them to better pursue their passions</p>

<p>People extrinsically motivated:</p>

<p>These people freak me out. All their life (or the past four years), they have been motivated completely by grades because they think that: Good grades=good college=good job=lots of money=happiness. To some extent, this is true, but there are SO many things that can be different in that equation and you end up with the same end result.</p>

<p>Because they've not really been enjoying learning or doing their activities, etc, they think that they should be REWARDED for doing all this extra work that they haven't enjoyed. Entrance to a top college would be the 'reward' they're looking for. Obviously, if they aren't enjoying learning or their classes, they're working towards something and that something is Harvard/Yale/Amherst, etc. They've done all this work, right, so they deserve it, right? </p>

<p>Eventually they'll realize that sometimes we have to be intrinsically motivated because we can't expect that someone will reward us for everything we do. Some things you just have to do for yourself.</p>

<p>Note: These are EXTREME cases. I'd expect that most people would fall in between- maybe there are some admission machines that are in the latter category, but I feel really bad for them.</p>

<p>I fall more towards the former... I know that I'm going to make the same amount no matter where I go to college- guess what, high school teacher sthat went to Harvard are still almost broke! I'm still applying to top schools, mostly because I like their financial aid policies and environment (quirky intellectuals FTW- top LACs!), but I secretly would like saying "I'm going to _____!" I'm not sure, people who apply to top LACs are probably a little less prestige-hungry because most LACs have very little name recognition in the everyday world...</p>

<p>Some people think that their life is set once they get into an ivy...</p>

<p>Sometimes I feel like...because I have no idea what I want to do/major in...going to a Top 50 or 20 or whatever school will help me. People always ask me what I want to do, but I never have an answer. Going to one of those schools makes me feel like I'll have a safety net so that I can go out and discover what I want...I don't even know if this makes sense or if it is how I truly feel (or what I'm just telling myself), but there's my two cents.</p>

<p>I didn't read all the posts, so I might be repeating others. There are several reasons why we reach so high and are so anxious about the results, most of which are simple. The truth is all humans want approval, affirmation that they are worth something, and getting into a top college can be taken as a symbol for that. A lot of the kids here on CC excel in the world of academics, and, because of their abilities, set high standards for themselves. Their families and social situation might contribute greatly as well. And so, to fulfill these standards, they become very emotionally invested in achievement. And, like someone else said, we also look for a challenge. We seek stimulating environments so we can reach our fullest potential as human beings. Top colleges, whether it is the truth or not, offer an image of this stimulation. </p>

<p>Simple, really. And none of it's bad, just natural behavior.</p>

<p>I think it's definitely ingrained in us by society. Being influenced by our environment is inevitable and unavoidable...that, and the whole nerd-revenge thing probably.</p>

<p>^oops didn't see above post(s)</p>

<p>brillar, that's an incredibly thoughtful post and I think I agree with most of it...Unfortunately, I think many of the people who are on this site or elsewhere applying to top colleges are extrinsically motivated; I notice this all the time in my school...countless Asians driven to unwarranted extremes by their parents: kids who are coerced into tailoring themselves for Ivy and forced to become doctors/lawyers/businessmen/engineers (granted some (including myself) have a genuine passion for these professions that is not forced upon them by their parents).</p>

<p>lawer, doctor, businessman, and engineer...didn't you hit all the possible professions? :P...</p>

<p>Honestly I think a lot of students just want the stimulation of a top institution. That's what I want at least (by top i don't mean hypsmc, I mean top 30ish)</p>

<p>I am taking a class at a community college right now (because my high school cut AP bio so i need to take an equivalent class elsewhere) and honestly the class isn't very stimulating. I find myself reading comic books or doing other work in there because it proceeds at a pace that doesn't match mine.</p>

<p>I am not obsessed with hypsmc. Heck I didn't even apply to any of those schools. I just want an environment that stimulates me.</p>

<p>As for the people obsessed with those top 5 or 6 colleges, prestige and bragging rights really.</p>

<p>i was absorbed with getting accepted to a top college until i finally had everything submitted. Now I am just looking forward to college, wherever that may be. I have been accepted to a couple top X schools, but honestly, i would be fine with attending my state school now. now i realize that college really is what you make of it, it will be better than high school no matter what, and i would do well wherever i ended up. so now, whatever happens in april, i'm fine. no hyps? not the end of the world. i will be ecstatic to attend X or Z University. yes hyps? cool, but that doesn't mean i'm automatically set for life. where you go doesn't mean nearly as much as what you do, and only you can decide that.</p>

<p>^bravo....</p>