When you add on extracurricular activities, you don't have much time to do what you are supposed to do. In the fall, Ali had a lead role in the school play and often didn't get to bed until 2 or 3 a.m. She says that after visiting U-Va. and Northwestern University, where she felt so much in common with the students, she became more eager than ever to move on to college. High school seemed so rigid and bureaucratic. . . . I felt like I was being baby-sat.
High school is like being in a holding pattern where yo u're treated like a child.
I would have loved to go to college right after my junior year. I used to get angry when my seniors lost focus during their final year. I'd blame cable TV, Blockbuster, video games and all the other mindless distractions they had been wired to since childhood. But I've learned to live with kids chilling out. For many of them, it's a well-deserved rest.