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</p>
<p>…Seriously?</p>
<p>I second halcyonheather’s comment.</p>
<p>There are plenty of smart kids who go to colleges that aren’t prestigious. There are plenty of smart kids who haven’t gone to college at all. I have cousins who live in rural Pennsylvania and Ohio who don’t have any education past high school. They’re the hardest working, most intelligent people I know.</p>
<p>^There are also super dumb kids that have gone to the most prestigious colleges. It works both ways</p>
<p>We’re gonna have fun in the sun now that all the hard work work is done. Everybody one for all…</p>
<p>When I hear my favorite song, I know that we belong cause you are the music in me. </p>
<p>Don’t judge me.</p>
<p>High School Musical? No judgment.</p>
<p>Extreme judgment.</p>
<p>^Would you say judgment…maximus?</p>
<p>I have a HSM Athletic polo <em>blushes</em></p>
<p>No judgment.</p>
<p>Hey, it’s comfy and dri-fit! :P</p>
<p>I just love the second movie’s songs.</p>
<p>Anything Disney>>>>>>>>></p>
<p>@collegeluva: Yes, yes I would.</p>
<p>I agree that there are tons of smart kids that don’t go to prestigious schools, but I think it’s rare for a dumb kid to get into a prestigious school.</p>
<p>Affirmative action, sports recruiting, arts supplements…</p>
<p>If you want only smart kids, look at caltech</p>
<p>LOL at you insisting affirmative action allowing dumb students into prestigious schools.</p>
<p>I think I read somewhere that there’s a certain level you need to be to do well at certain schools and contribute to the campus. If you’re past that level, you’re good. I don’t think AA or preferred admissions for individuals of certain socioeconomic groups results in the admission of people who are below ‘that level’.</p>
<p>I’m thinking of applying to Caltech but I’m constantly worried that I’m too dumb and anything I’ve managed to do so far is through luck.</p>
<p>I don’t know…how are we defining dumb?
Are you guys sincerely bothered by unintelligent people? Or are you more opposed to immature people who don’t care about academics? </p>
<p>At a lot of high schools, you can get good grades by working hard or by turning in the work. You don’t have to be intelligent to get good grades…you just have to care about school.
Standardized tests assess content knowledge, not intelligence, even if there’s a correlation. Some people even get prep books and tutors. The College Board even makes prep books for their own tests! My third ACT score was 13 points higher than my first one. I was very young when I took the first one, but not less intelligent.
Many extracurricular achievements are based on showing up and/or being charismatic.
All in all, I don’t think you need to be smart to get into a good college if you’re coming from an average high school, though it helps. It’s more about how much motivation you had and what kind of resources were available to you…though it’s possible that “smarter” kids are conditioned from an early age to be more concerned with academics. I don’t know.</p>
<p>Yeah ‘dumb’ kids aren’t getting into prestigious or top universities simply because they’re URM or good artists. </p>
<p>Athletes? Maybe, if they’re good enough. Even some talented athletes like Jeremy Lin and Andrew Luck were still pretty freaking smart, though.</p>
<p>The only other real things that will ‘dumb’ kids into top schools are multi-million dollar donations from parents and being famous.</p>
<p>What’s a dumb kid, though? How do we determine if someone is dumb?</p>