Am i an over-achiever? are colleges going to turn me down because of this?

Question

I'm 18 & am a senior in high school.

I have been doing the same activities for years.

Recently, my best friend told me that I'm an over-achiever.

My guidance counselor suggested that I take it easy because colleges are looking for "more average people" these days.

I always have my schedule filled. 8 classes a day. All classes have been either honors or college classes.

this year's classes & activities:

4:00 am wake up

4:30 barn work

5:30 shower

6:00 make breakfast for family

6:30 get ready

7:45 leave for school

8:00 school starts

1st period, SUPA Spanish (class through syracuse university for advanced spanish, 4 credit hours)

2nd period, College English (through onondaga community college, 4 credit hours)

3rd period AP Biology

4th period Physics

5th period Calculus (through OCC, 4 credit hours)

6th period Lunch

7th period AP psychology

8th period AP government/economics

School ends at 2:30

Monday: key club

Tuesday: Yearbook

Wednesday: Classic rock club

Thursday: Big Sister program

Friday: Student Council

Activities last until 3:15

3:30 arrive home and clean stalls

4:30 eat and drive to work

5:00 work

10:00 get home and do homework

12:00 am go to bed

yes i know that i don't get enough sleep. and i do homework during lunch rather than eat. I know this is unhealthy. this has been my lifestyle since 7th grade. Sometimes I have some serious trouble sleeping so I just go to the gym for an hour. My dad owns the farm that i help out on. He does most of the work during the day. I just take care of 10 out of the 50 horses here. I get decent money from this and work (about $1500/month). I work at a recording studio for my dad's friend so I do have time to do homework there, also. I'm also a volunteer firefighter and go to calls over the weekends and while not at work. I have maintained a 3.5 GPA with this same schedule for the past 3 years. I have received either 4s or 5s on my AP exams and 95%+ on regents exams. I also teach horseback riding lessons on the weekends, and work other people's horses for them

Are colleges going to think that i'm overdoing it? Is college going to be this hectic with the work load? I'm planning on going to either SU, LeMoyne, or UTEP (in el paso, texas) to become a US History teacher. if i stay in the area, farm work will continue.

Answer 1

Wow, I thought I was crazy....

I think it's awesome that you do so much.  Maybe slow down a little for health reasons... I don't think you need to worry about colleges turning you down because you're too great.  They want great people, don't they?  

Answer 2

Goodness, no, colleges are not EVER going to say, "We don't like you because you're an overachiever." If you can balance all of that, more power to you! Also, all of that will really make you stand out on all sorts of applications, not just for admittance but also for scholarships and such.

It looks like you're going to have a busy year, though... like, I couldn't function on that little sleep. So you might at least consider taking it a little easier, maybe not working as much or something. That's your judgment to make. If you've been handling it for this long, it might just work for you.

College is not as hectic! You get to plan your classes how you want them, and they never take as much time of the day, leaving more time to work and get involved in organizations. However, it's even more important not to get behind in college than it ever was in high school, so you might need to set aside more time in college specifically for studying and homework.

Answer 3

Dude chill, I thought i was doing alot by going to school, having a girlfriend, working on weekends, and playing football and running track.....

But oviously you have whole lot more.

College will be easy for you.

So just chill out with all that stuff and try to get some sleep in your classes(if you can)

And eat a good lunch.

Answer 4

If your counselor told you colleges are looking for average people, report her to the school board because she is wrecking young lives.

It sounds like you're a hard worker, you can probably get into better colleges than the ones you list.

Answer 5

i am a UTEP grad, it would be an awesome choice for you!

Also, the population there is very "average" so you would definitely stand out in a good way.

Most colleges want people that are well rounded, and it seems you already are. Also, there are probably scholarships that you could apply to that most people wouldn't be able to because of your activities.

Keep up the excellent work, stay busy during college so you will have a resume when you graduate. kudos to you and consider being a UTEP miner!

Answer 6

Girl be yourself...<<colleges are looking for "more average people" these days.>>  Foolishness...It's easy to get average people.  Colleges are competetive.  Keep up the good work but don't stress yourself.  

Answer 7

I don't think they'd reject you because you do a lot of activities, since this shows an ability to balance school and study/homework time with out-of-school priorities, which is something that is definitely necessary to know how to do in college.

Answer 8

If you take on a full load in college you will not be able to maintain even half of this and still maintain a GPA worth the effort. High school homework is usually small potatoes compared to what you will be doing in college. Plan on several hours per class per week, the reading alone will take up most of your time. Colleges want to know you will be figuring in enough time to get your workload complete. And yes colleges are not looking for overachievers, but rather someone who is well rounded and understand the concept of how to relax and have some fun.  

Answer 9

you can never do to much for colleges.  You really do need to get more sleep though, you won't be able to comtinue like this.  Unfortunately, the duties you do for your family are things colleges typically don't care too much about.  They won't ask for your daily schedule, they only care about what you're involved in and your grades.  Your job will count because its official and it just shows that you can manage a lot of things at once.  Good luck!