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Hi, so I am 1 year behind in school, it is not because I am not capable of the work or that it is too difficult, it is because of a combination of a variety of factors: Firstly I love learning but as soon as a test comes I lose interest, secondly I lost a year of school because I was clinically depressed (Situational, I'm fine now), and finally I have never really been interested in traditional methods of education (The ramping up of difficulty on essentially the same paper or history book, while it was necessary in 6-10th grade is not necessary in 11-12th and generally detracts from my education, assign me a new book and a new type of paper..... lest I procrastinate from frustration at your inability to grasp that I grasp the subject material).
I have about 17 chairs that will pull for me at Notre Dame, but my GPA is about 3.1-3.8 (I don't know at the moment, I am halfway through 11th grade due to procrastination and lack of interest) The thing is, how do I prove that I am intelligent? Short of building a particle accelerator (Yes I would like to do that like Michio Kaku) in my basement that is.
The thing is, I can pick up any concept in math and within just a couple minutes understand a good 80% of that concept with no practice and retain that information (Unless we're talking about a convoluted and extremely drawn out higher math process), and the same with science, I am extremely knowledgeable in the construction of nuclear devices and reactors due to my obsession with radiation and nuclear engineering since I was seven, and I've always been good at hypothesizing well backed points in a variety of sciences ranging from cosmology to medicine.
But without the piece of paper that states that I have a GPA of 4.0 or so what does that say to Notre Dame?
Nothing, that's the issue. They base their choice off that little number, and I'm not a very sociable person (My life consists of guitar, music and other instruments, school, and some games) so I kind of miss the whole club thing, though I have been essentially state president and have been on the board of a major youth organization for like 7 years. And seeing as I'm pretty sure they don't care about musical pursuits (the jazz bands I've been invited to play in, my metal band etc.) that doesn't really do anything. I am an eagle scout, but still, if it took me 2 years to complete one year of school then how does that come across?
Honestly, how the hell do people even get into these schools? There's more hoops to jump through than you can find in all the circuses in the world combined.
From a quick google search unless your have 4.04 grade point (which you don't) maybe a perfect 36 on your ACT could get them to at least look at your application. A 36 shows them that you are intelligent.
Or you could do a summer research project with one of those current professors at Notre Dame that are "pulling for you". I have been told that being co-author on a published research paper, while in HS, is a real plus for most top Universities.
Now, it is risky, but sometimes being a disabled student can add diversity. Ask your psychiatrist about that.
Intelligence isn't the obstacle, "procrastination and lack of interest" is. Why would universities give you an opportunity at another's expense if you lack interest, even if you are intelligent?
Intelligence isn't the obstacle, "procrastination and lack of interest" is. Why would universities give you an opportunity at another's expense if you lack interest, even if you are intelligent?
That is a fair point, but here it is: My procrastination and lack of interest are in humanities, history and English. I love literature, but those are what my lack of interest is due to, once I actually pass the 101 stuff and never have to touch either of those things I don't think I could be more interested or motivated.
Why wouldn't they give me the opportunity? Who else would they give it to?
If all else fails I will go to a sound engineering university and work at or open a studio and make music for a living.
And if that fails, I'm off to weapons development for the military. That is something I am good at.
That is a fair point, but here it is: My procrastination and lack of interest are in humanities, history and English. I love literature, but those are what my lack of interest is due to, once I actually pass the 101 stuff and never have to touch either of those things I don't think I could be more interested or motivated.
Why wouldn't they give me the opportunity? Who else would they give it to?
If all else fails I will go to a sound engineering university and work at or open a studio and make music for a living.
And if that fails, I'm off to weapons development for the military. That is something I am good at.
Lack of interest does not justify your procrastination and laziness. You may have high IQ in terms of understanding concept and retain those knowledge, but if you are not willing to do works that is not in your interest, then it doesn't really matter much. The reason of college assigning all sort of different courses for students to take is to kind of say, ok, we will make you take all sort of classes regardless if is related to your major, but you have to proof the ability to finish the course. The grade you get for all courses determine what kind of student you are.
A student with the right attitude in life will get ahead of students who have financial advantage and student with high IQ but the wrong attitude.
No one cares about your interest, is about how consistent you are with everything even when you don't like to do it.
Why wold they give the opening to someone else? Because smart lazy people tend to fail in college and later in their profession. When you get to college, if you go to a highly selective college, you are not smart anymore, you are average. Now you have to work hard to stand out. You will need to work at it to get Bs and As will be completely out of your reach if you are lazy. You might develop a work ethic as you go through college or maybe not. If not, no employer will want you for long. However, why should a college take you when they can take someone equally smart or even less smart who already has a work ethic and will succeed in college and career? They do not want to waste their time with you if you are not going to work at it. The days of coasting because you are smart and most of your class is less so end with high school.
Alternately you can go to a less selective college and probably continue to coast. Then it is possible your lack of work ethic will not catch up with you until you get out into the workforce. Even then, you could always just go work for the government. Lots of government workers are smart and hard working, but you do not have to be. IF you think the government fires lazy people, you have not dealt with the government much.
Some of the things you don't like are some of the most important to being a successful engineer. I'm not a teacher but a practicing scientist in major system R&D. One of the things I tell students when I visit schools is that English, lit, and history are just as important as math and science. I can hire engineers who are good at math all day. Finding engineers who can communicate to non technical (ie the money) people is much harder. Much of an engineers day is spent doing things you don't want to do but have to do.
You don't need to prove how smart you are; you have to prove you are willing to buckle down and get to work when you have to, not when you want to.
Honestly, how the hell do people even get into these schools? There's more hoops to jump through than you can find in all the circuses in the world combined.
Eight out of Ten of them don't.
They don't accept but 18 percent of kids that apply. There's a reason the Valedictorian from my High School went ti ND and no one else did (and this was a Catholic School in the Chicago area.)
So your other option would be to go the Rudy route and transfer in.
Or, be honest with yourself that maybe ND isn't the right place for you. There are plenty of other colleges that are less stringent in their admissions that provide a quality education where you can learn what you seek to learn.
That is a fair point, but here it is: My procrastination and lack of interest are in humanities, history and English. I love literature, but those are what my lack of interest is due to, once I actually pass the 101 stuff and never have to touch either of those things I don't think I could be more interested or motivated.
Why wouldn't they give me the opportunity? Who else would they give it to?
If all else fails I will go to a sound engineering university and work at or open a studio and make music for a living.
And if that fails, I'm off to weapons development for the military. That is something I am good at.
This isn't just going to be an issue with college admissions. It's going to be an issue with employers. I'm really good at and interested in parts of my job, but lots of it is just a slog through crap I'm not interested in and don't enjoy. That's the way jobs are and why they pay you for doing one. Employers expect you to take care of work both interesting to you and boring to you. How will you keep a job if you can't overcome your laziness and lack of effort when something doesn't interest you??
Why wold they give the opening to someone else? Because smart lazy people tend to fail in college and later in their profession. When you get to college, if you go to a highly selective college, you are not smart anymore, you are average. Now you have to work hard to stand out. You will need to work at it to get Bs and As will be completely out of your reach if you are lazy. You might develop a work ethic as you go through college or maybe not. If not, no employer will want you for long. However, why should a college take you when they can take someone equally smart or even less smart who already has a work ethic and will succeed in college and career? They do not want to waste their time with you if you are not going to work at it. The days of coasting because you are smart and most of your class is less so end with high school.
Alternately you can go to a less selective college and probably continue to coast. Then it is possible your lack of work ethic will not catch up with you until you get out into the workforce. Even then, you could always just go work for the government. Lots of government workers are smart and hard working, but you do not have to be. IF you think the government fires lazy people, you have not dealt with the government much.
You are correct, however I hyperfocus, so if I am truly learning from something I will not stop doing it until the day of my death. This is why I've gone from playing back in black to Arpeggios from Hell in less than three years, hyperfocus.
That is why they shouldn't give the opening to someone else, because when I hit the point where it's no longer basic education and we actually get to the point where I am learning more and more and more it will become a point of hyperfocus for me, much like my musical pursuits.
The issue is getting myself there.
Also, would you mind quitting with the "you'll never get theres?" If I really wanted to I can do anything in life, why? Because I am capable of manipulating people and I am ruthless. So there you go.
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