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As someone who dealt with severe depression during high school, I feel like the SATs really helped me out during college admissions time. Just getting out of be

As someone who dealt with severe depression during high school, I feel like the SATs really helped me out during college admissions time. Just getting out of bed every day was a real struggle for me and as a result my attendance was poor, my grades were spotty, and I didn’t have any formal extra curriculars I could show off. But I did get the highest SAT scores in my class, and I feel like that helped demonstrate that I had some raw potential even if it wasn’t expressed in all the traditional ways. It made my high school teachers and principal who might otherwise have written me off pay more attention to me. This was helpful in terms of getting recommendation letters, and also just being allowed to graduate despite a substantial number of absences. It helped get me into a college with a decent computer science program, and I met with much more success there than I had in high school. The freedom and challenges of the college environment really brought something out of me that high school hadn’t. I think there are a lot of kids in my situation, who are smart but haven’t really “figured it all out yet” in high school. Hopefully there are other ways aside from standardized tests for them to demonstrate that they have potential, and hopefully teachers and colleges are paying attention.

analog31 7y ago
Yup, a relative of mine, who shall remain nameless, will get into college thanks to his test scores. And like you, it has insulated him from being completely written off by his teachers.
Pfhreak 7y ago
I had the opposite -- near perfect test scores and shoddy grades. Ended up having to go to community college because no schools would have me. (It ended up working out for the better, I eventually made my way through an associates and saved a TON of money, got my bachelors, and have been quite successful.)
- freetime2 7y ago
  Community colleges are awesome. My high school let me take a class at a local community college during the summer to make up for an “incomplete” mark I got during the school year. I remember the class being made up of people like me who didn’t have a good run in high school for whatever reason and were trying to get their lives on track. Or people who had moved to the US from other countries with very little and were trying to improve their lives. I enjoyed that class, and for someone who had grown up in a relatively sheltered suburban town it helped open my eyes to the real world. If I had not been accepted into college out of high school (and I’m sure I came very, very close) I probably would have gone the same route as you. My state even has a program where if you get good grades at a community college for 2 years, you can transfer to a state university and also get a huge discount on tuition (effectively paying community college prices to attend a flagship state university).
  - 8bitsrule 7y ago
    Out of HS I attended a 'flagship' school for 5 years, then returned to my hometown where a CC had been built in the interim. So the differences were obvious. For -some- futures, doing the first year (or two) in a CC can be a better choice. Getting required electives out of the way, for example, probably at a lower cost. Getting feet wet and all the Frosh experiences out of the way. OTOH, the competition and expertise attracted by a 'flagship' can be motivating and invaluable, from the get-go ... the opportunities to explore far more numerous ... not to mention the more diverse cultural and relationship environment.
leetcrew 7y ago
I do think this is an important take. colleges should avoid relying excessively on a single measure of aptitude to evaluate applicants for this reason. there are lots of bright kids who struggle in high school but really blossom in college if they're given a chance. that said, I was in a similar position to you in high school. I would always get one of the highest scores in the class on tests/exams but usually get a poor overall grade due to missed homework assignments. the teachers did recognize that I was smart, but they concluded that the only possible explanation for my poor performance was that I was just lazy and pretty much wrote me off. in my my life at least, educators have been very willing to make exception after exception for less bright students who seem to try hard but will happily let smart underperformers fail without inquiring why.
- anon1m0us 7y ago
  What you and the GP are saying is completely in line with the lack of experience in the system needed to teach high aptitude students. Some blame the problem partly on No Child Left Behind, which said everyone needs to pass, but said nothing about those who are well beyond passing. But I think it started way before that. I went through a lot of the educational options, that were later discovered to not work so well. Many are listed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gifted_education https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gifted_education I was tested in 1st grade and the school system said I should go to 2nd, but my mother didn't allow it. That was a mistake. Same thing happened in 8th grade. This time, the school system wouldn't let me progress. I have recently learned this was bad for both me and society, unfortunately. Likely you and many others here and elsewhere as well, including children of those reading this, which is why I write it. If you have a gifted child, promote them! Learn about their needs and get them the educational resources they and society deserve. The problems you both mention are the result of forcing gifted students to follow a mass education system. Evidence shows that such students should be in an IEP (Individualized Education Program). Many times, the gifted students also have problems with anxiety, depression, social isolation which makes them what's called "Twice Exceptional" students. Such students are written off, like you were, because teachers can't comprehend why such a bright student would struggle. Such students are also misdiagnosed with ADHD, aspergers, anti-socialism, etc. A poignant distinction between giftedness and aspergers I just read recently is that the aspergers student is a social outcast and has no idea. The gifted student is a social outcast and feels terrible about it. I think it's a huge injustice. The minds and capabilities of our brightest are a gift to our society and we are letting the treasures waste away. I've been struggling a lot lately with a lot of issues and re-discovering the problems gifted people have in society has helped me put it back into perspective. What I and you and probably lots others are experiencing aren't the result of something being "wrong" with you, but rather perhaps too much of a good thing can be a bad thing? For more info: http://www.sengifted.org http://www.sengifted.org https://www.sengifted.org/post/can-you-hear-the-flowers-sing-issues-for-gifted-adults https://www.sengifted.org/post/can-you-hear-the-flowers-sing... http://www.stephanietolan.com/gifted_ex-child.htm http://www.stephanietolan.com/gifted_ex-child.htm http://www.metagifted.org/topics/gifted/adultGiftedness/ http://www.metagifted.org/topics/gifted/adultGiftedness/ http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/gifted_adults.htm http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/gifted_adults.htm http://www.giftedservices.com.au/adults.html http://www.giftedservices.com.au/adults.html
zifnab06 7y ago
I was a solid B student in high school. I got a 35 on the ACT, which apparently helped me land a scholarship. So same boat as you. Except I then it lost due to being a depressed anxious wreck, not showing up to classes, switching majors 2-3 times and finally dropping out after 5 years full time + 2 years part time + 50k in student loan debt. It's fine now though, apparently degrees aren't all that important for most software development jobs.
- r00fus 7y ago
  Did you end up moving? I’ve heard the change in location, diet and lack of friend group can sometimes cause depression.
  - zifnab06 7y ago
    I moved for college to a small town with a decent engineering school, along with two very good friends from high school (we're still friends today). The town itself was rather depressing, the school was mostly male, and there wasn't much to do outside of drink or video games. The town is an economic black hole, about what you'd expect for somewhere with 10,000 people in rural America. The school was good though. I'm doing much better these days. I ended up taking an internship somewhere local, working more / doing worse at school because I was actively avoiding it. I will say this was mostly a personal problem - I really don't do well sitting and listening to people talk about subjects I don't find interesting. I eventually moved to Seattle, switched jobs a few times, and now work remotely for a company I (so far) love. Remote + unlimited PTO (ish, it's capped at 2 continuous weeks per quarter) has given me an excuse to travel to wherever I want. Life's now a blast :)
geitir 7y ago
I completely agree with this. Also, I feel like scandals always come out where certain high schools were inflating grades to reach funding goals, etc. It might even come to the point where admissions office take into account the high school you attended to calculate an effective grade which given a lack of standardized tests might very well lead to an even larger admissions gap based on wealth
- thaumasiotes 7y ago
  > It might even come to the point where admissions office take into account the high school you attended to calculate an effective grade "Might even come to the point"? They do this now. They've been doing it for many, many years.

analog31 7y ago

Yup, a relative of mine, who shall remain nameless, will get into college thanks to his test scores. And like you, it has insulated him from being completely written off by his teachers.

Pfhreak 7y ago

I had the opposite -- near perfect test scores and shoddy grades. Ended up having to go to community college because no schools would have me. (It ended up working out for the better, I eventually made my way through an associates and saved a TON of money, got my bachelors, and have been quite successful.)

freetime2 7y ago
Community colleges are awesome. My high school let me take a class at a local community college during the summer to make up for an “incomplete” mark I got during the school year. I remember the class being made up of people like me who didn’t have a good run in high school for whatever reason and were trying to get their lives on track. Or people who had moved to the US from other countries with very little and were trying to improve their lives. I enjoyed that class, and for someone who had grown up in a relatively sheltered suburban town it helped open my eyes to the real world. If I had not been accepted into college out of high school (and I’m sure I came very, very close) I probably would have gone the same route as you. My state even has a program where if you get good grades at a community college for 2 years, you can transfer to a state university and also get a huge discount on tuition (effectively paying community college prices to attend a flagship state university).
- 8bitsrule 7y ago
  Out of HS I attended a 'flagship' school for 5 years, then returned to my hometown where a CC had been built in the interim. So the differences were obvious. For -some- futures, doing the first year (or two) in a CC can be a better choice. Getting required electives out of the way, for example, probably at a lower cost. Getting feet wet and all the Frosh experiences out of the way. OTOH, the competition and expertise attracted by a 'flagship' can be motivating and invaluable, from the get-go ... the opportunities to explore far more numerous ... not to mention the more diverse cultural and relationship environment.

leetcrew 7y ago

I do think this is an important take. colleges should avoid relying excessively on a single measure of aptitude to evaluate applicants for this reason. there are lots of bright kids who struggle in high school but really blossom in college if they're given a chance. that said, I was in a similar position to you in high school. I would always get one of the highest scores in the class on tests/exams but usually get a poor overall grade due to missed homework assignments. the teachers did recognize that I was smart, but they concluded that the only possible explanation for my poor performance was that I was just lazy and pretty much wrote me off. in my my life at least, educators have been very willing to make exception after exception for less bright students who seem to try hard but will happily let smart underperformers fail without inquiring why.

anon1m0us 7y ago
What you and the GP are saying is completely in line with the lack of experience in the system needed to teach high aptitude students. Some blame the problem partly on No Child Left Behind, which said everyone needs to pass, but said nothing about those who are well beyond passing. But I think it started way before that. I went through a lot of the educational options, that were later discovered to not work so well. Many are listed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gifted_education https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gifted_education I was tested in 1st grade and the school system said I should go to 2nd, but my mother didn't allow it. That was a mistake. Same thing happened in 8th grade. This time, the school system wouldn't let me progress. I have recently learned this was bad for both me and society, unfortunately. Likely you and many others here and elsewhere as well, including children of those reading this, which is why I write it. If you have a gifted child, promote them! Learn about their needs and get them the educational resources they and society deserve. The problems you both mention are the result of forcing gifted students to follow a mass education system. Evidence shows that such students should be in an IEP (Individualized Education Program). Many times, the gifted students also have problems with anxiety, depression, social isolation which makes them what's called "Twice Exceptional" students. Such students are written off, like you were, because teachers can't comprehend why such a bright student would struggle. Such students are also misdiagnosed with ADHD, aspergers, anti-socialism, etc. A poignant distinction between giftedness and aspergers I just read recently is that the aspergers student is a social outcast and has no idea. The gifted student is a social outcast and feels terrible about it. I think it's a huge injustice. The minds and capabilities of our brightest are a gift to our society and we are letting the treasures waste away. I've been struggling a lot lately with a lot of issues and re-discovering the problems gifted people have in society has helped me put it back into perspective. What I and you and probably lots others are experiencing aren't the result of something being "wrong" with you, but rather perhaps too much of a good thing can be a bad thing? For more info: http://www.sengifted.org http://www.sengifted.org https://www.sengifted.org/post/can-you-hear-the-flowers-sing-issues-for-gifted-adults https://www.sengifted.org/post/can-you-hear-the-flowers-sing... http://www.stephanietolan.com/gifted_ex-child.htm http://www.stephanietolan.com/gifted_ex-child.htm http://www.metagifted.org/topics/gifted/adultGiftedness/ http://www.metagifted.org/topics/gifted/adultGiftedness/ http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/gifted_adults.htm http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/gifted_adults.htm http://www.giftedservices.com.au/adults.html http://www.giftedservices.com.au/adults.html

zifnab06 7y ago

I was a solid B student in high school. I got a 35 on the ACT, which apparently helped me land a scholarship. So same boat as you. Except I then it lost due to being a depressed anxious wreck, not showing up to classes, switching majors 2-3 times and finally dropping out after 5 years full time + 2 years part time + 50k in student loan debt. It's fine now though, apparently degrees aren't all that important for most software development jobs.

r00fus 7y ago
Did you end up moving? I’ve heard the change in location, diet and lack of friend group can sometimes cause depression.
- zifnab06 7y ago
  I moved for college to a small town with a decent engineering school, along with two very good friends from high school (we're still friends today). The town itself was rather depressing, the school was mostly male, and there wasn't much to do outside of drink or video games. The town is an economic black hole, about what you'd expect for somewhere with 10,000 people in rural America. The school was good though. I'm doing much better these days. I ended up taking an internship somewhere local, working more / doing worse at school because I was actively avoiding it. I will say this was mostly a personal problem - I really don't do well sitting and listening to people talk about subjects I don't find interesting. I eventually moved to Seattle, switched jobs a few times, and now work remotely for a company I (so far) love. Remote + unlimited PTO (ish, it's capped at 2 continuous weeks per quarter) has given me an excuse to travel to wherever I want. Life's now a blast :)

geitir 7y ago

I completely agree with this. Also, I feel like scandals always come out where certain high schools were inflating grades to reach funding goals, etc. It might even come to the point where admissions office take into account the high school you attended to calculate an effective grade which given a lack of standardized tests might very well lead to an even larger admissions gap based on wealth

thaumasiotes 7y ago
> It might even come to the point where admissions office take into account the high school you attended to calculate an effective grade "Might even come to the point"? They do this now. They've been doing it for many, many years.