I was speaking with a cousin of mine about to apply to colleges, in his senior year of high school, and one thing that really stood out to me about what he said regarding his chances of getting into his dream schools was all the stuff that he had done solely to get into college. He played in the band, ran track, logged hundreds of volunteer hours, started clubs and organizations, all in the name of getting into his dream school.

It was then that I recalled my time in high school, not long past, and all the things that I had to do simply to increase my chances of getting into college by a percent or two. I remember how I stopped caring about all that stuff the day I got a letter to go to my dream school, and it really bugged me.

Instead of an emphasis on becoming an active member of the community and trying to improve yourself, it seems to me that the American educational system is emphasizing college as a magic place that either you put yourself through things in high school that you wouldn't have other wise tried and get into college and be a success, or you just don't and reduce your likelihood of finding financial success in the world.

Now, I'm not sure how this is in other countries, but I remember the stories from my dad about how it was in India. In India, you either make something of yourself in school or you go on to never accomplish anything and live in what most first world citizens would consider poverty. It was depressing.

I want to hear your guys's thoughts on this issue, regarding the way your country's education was.

School helps, but in the end, it's entirely up to you as to how the rest of your life unfolds. I can guarantee you that most people living in poverty after high school had no motivation and just let themselves fall.

Yeah ... whatever problems American education has, you have it a lot better than other places, so all I can do is

Over here grades is what it's all about. Always found it confusing what makes people think doing community work makes you a better student than the next one.

Also on the matter of getting into a college at all. Even slackers who have low grades will just by default be able to enter the college in their district of the city. No one expects every single kid to be at the same level of education or maturity so if you're one of those that grew up a little late and find yourself having finished high school with less than stellar grades you still have a chance to set your course straight and show it to yourself and others that you can study hard and get good grades. I've known some kids that had a serious rebel attitude in high school. They'd think it was actually cool not to have high grades and would be mean to the so called "nerds". And some of those same kids have gone to the college of their city district, studied hard, and turned into way better scholars than I ever thought they'd be. Some would even switch to the college of their dreams after a few years/semesters in whichever college had to accept them simply due to where they lived.

I reached a point after seeing some of the things that pass off as an "educational system" , that I tend to think of the one I went through as a major blessing.

So your mad that colleges "make" you play sports, volunteer, and get good grades? Interesting....

I hate how underfunded our public schools are, and how they are structured.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Can't really comment because I am not American. But the UK education system is dire. Less about learning relevant things about humanity and the world and more about gearing you up for a career, irregardless of the 'real' world going on around outside. They also failed to teach me any life skills. They should be doing that.

Your parents should have done that. And your countries equivalent of the Boy Scouts.

I'm talking about things along the lines of banking, finaces and how to get a job etc, what a timesheet is. On that note, some people don't have parents. Plus it should be down to the education system to teach people how to live in society, if they can't do that then they've failed.

Also I don't understand what you mean by our country being the equivalent of the Boy Scouts. I really, really don't.

In Norway you have to get good grades in order get into college or university, and that's pretty much all there is to it.

If I don't get end up going to college then I might just join the military, may end up joining anyway to get them to pay for my tuition ...

[censored] ridiculous what we have to go through just to get the opportunity to throw money at them.

EDIT: Also, if you live a "developed" country that isn't the US then count yourself lucky in regards to higher education. Your colleges probably have the same standards as ours, but we end up paying MUCH more.

I pay like 50 USD for every semester, but that's because the government pretty much pays for it.

Damn, one of the many reasons I am seriously considering just moving up to Canada. My local community college goes into the hundreds of dollars for tuition and books. Don't let that fool you though, University of Maryland would cost me like ~$11,000 for tuition and I'm in-state.

Really? Mine was $500ish for classes and supplies per semester. It was $30 when I was unemployed and getting financial aid.

I have a friend who went to Norway for school. He never came back.

Hehe, yeah. Mistake on my part, fixed it in my post though.

EDIT: How much do you guys pay for payroll tax anyway? I'm curious to see exactly how much cheap education would really cost.

That's a heavy guarantee. I can guarantee you that it's not as simple as that, however.


My feelings, exactly. My father is a Family Support Specialist (CPS), and I can tell you, many times, they have failed.

Yeah, Norway is pretty nice in that regard. We've still got the most expensive groceries and stuff in the world though. >_<

He means "Your country's equivalent of the Boy Scouts".


Which would be the Boy Scouts, as it was invented here.

My problem with high school is that it tries to teach people that in order to be successful you must be a good citizen.

I have a problem with this because, in my mind, being a good citizen and being a thoughtful, intelligent, independent (i.e. successful) person are incompatible lifestyles.

Yeah, I agree with your point. It's a shame but at least in this country the education system is seriously lacking. High School is just preperation for futher education, it doesn't teach kids to be critical thinkers, or even really just use their heads and be able to think for themselves. Also those lack of life lessons and helping people understand how to go about living in the 'real' world are just disgraceful. Thankfully I had some lovely friends who were able to help me understand things after I left school. No thanks to the education system of course, if I could go back I wouldn't have even bothered with school.

Well I didn't most days but thats not the point

I was going to say...

Yeah because that is a compulsary organisation. Firelighting isn't really a life skill. Plus those kinds of organisations usually have waiting lists and other complicated things that are slightly difficult for 7 year olds to sign up too. I don't recall hearing that they teach about the banking system and handling money either.

Grades are the only thing that mattered for me. I didn't involve myself in the community in any way imaginable, and now I'm practically being paid to go to school.

I think something a few people in the thread have misunderstood from the OP, is the ridiculous need to "go out and volunteer" and to "participate in tons of extra-curricular activities" just to get into a top notch college. You shouldn't have to run yourself ragged as a teenager just to get into a top notch college. Grades are ALL that should matter. If you have a perfect 4.0(or higher because you took weighted classes) that's all that you should need to get into the college of your dream. Your teenage years are pretty much your most fun, but in many cases, if you want to be financially secure in this day and age, you have to grow up at the age of 13, and run yourself into the ground like an advlt in the working world, just so that you can get into a good university. It's stupid, and I fully agree. If a teen wants to volunteer in their community, that's great, maybe those "dream" colleges can give some kind of minor discount on their tuition for that, but it should have absolutely ZERO impact on whether or not they accept you into their fold. Grades, Grades, and Grades. Nothing more, nothing less, should be the basis for acceptance.

As far as i'm concerned, if all you focus on is your grades, you should be less considered then someone with a lower GPA who has spent quite some time doing additional activities. You got a 4.0? He got a 3.5? But he also volunteered with various non-profit organizations, he was an active member of the school and could be easily seen as a "leader" and will better the college's community.

That's pretty much it. A college isn't just interested in its student GPA, but also its reputation. The influential, all-star people are more desirable. Is it fair to the academic achievers? No, but it's not like they're completely ignored, either.