Looking back on time
Sometimes you wonder if you're making an impact on the lives of others. I just realized today how many people at my school are complete counterfeits. They do things for the sake of college applications, help out just so they can get one step ahead of whoever they'll be competing against...in essence, they couldn't care less about the people they're helping. It's sort of depressing...sobering to see that people could have so little altruism.
Then again, I can see where they're coming from. In a society like ours, competition for prestigious university slots is the ultimate end-goal for anyone who wishes to be successful. Unlike the slightly socialized systems in Europe, where everyone gets fairly equal educations in college...or the systems in most Asian countries, where everyone is smart and the distance between the best and the average are relatively small...and even the mediocre are better than America's best.
I was trying to view my IB scores the other day and I also realized the huge gaps between America's low-end schools and high-end schools...the gaps between our public schools and the public schools in every highly industrialized center of the world. I don't think West will ever log perfect scores of 45. I think our averages are closer to 30-some. And then, outside of Utah, in even the normal public schools in big cities, the standards are so much different. High 30's. And across the oceans, schools have people who get upset at one test with a 6/7, or diploma scores of 42, 43...44...
We claim to be the "best nation" in the world, but we're being so far outclassed that our kids only get jobs here now...other nations won't accept our best, they use their best for their fields and still have room to send their "2nd and 3rd bests" here to the 'states to participate as the top of our fields.
It puts everything into perspective. In a world where everyone strives to be rich and famous, the top few get it all. And my position as one of the brightest students at West means nothing. I'm part of a huge group of students that do well in their schools, but in the international scheme, stand next to the cutoff line for "gifted". Perhaps we're not so damn smart after all.
Then again, I can see where they're coming from. In a society like ours, competition for prestigious university slots is the ultimate end-goal for anyone who wishes to be successful. Unlike the slightly socialized systems in Europe, where everyone gets fairly equal educations in college...or the systems in most Asian countries, where everyone is smart and the distance between the best and the average are relatively small...and even the mediocre are better than America's best.
I was trying to view my IB scores the other day and I also realized the huge gaps between America's low-end schools and high-end schools...the gaps between our public schools and the public schools in every highly industrialized center of the world. I don't think West will ever log perfect scores of 45. I think our averages are closer to 30-some. And then, outside of Utah, in even the normal public schools in big cities, the standards are so much different. High 30's. And across the oceans, schools have people who get upset at one test with a 6/7, or diploma scores of 42, 43...44...
We claim to be the "best nation" in the world, but we're being so far outclassed that our kids only get jobs here now...other nations won't accept our best, they use their best for their fields and still have room to send their "2nd and 3rd bests" here to the 'states to participate as the top of our fields.
It puts everything into perspective. In a world where everyone strives to be rich and famous, the top few get it all. And my position as one of the brightest students at West means nothing. I'm part of a huge group of students that do well in their schools, but in the international scheme, stand next to the cutoff line for "gifted". Perhaps we're not so damn smart after all.