<p>OK, so I'm here on these threads, and I'm noticing how many people are really serious about school and the classes that they're taking. At my high school, though, no one even wants to talk about their future or classes that they want to take. They just take the next classes that appear on the list, and they don't even want to take advanced classes, even though they're smart and can do very well! Whenever I'm talking to my nerdy friends in school about my schedule planned out for the next couple years, they don't even care. I don't even know how I'm only ranked 14 in our class when there are such stupid people who don't care at all.
Anyone know why there is not a single dedicated person at my school?</p>
<p>Getting good grades, being dedicated to school, taking advanced classes, posting on College Confidential, and/or bragging to your friends about your future schedule do not necessarily indicate a true desire to learn.
High school is pretty uninspiring and I’m not really surprised if a lot of people aren’t fond of it or haven’t yet found a field (academic, artistic, vocational, or otherwise) they can be passionate about. I think you’re being too quick to judge people, and I think your view of what it means to enjoy learning is rather limited.
Class rank isn’t based on how much you care. You’re ranked 14th because that’s the rank you earned.</p>
Have you ever thought that the reason that they don’t care about your future classes is because they don’t care about your future classes? Just because they’re “nerdy” doesn’t mean they want to talk about future classes. </p>
<p>
I don’t think you peers are the stupid ones in this situation…</p>
<p>You’re a but quick to judge. There’s not a single dedicated person in your school? What’s your definition of dedicated? Obsessing over test grades or schedules? That’s not dedication. I’m sure there are handfuls of individuals in your grade alone that are doing extraordinary things in their lives and for their community that you are not aware of.</p>
<p>Alright, I see what you two mean. I was being really stupid and judgmental when I posted this.
What I’m somewhat trying to say is, I know that my friends are actually interested in education, but for some reason they don’t want to exploit this interest in front of us because for some reason they think that they would be judged by us. If I talk to one of my friends alone, they seem to really enjoy talking to me about what we did in class, comparing our stuff and teaching each other what we learned in different classes. I would really love for all of us to share this attitude so we could all hang out and teach/learn a lot of stuff together.
My definition of dedicated might not have been very clear due to my lack of control of attitude. I LOVE learning new things. I would put in some quote about wisdom/learning, but I’m too sleepy to do that.
I’m really sorry that I was harsh. No one is stupid. If anyone were stupid it would be me because I let my emotions go out of control for a little bit.
I feel really bipolar right now for saying this. Sorry.</p>
<p>OMG. That is how my school is too. It sucks. I hate how they just don’t care at all. There is hardly any people who are actually serious about academics. Mostly those people are in honors though but at my school, not many people take honors or AP classes.</p>
<p>It is indeed hard to feel that you are the only one in your school with a passion for learning. Many high school students are there because they have to be–either because it’s the law or their parents force them. College is different–most people go to college because they want to. Hang in there…you’ll find “your people” in college. Study hard in high school, take challenging classes, get involved in academic extracurriculars like speech & debate, and you’ll most likely have a choice of colleges to attend. You can choose one where the students love to learn…just like you.</p>
THIS. That’s exactly how it is at my school. All the high achieving students, SEEM as if they don’t care. Just so they don’t get judged by those who don’t take school as seriously. Frankly, if this is what high school has come to - where smart students are discouraged by their peers - some sort of reform needs to take place.</p>
<p>“Some people just pretend to be disinterested because they think it looks bad to be enthusiastic about school and learning.”</p>
<p>I think you mean “uninterested,” but I definitely agree.
I mean, people are expected to get good grades, but they’re not expected to actually enjoy studying and doing the work.
Even students who aren’t afraid to say they like school can be cliquey/exclusive and it’s hard to fit in with them if you just want to have intellectual discussions but don’t fit other “nerd” stereotypes.</p>
<p>“College is different–most people go to college because they want to.”</p>
<p>I would think most people go to college because it’s a rite of passage or because they know it’s basically required to get a decent job, even though it’s not literally mandatory. (I imagine the majority of people who go to college go to community colleges and nearby state schools, but at more selective schools, at least some of the people will be there because they want to impress people or their parents pushed them.)</p>
<p>Perhaps students aren’t truly interested in learning because of the cutthroat competition for grades, ECs, Test scores and unnecessary number of AP classes. It has become a game of one upping each other in certain ways. Taking a dozen APs doesn’t mean a thing but colleges encourage it by using APs in admissions. It is like a vicious cycle. I second GMTPlus7, go to a prep school where kids are genuinely interested in learning.</p>
<p>@halycon I just looked it up, never realised there was a difference before!</p>
<p>At my school things aren’t as bad as for the OP. People are interested in their futures and classes, but not just for the sake of learning. Or like I said previously, they wouldn’t admit it. They care but only for the end result.
I’m doing what GMT suggested and going to a highly selective private school next year where I hope things will be different.</p>
<p>I live by the quote “The more I see and hear, the more I realize how much I don’t know.
I want to know everything.”</p>
<p>“If you enjoy learning and want to be around other students who do too, then have you considered boarding school?”</p>
<p>A lot of boarding schools cost almost as much as college itself. And again, people usually go to boarding school because their parents want them to or they want to impress people. (The prep school boards are like a junior version of everything else on this website.)</p>
<p>Of course there will always be some parents who send their kids to an elite prep school to impress their friends. But for the most part, kids want to go there because they are not satisfied with what their local schools offer.</p>