Is it guaranteed that anyone will get to a Top 20 college, if every hour of the day of the 4 years of high school is spent working toward that goal?
I have an IQ of about 140 and I find that I learn much faster than my fellow students. I dedicate as much time and money to my education as possible. In fact, I am probably the most advantaged student in my school. So, if I make all the right choices, by following the advice here, I should be guaranteed, 100% to get into whatever College I want, right?
If not, is there something wrong with the system? I went to visit my brother at Stanford but I noticed so many mediocre people there. By the time I’m their age(I’m 14 now), I will literally be better than at least a few students in nearly every single way. If I don’t get accepted into Stanford, after being fully dedicated and advantaged, and making all the right choices, whose fault is it?
I’m interested in hearing some good counter-arguments.
There aren’t enough spots for everyone who is bright and wants to go to a particular school. Look at the acceptance rates of some of the top schools. The overwhelming, vast number of applicants have all the right credentials-- they’re Valedictorians, with the right APs and the right extra curriculars. Yet they get turned away in droves. According to US News and World Report, Stanford accepted 5.7% of applicants, and Harvard 5.8%… http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/lowest-acceptance-rate That means that well over 90% of applicants-- the overwhelming number of them highly, highly qualified, were rejected.
Can I ask: exactly what measure did you use to decide that you “will literally be better than at least a few students in every single way”???
I’m hoping that the condescension and sense of entitlement dripping from your post is merely a function of youth, and that you’ll outgrow both long before you face a college-- or job-- interview.
It’s great that you learn so quickly. Look up the acceptance rates of the schools you’re interested in. I’m guessing that many/most will be in the single digits. Then find out how many tens of thousands of apps each gets every year and check the Common Data Set to see how many of those students have nearly perfect GPAs and test scores. If high stats were enough to guarantee a 100% chance of admission, the acceptance rates wouldn’t be in the single digits.
So what distinguishes one high stats applicant from another? It’s a nebulous something, and sometimes that something is a negative (such as an entitled, condescending attitude) that allows adcoms to quickly weed out the undesirables. Don’t let that be you.
Is a “top 20” school best for you? By the time you mature and advance through HS will there be a better fit for what you want to study outside the “top 20”?
Admissions isn’t all about academics. You need to have something that makes you stand out among the thousands of applicants that have stats better than or equal to yours.
Just because you’re smart, it doesn’t entitle you to admissions at a top school. News Flash- almost every single person who applies to these schools is incredibly smart. Schools like Stanford still have to reject 95% of them.
Seriously, get off your high horse.
This was more of a thought experiment that an objective question. Most of you missed the point, because you thought I was too proud, so I will try to appear less so in the future.
Also, sorry if I insulted any Stanford Students; I met only 20 something students, all but 2 of whom were exceptional. I should have noticed my ecological fallacy when I said “many”.
Stop thinking that anything involving a bunch of disparate private schools is a “system.” Even the intersection of multiple state university systems isn’t really a system.
Actually, we didn’t; however, the word that must not be named is especially unkind to use on young children. If you enjoy debates, there are plenty on CC. Head over to one of the (many) race threads and jump in.
First of all, let’s set something straight:
An IQ of 140 does not make you special. You are not special. Nobody is special. Learning things quicker than others can only get you so far in life.
Now to answer your original question: NO. Unless your parents donated a lot of money (at least 7 digits with lots of zeros) or your parent is a faculty member or you have double legacy or are a recruitable athlete for that division, then no. Even if someone did everything “right” during high school, they would still only have a 7% chance at something like Harvard.
No you are never guaranteed a place in a top university. Having an IQ of 140 is good, but having an IQ of any level does not give you the right the criticize people and be so condescending. I hope you seriously change your attitude soon because it’s annoying to think you’re superior to others. And just because you think you’re so much smarter than these Stanford students, fine, but they got in so I’m sorry. You’ll better than a few of them in “nearly every single way”, I doubt it. I doubt you’re the best soccer player, basketball player, bassoon player, clarinetist, painter, sculptor, get the best grades, etc… And I’m positive you’re not better than them at humility…
And no, if you don’t get in, after making the “right” choices (there’s no clear path) then it’s not the school’s fault. There was someone who applied to a private school and had better grades than someone else in my school, yet didn’t make it while the other did because the student was so arrogant during the interview, so IQ isn’t everythinf