Re:Teenagers are better behaved and less hedonistic (2018)
by alistairSH on Sunday April 26, 2020 @10:52AM
(#22987546)
Strange, I finished HS in '95 and was taking mostly honors and AP throughout. We partied plenty. Drugs weren't rampant, but pot, X, and assorted pills were common. College choices were generally strong - most of us landed at UVA, VT, or W&M (hard to go wrong in VA) but a some landed at the Ivies, Chapel Hill, Duke, etc.
As far as I can tell, the big difference between then and today, at least here in metro DC, is the competitiveness of admissions to the top-tier state schools. UVA, VT, and W&M used to be sure things for anybody with a B+ GPA, some AP coursework, and 4 years of consistent extracurriculars. These days, everybody has a better-than-perfect GPA (due to AP bonuses) and a lifetime of hyper-focus on one or two extracurriculars. Doesn't seem to be any time for exploration and just having fun any more.
As far as I can tell, the big difference between then and today, at least here in metro DC, is the competitiveness of admissions to the top-tier state schools. UVA, VT, and W&M used to be sure things for anybody with a B+ GPA, some AP coursework, and 4 years of consistent extracurriculars. These days, everybody has a better-than-perfect GPA (due to AP bonuses) and a lifetime of hyper-focus on one or two extracurriculars. Doesn't seem to be any time for exploration and just having fun any more.