Narcissa

HAHA this is such a weird thread, but i was thinking. yes, i know that having interesting people would equate to an interesting community, and that makes everyone feel better, but other than that is there any other reason?

for example, the chinese university system has everyone test into the colleges. so there is no weight on ECs or even high school grades, etc. and so ppl start preparing for these tests really early (which is really really really stupid; no, i'm not supporting the asian school systems, i really hate the way college works there. besides the competition is wayy too unhealthy.)

and american colleges want their share of "interesting people"--ppl with leadership and cool ECs and talents. but besides making a cool, non-cutthroat community (which is important, i totally agree), what else does it do? i mean, the ppl who graduate from top chinese universities did NOT have ANY ECS or anything, and still end up, on average, being the most successful. and so do the Americans that come from their top colleges. and if you compare the asian and the american economies, China's economy is doing a lot better than ours. so is Japan's. so the whole "we don't want nerds who study all day cuz they're never going to do anything worthwhile in life" doesn't really apply to other countries who emphasize testing in college apps.

don't get me wrong; i like this system. no way will i want to have a japanese-type schooling system where we all study from age 5!!!

well anyways, yeah..