The Ideal Student pt.2

     My opinion of the ideal student has not changed much since I was last assigned to write about it. In my first blog, I wrote that the ideal student was one who knows where they want to go in life to be successful and works their hardest to achieve that version of success. They have set goals for themselves and don’t let anything stand in the way of what they want for themselves. I wrote that success isn't a big house, shiny car, and cushy job at some big law firm for all people. For some sure, but there are a lot of people who want the simple things in life. I gave the example of someone who wants to continue the tradition of managing the family resturaunt. That person probably wouldn't need to attend Yale to be successful. Taking business management and accounting classes at a local community college would be very well suited to their goal. The person who wants to work at a big NYC law firm on the other hand, would not succeed with a community college degree. If someone had convinced the person who wanted to manage the family resturaunt that they should go to Yale and become a lawyer, I believe that even if they became "successful" lawyers they would feel like a failure and be miserable. I think that your definition of success is all about personal perspective and that is reflected in your view of the ideal student. One last example: I did not take higher math and science classes in high school. I took honors and advanced placement classes for history and english, but as I had no interest in pursuing a career in math and science, I took it easy in those areas. A lot of people probably saw me as lazy, or not as smart, or whatever. Why should I (now a history major) take advanced placement chemistry and calculus if I don't like math and science, would have to work incredibly hard to pass, and would never use any of it ever again past high school or maybe college? It wouldn't make sense. I did what I had to do for my own personal goals, regardless of what others told me I should be doing. If you want to feel successful with youself and your career later in life, I believe you should not let anything get in the way of what makes you happy. The paycheck doesn't matter, the style of architecture of your house doesn't matter, the car you drive doesn't matter, etc. The only thing that matters is that you can wake up everyday and enjoy the life that working hard has given you. You get there by being this version of the ideal student: relentlessly pursuing your dreams.