Ari Rubin

	In their own words, 16-year-olds discuss the pressures of getting into college, dating, blogging and more 16 by 16 • Ari Rubin • Carlyle Manns • Caroline Cox-Orrell • Chelsey Knight • Janelle Norman • Meredith-Leigh Pleasants • Tia Whipple • Kelvin Bates • Lisa Bunn • Shukan Patel • Lina Li • Stephen Serene • Jullia Park • Patty Yau • Ana Baric • CJ Martino Getting A Head Start • The New World of Internships Those unpaid summer jobs are no longer for rich kids, college juniors—or even just for summer Multimedia • Sixteen Candles Inside a Sweet 16 Party

I often think about what my future will be like. At my current age of 16, I have just received a new level of responsibility and independence. It’s not only the driver’s license, but the new expectation to drive my sister’s carpool. Not just the abundant amount of homework a sophomore receives, but preparing for the whole college process. I am now at the time of my life where everything I do will affect my future. Although I do not believe that going to an elite college dictates my success in life, I still strive to attend a highly selective university, such as Penn, because of my interest in business, or Brown or Harvard, since my parents attended these schools. My parents are very open to my going to any school that I am comfortable with, but I am still exposed to their bias for their alma maters. Although I have set high goals for myself, I am fully aware of the competitiveness that exists regarding the college selection process. I was fortunate enough to watch my brother go through the college process. I saw that no matter how good your G.P.A. is, how high your test scores are, or how many extracurriculars you have, you are never a lock for a particular school.

High school today is a very competitive place. I sometimes feel that the pressure from friends, parents, teachers and counselors is unhealthy. Our system puts far too much of an emphasis on grades, rather than the learning process. Although I disagree with this philosophy of grades, I am guilty of arguing half a percent of a grade with the teacher to make my G.P.A. as high as it could possibly be. In addition to grades, many students work as hard as they can to build up their resume. This is a far-too-common practice known as “resume building.” Students inflate their resumes in order to better appeal to colleges. These are all the wrong reasons to join extracurriculars. I choose to participate in everything from math team to DECA (marketing club) to soccer for the life experiences I gain, rather than the impact it has on my college process. High school should be about the people you meet, and the memories you create. No matter what college I eventually attend, I am confident that the experiences I gained in high school will help me to be successful in life.

Sixteen-year-old Ari Rubin is a sophomore at Highland Park High School in Illinois.

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