I graduated HS 10 years ago and it was pretty similar in my experience, maybe a bit less extreme. There were some "stereotypical teens" at my school but they were a minority. Everyone I was surrounded by was trying to squeeze in as many AP courses as they could, as many officer positions in different extracurricular organizations (NHS, band/choir/orchestra, yearbook, athletics, etc) as they could. Our valedictorian actually managed to hack the system to take an extra class period each semester just to jack up her GPA. I remember when I told my parents, children of the 70s and 80s, that the "popular kids" at school were the overachievers, not the jocks (though there was overlap). They were bewildered by the concept.
We didn't all have websites or talk about buzzwords or "branding" ourselves, but we definitely were branding ourselves for colleges even if we didn't call it that. It was incredibly stressful, TBH. More than college itself. Sounds like it's only gotten even more intense.
It's funny: the tech gold-rush didn't start until a couple years later, so our computer science class was actually a small, tight-knit group mostly free of people who were just trying to boost their college credentials. Everybody who was there wanted to be there, and we'd do extracurricular projects and even road-tripped to a programming competition once. It was really great.
> the "popular kids" at school were the overachievers, not the jocks
This may be a silver lining in an otherwise very gloomy comment page?
When I was in HS (though not in the US), popularity was highly correlated with wealth and/or political activism.
Yes and no. It's not great that people start the rat race so young now. Especially since it doesn't actually make that much of a difference: extra "accomplishments" in HS are only loosely associated with better colleges, and the college you go to is only loosely associated with how well your life actually goes afterward. The things that really end up mattering are a) choosing a field that the economy happens to want at that point in time, b) developing a good network, and c) being able to think for yourself and problem-solve (this doesn't only apply to STEM). But instead people burn themselves out chasing accolades that aren't actually all that important, sometimes neglecting these more important factors.
It reflects a failing to teach these things. You spelled it out ABC and I agree that it's as easy as that, but all kids here are extracurriculars and APs and this and that, since that is what their high school teacher is telling them them, not someone in the wider economy-based workforce.
There were some extremely smart people in my high school that ended up being sold that siren song of humanities major in small expensive new england private school, only to end up in an an irrelevant career due to a lack of networking opportunities. Those that made it out alive had a fund in their name set up at birth.
My advice is to take active steps to improve your chances. You want an opportunity, so go where there is more of them for you to chase at a large school in a large city to increase your odds of running into one of these opportunities, both within the school or in the local economy. It also makes it easier to pivot into another field if you really don't like where you started. Chances are, that niche liberal arts school in rural Maine might only be really strong in that one department, but the state school will be decent in 10 because larger state schools have an easier time securing funding for more departments (unless the private school is Harvard).
Yeah. The other thing is, if you do decide to pursue that liberal arts degree - we need some people who do! - know that you are shooting for academia and plan accordingly. It's cutthroat, but it's possible. But only if you make a concerted effort. Don't just get a degree in something you like and assume a job is going to fall into your lap afterward. Have a plan.
I hate to come at it from this angle because I'm so exasperated by the parents who write off all degrees without a clear economic angle as worthless. Passion matters. But so does prudence. Choose your path carefully, and then figure out what you need to do to make it happen. The vast majority of degrees aren't get-a-job-for-free cards.
We didn't all have websites or talk about buzzwords or "branding" ourselves, but we definitely were branding ourselves for colleges even if we didn't call it that. It was incredibly stressful, TBH. More than college itself. Sounds like it's only gotten even more intense.
It's funny: the tech gold-rush didn't start until a couple years later, so our computer science class was actually a small, tight-knit group mostly free of people who were just trying to boost their college credentials. Everybody who was there wanted to be there, and we'd do extracurricular projects and even road-tripped to a programming competition once. It was really great.