<p>You see, this website is full of grade grubbers, SAT whores, EC resume padders, etc. Why? They want to get into a good college.
Then you also have people on this website who don't do so well in high school. Instead, they live up the moments more. They enjoy their experience to the fullest. The price they pay is their GPA, or SAT's, or Rank, or activities. And what those grade grubbers, SAT whores, EC resume padders don't realize is that not doing well in high school is okay; it's fine because everyone has that one opportunity to do well in college. And if you do decently well in college while still living in the moments, then chances are that you will get a decently paying job. The point im trying to make is that no matter how many times we screw up, it's okay because the system under the U.S. is created so as to give everyone opportunities, chances to fix those mistakes. If those chances are taken advantage of, you'll be okay. If you don't take advantage of those chances and choose to live with a decent life, then you're still okay. In the end, WE WILL ALL BE OKAY. The problem is that people don't realize that now because of its distal nature. People are so much into instant gratification that they forget about the long-term. They forget that failing a calculus test won't mean the difference in salary of 20,000 and 200,000. They forget that failing a class won't mean that it will severly impact your life forever. They forget that EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY. Life is good, always good. Live it up guys.</p>
<p>I want to attend a top university, but not because I want to make lots of money. The most erroneous assumptions that I see people make is that they believe making money/getting a good job can be the only goal. I simply to have a high-quality education and a lot of available resources to pursue my interests and curiosity. Believe it or not, educational quality is not constant across all the schools in the world. Top universities are more likely to provide the best educational quality.</p>
<p>Yes, people will probably find good jobs regardless of which university they go to, but top universities will arguable be able to provide slightly better chances for alumni to find enticing jobs of their choice. The fact is, some companies/organizations do take into account which university the applicant attended. </p>
<p>Lastly, how often do you hear a random state university produce a Nobel prize winner? Or a great inventor? It’s true that students from top universities are self-selective in terms of being able to make great accomplishments, but you have to take into account the resources available in and the environment of a top university. It is more likely that Harvard will provide better opportunities to research/access information than a state college in Wyoming. Also, imagine a 2400 SAT, 4.0 GPA, and extracurricularly accomplished student attending a state college because of undesired reasons. Do you think he will be happy in an environment where most of the students will not share the same level of motivation/aspirations/intellect/diligence as him? Maybe, but probably not as much as if he were in a top university.</p>
<p>And there’s also faculty expectations and difficulty of courses and student programs and… there’s so much more to talk about.</p>
<p>In short, going to a “good college” matters for some people and there’s nothing wrong with working towards that goal.</p>
<p>I actually fully agree with the OP. I mean think about it. The majority of Americans study hard in high school. Why? To get into a good college or university. And why do they study hard in college? To get a good job. And why? To live comfortably with money because supposedly that buys you happiness. And of course, money helps, but as cliche as it is, it’s not everything. </p>
<p>And yeah, ryanxing, many of us slave away in highschool to get into a top university because they truly want to learn. But I think that mindset is going to stay with us if we keep thinking about it that way. I mean, then you’ll go into college saying I’m going to work really hard here so that someday I can be a Nobel prize winner or a great inventor. I mean, yeah, all of that is great, but is it really something you’d be willing to sacrifice you’re happiness over? My philosophy is that we live to be happy. What’s the point of life if you’re not happy. And winning a Nobel prize will only give you happiness for so long. Why suffer so much, for a small amount of happiness. And also, we’re only this age for a small amount of time. I mean, we should live it up, we’re kids after all. These are supposed to be the best years of our life right?</p>
<p>Anyways, what I’m saying is that I think this whole think is about doing what makes you happy; what makes you love life. And being happy should be more or less a constant thing, not “oh if i suffer now, i’ll be happy later”. The best educational quality is great, but it’s not something you should sacrifice your entire childhood for, because like the OP said, in the end, everything works out alright.</p>
<p>First of all, education should be valued a lot more than the view of which it is presented in this thread. People need to be substantially educated, not just for their own benefit, especially in modern society. One problem that I feel society is facing is that not many people are aware of the many problems facing society, science, the Earth, etc. Much focus should unquestionably be focused on education.</p>
<p>Secondly, I highly doubt the proposed implication that happiness and academic diligence results in a zero sum trade off. One can be both happy and academically successful, and for some people, being happy means being academically successful (gasp). If feeling the satisfaction of accomplishment and thinking of great future prospects are worth the opportunity costs of studious person, then there’s nothing wrong.</p>
<p>Personally, I want to be much more social this year than I have been. I want to make more friends and have lots more fun, but that barely costs me academically. Working hard in school does not mean imminent misery. It just means that you have to think a little to make sure you get the best of both worlds. Putting off education with a lame excuse as “I will be happy if I don’t work as hard” is, in a humble opinion, not worth it. Don’t strive to obtain only one of the two.</p>
<p>And I feel it’s wholly unnecessary for the OP to bash people who just want to seek the best possible outcome for themselves. Everyone has aspirations. It’s one of the fundamental sentiments that drive us on.</p>
<p>I don’t fully agree with the OP, but I do agree with the whole “a 50 on a Calc test will make no difference from a 100 in the grand scheme of things”. When I get a bad grade, I think it’s the end of the world - so I do fall victim to that, when really as long as it doesn’t become a habit, you will be fine.</p>
<p>On the other hand, “WE WILL ALL BE OKAY” is a gigantic lie. If we would all be okay, then there’d be a 0% poverty rate.</p>
<p>First of all, I’m probably going to get a bit of **** for this and you’re going to think I’m really selfish, but we’re living for our selves aren’t we? We’re not alive in order to make society a better place. I mean if you want to help the environment, by all means do it. Me personally, I really want to work with the Peace Corps. And it’s selfish, because I want to do it for myself, because that’s what would make me happy. </p>
<p>And yes, I fully agree it’s absolutely possible to be happy and be academically successful. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m not a stupid person. I’m an AP student with almost straight A’s and, yeah, I’m loving life. And yes, I do feel satisfied when I do well in school, which is why I do study. But along with feeling satisfaction at the end of every semester when you get your nice little report card back, you need to be happy throughout the school year. What I’m saying is that there are so many people that lock themselves in their rooms studying over the weekends because they want a perfect GPA, a perfect SAT, a perfect whatever. But in the end, it’s just not worth it. I’m not telling people to slack off because it’ll make you happy, (for many people slacking off makes them unhappy, which is why they don’t do it) but you have to find the right balance between being happy in the present and preparing yourself to be happy in the future.</p>
<p>I sort of agree. I feel like all the work I did in high school doesn’t matter beyond high school (nobody cares about your high school GPA and being in the Top Ten of your class is just a nice anecdote to tell your kids years down the line). In the same way, what I’m doing in college now only matters that it gets me to med school. What I do in med school may finally matter in giving me some education that I would use as a doctor, but nobody will know if I’m a bottom quartile med student in the future or a top of the class student (not that I think I am that smart, just saying that when working it wouldn’t make much difference as long as I had enough knowledge and learned the skills). So it’s this whole cycle of what you do now only matters to get you to the next step.</p>
<p>That being said, if I didn’t do well in high school I wouldn’t have made it to Berkeley, and wouldn’t have certain opportunities around me (although there’s many pre-med opportunities at many other universities too). And if I don’t do well in Berkeley I probably can’t go to med school. If I fail med school then I can’t be a doctor.</p>
<p>It’s like what a grad student told me yesterday–he’s forgotten a lot of the things he forgot in undergrad, but he’s still glad he learned them. Because they were interesting. Granted, he does still use some of what he learned in undergrad–but there’s also a lot he’s forgotten because he doesn’t use it in his grad school work. </p>
<p>In the end, the grades you get do matter in that you have to do well enough to get you to the next step successfully. Beyond that, the grades don’t matter–the ability to learn, the networking, the knowledge of skills you need, those do on the job. And it’s kind of depressing realizing that I worked really hard to get straight A’s and all, but a just as good or better person who may have gotten a C in high school calculus will work beside me. Was all the effort worthless though? No.</p>
<p>Hahaha, no, I don’t think you’re too young for this insight. I think this insight is telling of your age, and your privilege. Growing up in a very low income area, I know that no, not everything will be okay. Many people’s lives will be ****ing horrible. It’s naive to assume that no matter what sacrifices for your present happiness you make, that things will always turn out OK~~ in the long run.</p>
<p>Sometimes you have to sacrifice present happiness to ensure stability. That’s just basic survival.</p>
<p>I agree pretty much completely with ryanxing. Happiness and academic success are not mutually exclusive; in fact, for many people–myself included–academic success can engender happiness. And the reason I want to go to a great college is not to make lots of $$$–I believe your salary is more dependent on what you do with the opportunities you’ve been given than those opportunities themselves. That is, salary depends more on the person than what school he went to. I want to go to a great college to be educated well, to be around people who, like me, enjoy learning, to be amongst people who care about school and are intellectual, etc. etc.</p>
<p>I agree with the OP. My dad’s living proof.</p>
<p>He was a C/D student in high school and was always in the basic classes because everyone thought he was dumb as a brick. He decided that he wanted to go to college, so he did. Then he joined the military. And then he went back to college for grad school. He got a 4.0 in his master’s. Then he applied to and went to law school.</p>
<p>By the end of his military career, he was an E8 (Senior Master Sergeant) and could have been an O4 (Major), but chose not to. Now he’s a practicing lawyer.</p>
<p>If you went back to his high school days, I don’t think anyone would ever have expected that of him.</p>
<p>Just like his bestfriend who was also in the dumb classes in high school is now a doctor.</p>
<p>One of his lawyer friends is a lawyer while his high school valedictorian is a Court Clerk.</p>
<p>So in the end… high school doesn’t really always matter at all.</p>
<p>For me, a good college is not about jobs, money or future career opportunites, etc. It is all about “traffic.” The kind of people who go to the best universities are the kind of people I want to be around: not sororities airheads and suburbanites who paint their bellies and scream. “Traffic” presents me the person I might fall in love with, go out with, maybe marry. If I am at Whatsamatta U, I could end up in love with a dingbat; if I am at Ivy U, I could end up equally in love, but the odds are it won’t be a dingbat and I will be happier. It’s all about the ambient gene pool – and it’s better at the top.</p>
<p>Op sounds lazy. You can be happy and be smart at the same time. It’s called the “Zen Valedictorian” bro. I study hard, party hard, and play soccer even harder. Yes, there are pompous grade grubbers with no lives but, that’s not the majority. My cousin went to damn what’s it called…uh UNC-chapel hill and, everyone there was so chill. Most people had fun in high-school and, had pretty kick ass grades. Hell, i didn’t see any boring stereotypical Asians anywhere.</p>
<p>Your post was pretty chill but, disregard that pool of backwoods ass logic you’re treading in. Work hard, don’t expect to fly by the skin of your balls in life. you’re going to have to work. Being “chill” all the time won’t guarantee you anything. Sure, people who sucked at high school are successful now but they’re the exception not the rule. </p>
<p>— Plus, i just want the experience of a top college. I want to spend the nights playing pickup soccer games and, then spend the rest discussing the war in Afghanistan over a hot piping pizza pie. i want chill intellectuals around me. </p>
<p>-------------------------------> The thing you said about the U.S providing opportunities is why i’m liking Republicans right now. If i try hard and kick ass in high school, should i really be taxed to pay for people who lazed around in high school so, they can get a second chance?</p>
<p>That’s B.S to me.</p>
<p>@Wanton, I know what you mean. The kid’s probably rich. No matter what he gets in school, he’ll still have his daddy to back him up.</p>
<p>“the system under the U.S. is created so as to give everyone opportunities, chances to fix those mistakes”
That’s absolute crap. People in poverty who can’t afford to send their kids to school, who are forced to work just as hard as scholars do (except in physical labor) but still struggle to keep food on the table were never given the opportunities D:< You’re a social darwinist!</p>
<p>“These are supposed to be the best years of our life right?”
We are teenagers. The majority of adults don’t listen to us. We don’t even have basic citizens’ rights, such as voting. Our parents essentially own us. We have to get up at a certain time every morning to go somewhere most of us don’t want to be (whether it’s one class or all of them) and continue working after. Don’t kid yourself. These may be the worst years.</p>
<p>Like other posters have said, what we do in high school won’t be the highlights of our lives, but they are essential to reaching the next step and moving forward in society in many occupations (not all, of course). Many people who want to go to top colleges care more about continually “upgrading” their opportunities rather than making a lot of money - they will want to attend a top college where they can not only gain knowledge on the field, but also have plenty of hands-on experience, such as through internships.</p>
<p>As for myself, I’m not quite sure exactly what I want to do in the future, but I’ve worked hard and had glimpses into all kinds of interesting topics. I’m curious. I can’t settle for a lower-tier school knowing what I learn there won’t be all I could have learned. I also want to be well-informed and, as others have said, be surrounded by well-informed people who won’t throw “facts” from a “book” at others without realizing those facts came from a blog by some Bob in Kentucky. I feel that it’s my responsibility to know the right information - or as much of it as possible, and truly reflect what I think this society needs rather than regurgitate politicians’ biases.</p>
<p>“And being happy should be more or less a constant thing, not “oh if i suffer now, i’ll be happy later”.”
This is ridiculous. You suffer and sacrifice for happiness, whether it’s short term or long term. Introduce me to a happy person who has never experienced trial and error or pain, and I will kiss your feet.
Recommended read: Brave New World</p>
<p>“we’re living for our selves aren’t we? We’re not alive in order to make society a better place.”
If everyone believed this, we would all be dead.</p>
<p>Oh ho ho! Rrcjmcandless, aren’t you the Socrates of College Confidential! You should read “The Best Things in Life” by Peter Kreeft.</p>
<p>In his book he discusses (in a fun and easy to understand modern Socratic dialogue) the whole circular reasoning behind college and life. It’s one of my favorite books!</p>
<p>These are inaccurate allegations towards my background and character.
There are…just so many…I don’t have time to comment on them all. So all i will say is that my mom makes 14 grand a year and my dad 85-90 grand a year. That’s really not alot in today’s economy and with an unpaid house, not to mention my sister’s 150+ grand debt. So no i am not rich. Before we bought a house, I used to live in one the worst parts of my area in an apartment with 7 other people. We had to sleep on the floor, and by we i mean six people. The floor was not big at all. And before that? I used to live in the slums of India. So don’t go talk to me about inexperience.</p>
<p>I’m glad others are into the same philosophy I am into:</p>
<p>EVERYONE does EVERYTHING in this universe to benefit themselves.
Be it to make money or to get yourself on the Big Man’s good list, anything that everyone will ever do will be with selfish intentions first.</p>
<p>^^ @bubbabubba: That’s ok! People can make all the allegations they want about you, but they never really know you until they see inside your heart. I think the experiences that you learn today will affect and shape your morrow. </p>
<p>We can’t really plan for our long-term future; nobody ever fully will. But, we can (to a point) plan for our short-term future, tomorrow. It’s the same with high school, college, and our career. In high school if we do bad, that affects how and when we get to college. But, that does not mean that you can’t get a good job and have a happy life.</p>
<p>My own family is from a slummy part of Mexico. My grandfather worked as a mariachi trumpeter (legally!) to pay his way here in the USA. Nowadays, for my family, money is still tight but I plan to do better for myself. Although, from my past, I know money isn’t everything; happiness is.</p>
<p>I would really suggest you read the book “The Best Things in Life” (by Peter Kreeft). You can find it on Amazon for $10. The book really teaches you pinpoint what you really want and what we really should want, even though we live in one big circular argument.</p>