I just got into engineering grad school at UCI two years ago. If they let a twit like *me* in there… 😀
Seriously though, it’s kinda like this. A kid that’s determined pretty much is going to get where they’re going. Everyone notices ambition and, for the most part, they respect it. Universities WANT people to succeed, and will work with those doing their level best to get them where they’re trying to go.
I also believe that the careers of many of the best students never really go anywhere because they lack social skills needed to succeed in the real world. Working hard is ALWAYS required, but it’s almost always more important to be people smart than to be book smart.
Another thing that I think many kids these days lack is hands-on ability. How many kids build models anymore? How many kids watch their father tinker in the garage? I’m always amazed at how frequently I observe blank ‘what’s that?’ stares when I hand a crescent wrench to a degreed mechanical engineer.
Kids need a lot more than video games, piano lessons, soccer practice and math tutors to develop into useful people, but you won’t get very many Irvine parents to accept such a simple truism when it’s so easy to pay someone else to do everything for them.
