Anyone else feel discouraged and behind because of your environment?

Pre-College Topics High School Cafe
1

<p>There’s nothing going on here; and we are so limited where I live. We don’t have any programs like other people do, there isn’t any going ahead of your grade in a subject, we learn things later than others do, schools here only care about sports. I feel very behind. Little opportunity to volunteer, take good classes, barely any extracurriculars, etc.</p>

2

<p>Gets better when you get into college, in a place you want to be.</p>

3

<p>have you considered online opportunities like CTY/edX?</p>

4

<p>

What’s that?</p>

5

<p>edX has free online courses open to anyone so that you can expand your knowledge. They are posted by colleges like MIT, Harvard, etc. You don’t get credit for them, though. <a href=“https://www.edx.org”>https://www.edx.org</a>
CTY will give you credit, but its pricey. you have to test into it, i think. It’s hosted by JHU. <a href=“CTY Online Programs Overview | Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY)”>http://cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>@ulzzang - My high school is the only one in town that doesn’t offer the AMC10 or 12 exam, so that’s discouraging. Having little opportunity to volunteer sounds like it sucks. Have you looked into any online volunteer opportunities?</p>

7

<p>@observeraffect
What’s that? And I mean I do volunteer because I’m in Beta Club…but none of it counts.
What do you mean by “online volunteer opportunities”.</p>

8

<p>@ulzzang The AMC is a math test, that if you do well on, allows you to take a test that can nationally rank you. </p>

<p>By online volunteer opportunities, I am referring to stuff like open source projects and Mozilla’s volunteer programs. And you could always look into volunteering in a Middle or Elementary school office or classroom.</p>

9

<p>Some colleges/universities offer the AMC 10 or 12 to students whose high schools don’t have it. Here’s a link:</p>

<p><a href=“American Mathematics Competitions”>American Mathematics Competitions;

<p>People always associate ECs with school-sponsored clubs, but it’s important to remember that basically anything productive you do outside of school can be an EC (aside from really passive things like reading), as long as you show dedication and accomplishment in it. </p>

<p>Colleges will judge you in the context of what your school offers. I went to a small high school with few opportunities, and I actually kind of liked it because it was easier to stand out. A lot of the stuff people talk about on here just sounds overwhelming…I sort of liked being the only person who thought much about college. I finished all the AP classes they offered by the end of my junior year and now I take classes full time at a local university. Of course, this was just my way of making the best of a non-ideal situation, and I would have gone to a better high school if I’d had the chance.</p>

10

<p>@halyconheather - I checked that as well. None of those near me offer it. And good job on finishing all of those APs by senior year and completely dual enrolling. That takes skill to do.</p>

11

<p>@halcyonheather
I see.
@observeraffect
I already tutor first graders, and it’s something I really do not want to do. </p>

12

<p>@ulzzang - Alright then. Sorry about not being able to help more with that. What field do you plan on going into?</p>

13

<p>@observeraffect
lol
I have ideas, but none of which I’m open about at this point.</p>

14

<p>are you thinking humanities or STEM?</p>

15

<p>There are many things you can do. If you don’t like tutoring little kids, maybe you should find a different volunteer activity (hospital, nursing home, library, just about any charity, political organizations, etc)–and if you really dislike volunteering then why are you doing it? And what do you mean by “none of it counts”? If your school doesn’t offer advanced classes, there are many ways to learn–read books, take a mooc from coursera, edX or other sources, and I’m not a big fan of self-studying for AP exams, but if you’re bored in school, it might be something to think about. There are also a lot of online activities you can participate in without school support, if you look around on this site you can learn about different types of competitions available, from art and writing to math and science. Also, if things aren’t available at your school, that’s a great opportunity to get something started. </p>

<p>You might get more helpful advice if you would be willing to say what your interests are.</p>