<p>This is what makes me hate CC from the bottom of my heart…</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1187159-ideal-harvard-nerd.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1187159-ideal-harvard-nerd.html</a></p>
<p>^Yeah, those stats make me sick. Though I’m not totally sure it isn’t a hypothetical scenario.</p>
<p>Buster’s sad walks get me every time. :D</p>
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<p>It’s hypothetical, but I don’t really know why he needs a chance thread for those stats. I don’t really know what he expects, or is just begging for attention/compliments.</p>
<p>Have any of you had trouble with dropping a sport? </p>
<p>In eight grade, I was a softball prodigy. I pitched for my school’s varsity team. (5-12 school). I was projected to get really far, etc… but I hated it. Aside from pitching, it was really lazy, boring, and just not a good environment. When I didn’t play in 9th grade, I got a lot of garbage from a lot of people! (I did pick up Lacrosse in the newly found free time- VERY good switch). </p>
<p>Though, this fall I am facing a similar problem: volleyball. It was fun when I was younger, but I don’t want to continue, and I’m already getting trouble for that (and I haven’t even told the team!). I cycle around 100 miles a week, I’ll be in the fall drama production, and I’m taking on the most challenging course load offered at my school. People assume I’m lazy for not being in an “organized sport”, when I’m honestly more active when I’m not… </p>
<p>Have any of you had similar experiences? If so, how did everything work out? How did you deal with the -uneducated- criticism?</p>
<p>^ Do what you love and don’t care about what others think. If you don’t want to do it and opt to do something else that is not a sport, no problem.</p>
<p>I always received criticism for not playing in the soccer team at school but my passion was and still is tennis so I have to practice outside of school as my HS doesn’t offer a varsity tennis team.</p>
<p>Thanks Rokr. You’re totally right; I will be much happier doing what I enjoy, than worrying about looking like a “quitter”. </p>
<p>Glad to heat you pursued tennis, aside from what others wanted/expected of you. :)</p>
<p>No problem. I also believe that if you do what you enjoy, you will have much greater chances at excelling at that than in something else. </p>
<p>Don’t care about what others think of you–I’ve had that problem and it wasn’t until recently that I stopped caring.</p>
<p>I am currently facing one of those dilemmas. I am really good at baseball (I usually get a triple everytime I hit because I’m that fast), but it isn’t fun for me anymore. I only played at the rec level because the middle school team did things so weird which in the long run really didn’t help the team. The high school team is way different though, but they sadly lose games off of errors and bad coaching. Plus, I get an earful all the time from my friends who’ve seen me play. </p>
<p>I’m trying to decide if I should just try out and see how it goes or go with my gut and do something different. I really want to do track or golf. My parents are forcing me to do a sport, giving me the same teamwork lecture they’ve given me since I started preschool. I’m president of two clubs, going to be a freshman transition leader this year, an English tutor, and I’m in three different types of band (marching, pep, and concert). Plus, I have to take driver’s ed after school in December and I’m taking 6 honors classes on top of it. How am I going to manage all of this?</p>
<p>Do your parents not consider any if the other things you do to have ‘teamwork’? I feel like since you are already active in a good variety of things, you are able to get the same social rewards one typically does through sports. Although, I am not saying you shouldn’t tryk anything else!
But one thing I’ve learned over the years is that just because you excel at something, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll enjoy it. I also believe that this is a good time to try new things and discover your niches. </p>
<p>Best of luck! :)</p>
<p>I quit XC this year, despite a lot of people trying to persuade me otherwise. The running takes a lot out of me, and I don’t think I’d be able to perform as well academically as I could without it. Additionally, I want to do the fall play and train year-round for tennis, my favorite sport. </p>
<p>Just do what’s best for you. Don’t let others affect your decisions.</p>
<p>Well, I’m not particularly bad at swimming, so I joined the school swim team Freshman year. I excelled rather well, ranking among the top 50m Freestyle swimmers on our JV team. I hated it, the coach was a blowhard, a majority of the members were either ridiculously stupid or racist (in one instance, I was told that I was meant to work for one of the team members [due to my race], and that I should go back to “Arabia, or India, or wherever you’re from.” Funny thing is, I was born in Illinois), majority of said members were in the coach’s “preferred” group. The atmosphere of the team and sport just left my mouth tasteless, really. It also really ate out of my time for actual school work, when coupled with the already busy schedule I had with other extracurriculars. The reasons for departure were, I guess, on a more personal level if anything, but practically, it robbed me of time I could use for more productive and enjoyable things. </p>
<p>It’s just best to opt out of things that won’t benefit you in the long term. Can I look my coach straight in the face? Not really, no. But do I think the departure was good for me? Hell yes.</p>
<p>@RLlover: Sadly they do not. I’ve tried telling them, but they believe that sports are the epicenter of anything and everything. They literally signed me up for rec baseball without my knowing and made me play! My parents obviously don’t see all of the stuff that I do in school and out of school (I do so many other things that it’s ridiculous!). I think that they need to sit in on a day of band practice and see the teamwork. All they see is the final product, which is the field show or the performance. But, I’m just like “whatever” most of the time and do as they say.</p>
<p>@Studious: I’ve really tried to do what is best for me, but my parents are so focused on “teamwork” that it’s ridiculous. I’m really just burnt out on the teamwork lecture, that I sometimes feel like I need to leave home as soon as possible. I understand the concept, but they feel like I don’t understand English or something. But yet, they never given my sister the lecture who really needs it. When I help her with her homework (she’s 10), she will act like I don’t know what I’m talking about or my method is too complicated, even when I dumb it down so far so that my 2 year old cousin can understand it. I’ve seen her at school and on the softball field being the “star” and not letting anyone else do anything. I hope when she gets to middle school, she gets her act straight because I think she’s at risk of not reaching her full potential. But, I can’t tell her or my parents anything.</p>
<p>@anaychi: Most of the coaches at my school are blowhards. The varsity basketball coach was a major one. He wanted me to be manager/statistician, but I declined becasue I didn’t want to hear him being a blowhard. The baseball coach was horrible and a major blowhard and only let the white kids start in the field (I went to a game and actually saw this) when really there were better players who were minorities. Gladly, both of them are gone (one resigned and one lost his position). I feel you on the benefitting part because I know that sports are one thing I feel that is just padding on a college application (for me) because sports really aren’t my thing.</p>
<p>I haven’t been on this thread in a looong time (maybe a month and a half), and so I’m really getting confused when I read my name not being in reference to me. I finished Huck Finn yesterday, though! Even though it took me 'til 3am (probably shouldn’t have started around 11:30) this means I only have about 400 pages of reading left! (going into yesterday, it was about 650, so I’d say this is good). Also, question to everyone, when reading Frederick Douglass, should I read the appendix at the back? I thought that was something that you only read if you wanted to, but one of my friends said they read it, and now I’m not sure.</p>
<p>Hey guys, I have a bit of a dilemma, can anyone help? Remember back in 7th we all got some type of talent search program (mine was duke). They invited us to take the sat to join one of their programs…well, my mom threw it out because she thought it was junk mail. Now I’m realizing that id love to go to their physics and astronomy camp next summer. Problem is, they said I need to take the sat to get in. I get ok scores with the sat, but I score a lot better with the ACT. And they won’t accept PSAT scores instead. Should I risk it and go with the sat, talk them into the act, or apply for a different program? Also, does anyone know what the qualifying scores roughly are for a summer program? Sorry to hijack the thread for a post or two.</p>
<p>@evanh: Personally, I usually do not read the appendix unless I am instructed to. Since it is a summer assignment, I would think that reading the appendix wouldn’t hurt. It’s better to be safe than sorry.</p>
<p>@julieannab: Well, if they only accept SATs, then take it if you really want to do this program. I would recommend doing lots of review if you are horrible at SAT test taking. But, if an essay is involved with the application, then say in the essay that even though your SAT scores are below par, you have a really strong academic record (I hope you do) that can make up for it. Since Duke usually has 2100+ for their students, try for 1750-2000 since you’re going to be a rising junior next summer. I’m just guessing, but I’m not entirely sure.</p>
<p>Thanks evanb 
I’m not super horrible at the sat, but I get like a 1950-2050 versus a 2100+ equivalent on the ACT.</p>
<p>Is everyone busy with back to school stuff or what? Yesterday was a pretty slow day in the Class of 2014 thread!</p>
<p>It was!
I kind of wish I was getting ready to go back to school. I’m at school now (I just had a summer yearbook meeting), and just being here makes me want to start already! I also really just love my school, because my class is like a family.
Though, we don’t begin until Aug 31…</p>
<p>Personally, I’m on vacation, so it’s tough to check this thread and post frequently. Maybe that contributed to the recent sluggishness of the thread. Anyone else busy?</p>