Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Average

Average As a freshman in college, one of the most important things I do is reflect on my experiences here at MIT. How am I doing in my classes here? What could I be doing differently? Am I asking for help when I need help? Do I leave my dorm room enough? Am I taking the most advantages of the opportunities I have here? Am I happy here? During one of my reflection times, one thing that dawned upon me was the concept of average. Being average is a strange idea. No one ever wants to be average. Society says that we should try to establish ourselves as individuals by being the best in something or by defining ourselves with certain characteristics. For example, I remember being average was BAD in high school because you needed to be different than everyone else to get into a good college. You needed to be a leader with drive to change something about your community, an academic scholar with good SAT scores and solid grades, and an individual with spunk and character. As a result, I strived for As, worked hard to become really involved in different clubs, and tried to establish myself as an individual at my school. Simply put, I wanted to be the best in everything I did. Then, I came to MIT.   Here, everyone is the best of whatever high school that they went to or the best in an activity or the best in some competition. Im not saying that here at MIT, we dont strive to be the best we can be (because some of the people here are probably the hardest workers I know). But I am saying that striving to be the best of the best will definitely cause some serious burn out. Accepting that its okay to be average (academically) is something thats hard to grasp, but a part of being a student at MIT. Being a freshman, my initial mindset was I have to get As on everything, I need to be involved in everything, and I need to try hard to be different than everyone. But lets be honest, this is Sparta MIT. Its physically exhausting to get As on every test, paper, and problem set. Plus, theres not even enough time in the day to really get everything done and be involved in everything. Now, I know its actually okay to be average sometimes. But dont think that this means that everyone here is the same. This would be a bad misconception to make about MIT. As a school, we consist of some amazing, high-achievers who are extremely talented in a wide range of different subjects and activities. Yet despite our differences in the passions we pursue, we all share the same dedication to our passions, which creates a diverse but unified culture here on campus. All in all, I just wanted to end with a message to all the high school students out there reading the blogs: Strive to be the best you can be in high school. Take the hardest classes you can take, get involved, and love what youre doing. People at MIT love a good challenge. Obviously, we wouldnt have come to MIT if we werent up for a battle over the next four years. Taking challenging classes in high school is one of the best things you can do to prepare for college. Not only does it keep your mind sharp, but it actually does prepare you for what lies ahead. Although I cant say I remember everything from every AP class I took in high school, I do feel like Ive learned the problem solving and studying skills that I needed for classes that Im taking here. But you only go to high school once, so academics shouldnt be the only thing that defines your high school career. Get out and try new things!! Get involved! In high school, I tried robotics and science olympiad for the first time and got hooked. Those two clubs were easily the defining activities of my high school experience. Through those clubs, I was able to learn what I loved to do. Lastly, the path to getting into a good college isnt about filling out the lines in your resume, but rather finding what youre really passionate about doing. The college activities and essays will come easily once youve spent four years doing what you love. Best of luck to the seniors applying for college!

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