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Seniors at one the best public high schools in the country face the pressure of applying to elite colleges.
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00:00:03When you first come in from middle school, you'll want to cry.
00:00:08I will give you a test every other Wednesday.
00:00:12It's really stressful.
00:00:16You aren't as smart as you think you are.
00:00:18Okay, that's like a B minus. You can do a lot better.
00:00:22Go to class.
00:00:23I am going to class.
00:00:27It's tangible in some of those classes, you know, you can feel how worried people are about college.
00:00:35It's a nationally ranked school.
00:00:37My mom pretty much forced me to go to Lowell.
00:00:39Lowell is Tiger Mom Central. That's motivation.
00:00:48My friend, he said, oh, you go to an Asian excellency school.
00:00:52The kids who come here know they are competing in a world that is very high achieving.
00:01:01I would love UC Berkeley.
00:01:03Harvard, Stanford.
00:01:05Columbia.
00:01:06Stanford.
00:01:07Stanford.
00:01:08Stanford's my dream school.
00:01:20Lowell is the ultimate self-confidential.
00:01:22Confidence crusher.
00:01:26It's the best.
00:01:38All right, so this is Lowell.
00:01:41It's very unlike all the other high schools in the area in that it's not in that great of condition.
00:01:49I've had friends from like Menlo Atherton come up here and they say that Lowell kind of looks like a
00:01:53prison.
00:01:54And I go over to their school and I know exactly what they're talking about.
00:01:59Yeah, so should we go check it out now?
00:02:03Yeah, so this is like the flagpole.
00:02:18This is like the front entrance.
00:02:19This is where everyone goes in.
00:02:20Um, and yeah.
00:02:24This is all our awards and stuff.
00:02:27This is what alumni get to brag about.
00:02:33So we have the library.
00:02:36After school this place gets packed, like packed, like you can't find a seat.
00:02:51This is the computer lab.
00:02:52It's always really crowded, but it's a great place to gain access to computers.
00:02:59So this hallway is usually packed and that intersection is one of the worst.
00:03:05And I think a lot of kids at Lowell, they're actually pretty amazing.
00:03:13My mom wants me to go to Stanford.
00:03:15So that's like, whoa, kind of far out there.
00:03:19Obviously Stanford would be great.
00:03:21But even if I had a 4.0 GPA and I got a nearly perfect score on the SAT,
00:03:27I would have a one in five chance of getting in.
00:03:35Stanford is probably my top choice.
00:03:38Yeah.
00:03:39What is funny and not funny will depend on who you are.
00:03:43Like a lot of freshmen have a lot of Stanford gear and I was one of them.
00:03:47But by sophomore year, you don't see any Stanford gear on them anymore.
00:03:51Maybe it's like Cal and UCLA.
00:03:53By junior year, you see people with like Occidental or like,
00:03:58it's another West Coast private college that's not that hard to get into.
00:04:05My dream school would be probably UCLA.
00:04:09UC's baby.
00:04:17This is the AP Physics C class and only like the most devoted to like learning
00:04:22and like the best at math and the best at physics and the best at like learning in general take
00:04:26this class.
00:04:27I would say that most kids that end up in an Ivy would have taken this class in high school.
00:04:31I guess you're just looking at like the cream of the crop right here.
00:04:35So, yeah.
00:04:37We're going to start hopefully in a few seconds.
00:04:40Oh, I'm not taking it because I didn't take an AP Physics before
00:04:43and I think that's like sort of like the prerequisite.
00:04:46And because like I'm just too scared to take like a really hard math related class.
00:04:52Ladies and gentlemen, let's get focused.
00:04:54You're going to need every second.
00:04:56You can use calculators and your brains and your hands and nothing else.
00:05:01Please begin.
00:05:11I've been teaching at Lowell since 1990.
00:05:15In the 90s, if you went to Lowell and had a good solid B average and honors courses,
00:05:20you got into Berkeley.
00:05:22You just walked in.
00:05:23Everyone got in.
00:05:25Now you don't.
00:05:28They're objectively under more pressure in terms of college acceptance.
00:05:42The physics students essentially are all seniors, so this is their last grade for college application.
00:05:55One wrong answer could potentially mean the difference between an A and a B or a B and a C,
00:06:01right?
00:06:02Which would be a difference in your overall grade, which would be a difference in your GPA,
00:06:07which would be a difference in your college and everything else.
00:06:27We want to see whether or not potentially exomes, the release of exomes could maintain homeostasis in a cell.
00:06:33So in this overlay where we inhibited lysomes and we got rid of exomes, there was a worsening of homeostasis.
00:06:39Yours is mostly just as a compensation to loss of lysomes.
00:06:43Yeah, loss of lysomes.
00:06:45Great.
00:06:45Good work.
00:06:46Oh, I'm really impressed.
00:06:48I'm impressed that anyone, let alone a high school summer student, could do this much work in one summer.
00:06:53We also did a Western blot of the same protein, C63, which is exome-enriched,
00:06:58and then we found that there was an increase of C63 in corporate treatment.
00:07:02And knowing that there's an increase of both...
00:07:03So what do you think you're going to do in the future?
00:07:06Probably become a surgeon.
00:07:08Become a surgeon?
00:07:09Yeah.
00:07:09What kind of surgeon?
00:07:10Like a brain surgeon.
00:07:13Turn your shoulders a little that way.
00:07:15Turn your head.
00:07:16Little tilt.
00:07:18Big smile.
00:07:20Perfect.
00:07:21For Lowell students, I feel like there's definitely a pressure from your classmates.
00:07:26Awesome.
00:07:27Awesome.
00:07:28Awesome.
00:07:29Awesome.
00:07:29Thank you very much.
00:07:31And also a pressure at home too.
00:07:33It's like a war on two fronts.
00:07:40You want to go to the college?
00:07:41I want to go to the college.
00:07:42I have to be better than you to get into the college.
00:07:45So I'll work my tail off to be better than you.
00:07:52Sometimes at Lowell it's hard to have a strong sense of self-esteem
00:07:56because you're always comparing yourself to other people.
00:07:58Like, oh, this person has a higher grade point average than me.
00:08:01They got a better ACT score than me, so how am I going to measure up?
00:08:04You jump in the water, swim an hour that way, and swim.
00:08:07That's two hours.
00:08:08Going to Lowell, I have been introduced to so many, like, actual, like, geniuses.
00:08:13I mean, I feel like every class is a superstar.
00:08:15Jonathan Chu, for example.
00:08:17Jonathan Chu.
00:08:18Jonathan Chu.
00:08:18He's our class president.
00:08:19He is really, really smart.
00:08:22Really smart.
00:08:23He's just a superhuman.
00:08:24He's just really smart, really social.
00:08:28Like, probably, like, the renaissance man at Lowell, per se.
00:08:39Jonathan is among the top five violinists we've ever had, and that's really saying something.
00:08:50He's the perfect Lowell student.
00:08:51He takes, like, I guess every AP and, like, aces everything.
00:08:55A 4.7 GPA.
00:08:57He once got a zero on his bio test on purpose because he can still do that and get an
00:09:02A to lower the curve.
00:09:05Jonathan got a hundred.
00:09:07I'm not surprised.
00:09:09I'll have to make it harder next time.
00:09:12I think there was little doubt that he was destined for greatness.
00:09:35I guess I came into Lowell thinking that I would go to Lowell, breeze through it, go to Stanford.
00:09:40Like, do really well at Stanford, go to med school, and then become a doctor.
00:09:44Like, typical Asian pathway.
00:09:45But when I would get, like, barely passing, there would always be someone that gets, like, 120%.
00:09:51And that's when I sort of realized, oh geez, I'm really not even close to the best of the best.
00:09:58So you're at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9, 12, 6, 7, 8, almost 20 schools.
00:10:05So for now I'd say getting it down to about 12.
00:10:0912.
00:10:09If you can.
00:10:10So, like, do colleges, like, expect, like, a longer resume, shorter resume?
00:10:15No.
00:10:15It's more about what you're doing and what your experience has been.
00:10:18Yeah.
00:10:18Yeah.
00:10:19It's not like a competition on, like...
00:10:21Like, in terms of what colleges look for, tough classes, high standardized test scores,
00:10:27awards and extracurriculars.
00:10:29You name it, there's pretty much some guy that's doing it better than I am.
00:10:33Personal statement, the resume, your letters of recommendation, GPA and test scores.
00:10:39The odds are against me.
00:10:41And I know that.
00:10:42I know that I have to, like, up the ante.
00:10:45Like, for, like, the supplementals, like, are colleges looking for anything in particular?
00:10:49I would have to get, like, a really high score compared to the school's average in order to get a
00:10:53lot of merit in, right?
00:10:54Like, like, like, like, like, do universities give you any extra points for getting that decision?
00:10:59Um, it definitely is gonna be a more select group.
00:11:05Scholars.
00:11:09Uh...
00:11:10Is it worth it to take the PSAT again?
00:11:12PSAT?
00:11:13Yeah, trying to be a National Science scholar.
00:11:15Oh, I've never heard of someone taking it again.
00:11:17Yeah, senior year.
00:11:19Um...
00:11:20Well, if I could, I would probably just take that MSAT every single week.
00:11:23Dang.
00:11:25Oh, yeah, and about being an Eagle Scout.
00:11:27Smile.
00:11:29Are there, like, a lot of scholarships for Eagle Scouts?
00:11:32Wow.
00:11:33Um, I think that's something you'd have to look into.
00:11:36Yeah.
00:11:36Alright, what else?
00:11:37Um, I think that's it for today.
00:11:50Okay, guys and gals.
00:11:53Today, we face the truth.
00:11:57I will put the bowling ball, I will touch your nose, and I will let it go.
00:12:03And if you don't flinch, it means you know that this is the maximum potential energy,
00:12:101,000 joules.
00:12:11It cannot go to 1,001.
00:12:15Okay.
00:12:26Okay.
00:12:27Okay, Alvin.
00:12:29Oh, my gosh.
00:12:29Okay, here we go.
00:12:35Oh!
00:12:38The Lowell student, he didn't flinch, but what did he do?
00:12:44Oh!
00:12:46Only...
00:12:47When I was in middle school, I thought that everybody who came to Lowell would be, like,
00:12:51a genius in some sort of way, and, like, this was the cream of the crop.
00:12:55But now that I'm here, it's just not really that.
00:13:00Come on up, Che.
00:13:01Alright.
00:13:01Here we go.
00:13:02Oh, my gosh.
00:13:10Amazingly close.
00:13:12Sofia, come on up.
00:13:15Alright.
00:13:15Walk your nose into it.
00:13:16Stand up.
00:13:17I don't really know why it's not as difficult for me to be here than it is for other people
00:13:22to be here.
00:13:25Oh!
00:13:27I saw her hair flinch, but I didn't see her flinch.
00:13:30Did anybody see her flinch?
00:13:32Nope.
00:13:33How did you do that?
00:13:35Maybe it's just that I'm the kind of person who can handle a lot of things at once.
00:13:42I'm the captain of the tennis team.
00:13:45I'm also co-president of Lowell Build On.
00:13:48Vice president of Girls Who Code.
00:13:51I'm the editor of the school newspaper, too.
00:13:55I think I'm the kind of person who enjoys being busy.
00:13:58That's up for you guys, right?
00:14:01My parents are from mainland China.
00:14:03College is just a huge goal for a lot of immigrant families.
00:14:07Everything you do should be to help you get to the best college you can get to.
00:14:28What are your plans today?
00:14:30I need to do homework probably on my free block.
00:14:33Got it.
00:14:33But then I have to do journalism on my free block, too.
00:14:36There's a deal.
00:14:37What I need you to do...
00:14:38I know, and that's why I want you to write it all down.
00:14:41And then also copy me on your calendar so I can help you remember.
00:14:44You have to put the lyrics on your calendar.
00:14:46And so I can remember...
00:14:47I was in chemistry class as a sophomore, and I had gotten a bad grade in class,
00:14:52and I said out loud,
00:14:53Oh, man, my mom is going to be really upset.
00:14:56The girl across the table, she asked me,
00:14:59Wait, Rachel, what ethnicity are you?
00:15:02And I said, I'm black and white.
00:15:03And she said, Well, what ethnicity is your mom?
00:15:07And I said, She's African American.
00:15:09And she said, That's so weird,
00:15:12because I didn't expect for black people to actually care about their grades.
00:15:17Other than it being physics, you have all the A's, and I...
00:15:22Sorry.
00:15:23No, I'm okay.
00:15:25I'm cool with that.
00:15:26It's AP physics anyhow.
00:15:28I'm okay with that.
00:15:29Oh, we have the best relationship ever.
00:15:30We're really good friends.
00:15:32She's a single mother, and I live with her.
00:15:34We're just the two of us.
00:15:36Now, I'm a true believer in the Lord only helping those that help themselves.
00:15:39So if you don't put any spit on your ball, it's going to be bad.
00:15:43Okay.
00:15:44I got to get to work.
00:15:45Bye.
00:15:46Okay, have a great day.
00:15:47You too.
00:15:48All right.
00:15:49I think one of my scores came back on the PSAT,
00:15:52and I scored in like the top 1% of the nation or something.
00:15:55And I was like, What?
00:15:57That's not me.
00:15:58I don't think I'm that smart.
00:15:59But my mom's like, I knew it.
00:16:00I knew it all along.
00:16:01And now that's like the league of people that can get into Harvard and Stanford.
00:16:06So you should try.
00:16:07You mean you helped yourself?
00:16:09Wait, no.
00:16:10I don't know.
00:16:10Have a second.
00:16:12All right.
00:16:13So the theme of our presentation this afternoon is where should you apply?
00:16:19There is a lot of herd mentality.
00:16:22There's a lot of, you know, people just applying to the same schools.
00:16:26And, okay, yes, you know, we all know what the Ivy League schools are, and there is a certain attraction
00:16:32to applying to them.
00:16:33But I'm not even referring to them.
00:16:35Let's talk about the defaults, namely the UC system.
00:16:39We all have a perceptual pecking order of the UCs.
00:16:44But the thing to remember is you are not too good for Santa Cruz or Riverside or even Merced, okay?
00:16:51UC is UC.
00:16:53I've become a voice to tell kids, look away from Stanford.
00:16:57You're not getting in.
00:16:59Let's try this.
00:17:00You know, you look at, you know, the Ivy League schools, and even if you are a student who should
00:17:07be accepted at a school like this, you may not get in anyway.
00:17:12And that, in many cases, has to do with a little thing called ethnicity.
00:17:17Um, anyway.
00:17:28Goddamn!
00:17:29Elvin, have you figured out a grade yet?
00:17:31Yes.
00:17:32Are you sure?
00:17:32I'm so screwed, dude.
00:17:34Look at my...
00:17:34Oh, my God.
00:17:35Are you sure?
00:17:35I haven't had a chance to go over it with you.
00:17:37I did, I did, I did root instead of squares.
00:17:41And then I made it and...
00:17:44I'll have to go through that.
00:17:45That's two.
00:17:46Okay, okay, all right.
00:17:46That's it.
00:17:47All right.
00:17:49Shane.
00:17:50Shane, you've got 92.
00:17:51I am all right.
00:17:53You're all right.
00:17:55You're all right.
00:18:00Teach me your ways.
00:18:01Please.
00:18:03Take the textbook, do all of the problems in the textbook, and check your work.
00:18:07What you do is you just don't do homework for other classes, and that's my strategy.
00:18:11Oh, okay.
00:18:11Because I just go home and do, like, four hours of physics, and then stay up till three
00:18:15in the morning trying to finish my other homework.
00:18:17Oh, I need that.
00:18:19If we looked at the blue particles as being in pure rotation, of being, could be different
00:18:26masses, or it doesn't matter, each a different distance R from the axis of rotation, and we
00:18:33added up all...
00:18:33I was really depressed in middle school.
00:18:36I'm not a suburb kid.
00:18:37I'm not meant to be in a house with a white picket fence with a bunch of, you know, rich,
00:18:44spoiled, trust fund white kids.
00:18:46There's just something about the personality of a person who doesn't care and will still
00:18:52succeed.
00:18:53It's just, it rubs me the wrong way.
00:18:58So, I mean, going to a school with a bunch of, like, Asian kids is just like going to
00:19:02a school with a bunch of people who care.
00:19:05It's like a school of other Asianese.
00:19:11The career path that I want to pursue, I think that climate change is, like, just entire
00:19:18social dynamic that is the world right now is going to change in my lifetime.
00:19:25So, I want to be in a position where I feel like I'm helping.
00:19:30So, I'm trying to pursue alternative energies, and I also need to go to, like, one of the top
00:19:3520 colleges, because otherwise, I'm not going to be doing anything significant.
00:19:59I'm going to the Stanford College presentation.
00:20:12I'm actually applying early for Stanford.
00:20:16What I've heard about Lowell students getting to Stanford is that there's a smaller chance.
00:20:21Like, what's special about Stanford's, like, pre-med pathway?
00:20:26Okay, so we don't have a pre-med major.
00:20:28Oh, yeah, I've heard that Stanford doesn't like Lowell.
00:20:31They don't accept a lot of people from Lowell.
00:20:34I guess it's because they just think that we're, like, stereotypically Asian.
00:20:39Apparently, we're, like, robots here.
00:20:40Because they think we're AP machines.
00:20:42AP machines?
00:20:43AP guzzling grade grubbers?
00:20:44Maybe he doesn't have, like, personalities that we want.
00:20:47But you do not even have to major in the biological sciences or chemistry or anything like that.
00:20:52You could major in English and still be prepared.
00:20:54I was at the presentations.
00:20:55According to my memory, the Stanford admission officer addressed the faculty and implied that Stanford viewed Lowell students as just
00:21:03a bunch of machines that accumulated massive amounts of course material and was able to spit it back on exams.
00:21:11And they wanted a different kind of student.
00:21:17Last year, someone asked, why is it that such an oddly small percentage of Lowell kids get into Stanford?
00:21:23And then someone else raised their hand and said, is it because we're all Asian?
00:21:27To which the Stanford guy said, raise your hand if you would like everyone at your school to be the
00:21:34same.
00:21:37There was silence.
00:21:40No one raises their hands.
00:21:50And I don't know if, you know, how that plays into racial profiling in terms of smart, aging kids that
00:21:59do really, really well and then are put down for it.
00:22:08Good morning, Lowell High School.
00:22:11It's a beautiful day up here in the fourth floor swimming pool.
00:22:14We got some great announcements for you today, but first, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.
00:22:20So like right now, the senior class is stressing over college apps.
00:22:24Right now is the time to get all the recs, like write all the essays and like finalize your list.
00:22:32There's so many qualified applicants nowadays.
00:22:34That's why you got to diversify and apply to like 20 schools, just to like throw your ballad around and
00:22:39see who picks it up.
00:22:47Every kid needs to be able to understand and explain the same things about themselves when they hit the college
00:22:52process.
00:22:53Who are you? What interests you? What have you thought about doing?
00:22:59It's not all about GPAs and SAT scores.
00:23:03There's no formula for success anymore.
00:23:07And what matters is that each child visualizes and actualizes their own life.
00:23:20How is it taking it a step further?
00:23:23By bringing it out in the open.
00:23:26We need to learn about cultural sensitivity.
00:23:30Journalism, originally my mom actually signed me up for the class.
00:23:33I found I actually do like writing stories and reporting and talking to people.
00:23:41Okay, well, this is...
00:23:49The ability to just come up with ideas for stories and then present them and actually get them published is
00:23:55really cool to me.
00:23:56No! All right, this is too much.
00:24:01The editors and I wanted to do something that would show the struggle between choosing what side of my racial
00:24:08identity that I actually identify with.
00:24:10This lighter skinned hand is supposed to represent my Caucasian side and this darker skinned hand is supposed to represent
00:24:16my African American side.
00:24:19My mom, she goes by the rule that if you're even 1 16th African American, you are 100% and
00:24:25then like that's what I should put on my transcript.
00:24:27It goes totally against that story I wrote about how I am African American and Caucasian.
00:24:34So I do feel uncomfortable putting it down, but if it's something that can help me, then I feel like
00:24:41I should take that and use it to my advantage.
00:24:45Which is horrible now that I say it out loud.
00:24:55Well, good afternoon, Lowell.
00:24:57Good afternoon.
00:24:58Oh, hey, that's great.
00:24:59So my name is Quincy McArthur.
00:25:02I'm an admissions officer at MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
00:25:07So it's always a good idea to be nice to me and laugh at my jokes.
00:25:11That's right.
00:25:12Somebody's getting in for Lowell.
00:25:16MIT is not one of my top choices.
00:25:19Yeah, I don't think it really fits me.
00:25:22But we saw your mom there.
00:25:24And dad.
00:25:25Did you know they're going to go?
00:25:29They don't tell me these things.
00:25:30Like, they go, they only tell me after they go.
00:25:33You have multiple interests, that's our right to...
00:25:37My parents are first generation immigrants and my mom's kind of like the steering wheel.
00:25:45For me, I can say, oh, grades don't matter, right?
00:25:48Don't, like, define you as a person.
00:25:50But my mom studied really hard in Taiwan.
00:25:53So she thinks that grades are actually pretty important.
00:25:57And she has to, like, push them.
00:26:01She's actually told me, it's like, I have, like, a little box around me, right?
00:26:04As I grow older, the box will expand, right?
00:26:10Until finally there's, like, no more box anymore, right?
00:26:14And I'll be able to do my own things.
00:26:16I'll be able to be responsible.
00:26:18But for now, I'm still in a little box.
00:26:20And she has to, like, look over me.
00:26:24Mom, mom, wait.
00:26:26Okay, now I'm getting a little stressed out.
00:26:33ACT tests, SAT before March 2016.
00:26:37Can you check them off?
00:26:38And I work on the activities edits now.
00:26:42How many have we taken?
00:26:43I put in that score.
00:26:44I finished ACT.
00:26:46This is for the normal SAT.
00:26:50Are you sure we have enough time to finish by tonight?
00:26:53When she says, what if you could get into Stanford,
00:26:56she's saying, I'm not expecting you to, but what if?
00:27:00But I still can't help but feel like I want to meet her expectations.
00:27:03Because, you know, I just want to make her proud.
00:27:05Isn't it okay?
00:27:06How we have it is okay, right?
00:27:08I want to do something for her to make her happy,
00:27:10but the pressure is kind of insurmountable at times.
00:27:15It makes me feel not the best.
00:27:21It was really intense.
00:27:24My mom wanted me to finish on Saturday night
00:27:27because she knew that I had to do homework on Sunday.
00:27:31By, like, 12 o'clock, I was already like,
00:27:33you know what, screw it, I want to go to sleep.
00:27:36But no, like, we kept working until, like, 3 o'clock.
00:27:38It was crazy, yeah.
00:27:40I do feel a little bit of relief
00:27:42knowing that I successfully, like, finished it.
00:27:44But, you know, I still prefer a UC.
00:27:47Like, I feel like there's a much higher chance
00:27:50of a UC accepting me for, like, my grades and that kind of stuff.
00:27:54He has very high goals,
00:27:56but I think for him it's very realistic goals.
00:28:01One of those schools would be Stanford.
00:28:03The top-tier UCs, UC Berkeley, UCLA.
00:28:07I told him to apply to Brown.
00:28:09I think it would be a really great school for him.
00:28:12The kids at Brown are unique.
00:28:21All right, everyone.
00:28:24So we're going to go ahead and get started.
00:28:27How can women be pregnant and not show any symptoms?
00:28:32What age does your penis stop growing?
00:28:39Do women ejaculate every time they climax like men do?
00:28:45It might be 25%.
00:28:47You're very close.
00:28:48Okay, it's about 10.
00:28:50Wait, wait, wait.
00:28:51We're really close.
00:28:51We're really close.
00:28:53That's like a 10% difference.
00:28:55That's like a difference between an A and a B.
00:28:57That's what I was going to say.
00:28:59How do I know if I'm ready for sex?
00:29:04What do you think?
00:29:06You need to feel ready?
00:29:08Yeah, like, you yourself, like, feel confident.
00:29:10You feel confident?
00:29:11Yes.
00:29:12Okay.
00:29:12After your parents say, okay.
00:29:13Hey.
00:29:23So I hear that there is a dance this Friday.
00:29:26Are you going to go to it?
00:29:29Wait, there's a dance?
00:29:38It's kind of interesting to see everyone that I'm so used to going to school with, like, in costume and
00:29:44having fun.
00:29:45I don't know.
00:29:46It's nice.
00:29:48That was a nasty woman right there.
00:29:50I love Asians.
00:29:51Asians love me.
00:29:53It's been fantastic.
00:29:54They're fantastic.
00:30:09I want to get, like, people to start dancing because usually, like, there's, like, an activation energy, right?
00:30:14For, like, a chemical reaction.
00:30:15Like, I was basically, like, an enzyme, like, to catalyze, like, the reaction.
00:30:19Speed it up and then, you know.
00:30:25I am Brian Emmanuel.
00:30:28He's, like, a Chinese rapper.
00:30:29It's not, like, shorts, right?
00:30:30Usually, in shorts, they're supposed to, like, go, like, up to here.
00:30:33But mine are just a little bit down because my mom didn't want me to, like, trip and, like...
00:30:38I don't...
00:30:39My mom just wants to protect my knees from the cold or something.
00:30:43So that's why it's over my knees.
00:30:45It's going down for real!
00:30:51My family didn't really push me that much.
00:30:54I would be a different person.
00:30:57Without pressure, then, we're just, like, oh, we'll just sit at home and, like, play video games or watch TV.
00:31:02Or, like, hang out with friends, right?
00:31:05I do like pressure, but I don't like too much pressure.
00:31:11He's just doing all of it.
00:31:14He's just doing all of it.
00:31:17So I'm, like, the opposite of a tiger mom.
00:31:20I actually wanted my son to go to a neighborhood school.
00:31:23Just so that he would have a little more balance in his life.
00:31:40I remember having to work very hard when I was at Lowell.
00:31:44I didn't want him to have to work that hard.
00:31:50But, I mean, I feel like I was a bad parent after Ian told me that he didn't have enough
00:31:54APs to be considered for Muslim colleges.
00:31:57I felt really bad.
00:32:00We were panicking a little bit, I guess.
00:32:03And a friend had recommended a college advising counselor.
00:32:08And we engaged her, I guess, in late October.
00:32:12So we were actually really late starting with that process.
00:32:16I think the biggest role that she's played is that she's helped me turn around and see doors that were
00:32:21open.
00:32:39Part of the reason why we didn't want him to take so many AP classes was because we wanted him
00:32:44to learn a little bit more about what he wanted to do.
00:32:46So, you know, he started writing his satirical blog.
00:32:50I mean, that's kind of a crazy thing, right?
00:32:53I mean, I guess maybe I don't have a sense of humor.
00:32:57I was like, really?
00:32:59But, you know, whatever makes him happy and inspires him.
00:33:03And so I would say to parents to really have your kids do things that help them to think creatively.
00:33:09That, you know, that they're not just a statistic.
00:33:12They're not a test score.
00:33:27So I want to talk about three things today.
00:33:29Then you take a little break and then jump back into your lab.
00:33:33And the third thing I have to tell you, you may or may not have heard, is very sad for
00:33:38me because I need to let you know that I have liver cancer and that five tumors have appeared and
00:33:47I just found out about it.
00:33:48And I'm going to need to have that dealt with.
00:33:51And I am active on the liver transplant list.
00:33:55The only way to get rid of liver cancer is to get rid of the liver.
00:33:59I am very, very sad and disappointed to leave you guys midstream.
00:34:07I really want to let you know that I feel I'm the luckiest person in the world having taught at
00:34:15Lowell.
00:34:16I got, I think, the most wonderful students.
00:34:18I got what I think was really got love and appreciation on a regular, if not daily basis.
00:34:25I actually feel loved and I really want to thank you for that.
00:34:32Okay, guys.
00:34:34It looked like you were having a good time doing the lab yesterday.
00:34:39Sorry to bum you out, but see if you can get back into that today.
00:34:43Okay, let's go.
00:34:54Let's go.
00:35:04Knowing Mr. Shapiro at such a personal level, like, it's like, you know, I, I don't know, I'll have difficulties
00:35:09doing, like, doing all of my other stuff, like, probably these few months, you know.
00:35:15Homework, tests, grades, like, they don't really matter anymore if, like, you don't have, like, a firm emotional connection.
00:35:31I just got evicted, um, from my house.
00:35:36My dad did some shit, which, uh, the landlord did not appreciate.
00:35:43So, uh, we got kicked out.
00:35:49Drugs. Just drugs, you know.
00:35:52Nothing good.
00:35:54It was...
00:35:56My mom lives, uh, in Sausalito.
00:35:58And it wouldn't be legal for me to go to this school if I didn't live in San Francisco.
00:36:03So, I need to, uh, be here to attend here.
00:36:06But it's, it's totally worth it. Like, this school compared to, like, anything else is totally worth, you know, dealing
00:36:13with him.
00:36:26Today is the first day of finals, the dreaded finals.
00:36:37All right, does anybody not have a test in Scantron in front of them, Hannah?
00:36:42As always, read questions carefully. Tell a story about storytelling.
00:36:48Uh, today is the deadline for UC apps and CSU apps.
00:36:53So, um, lots of, uh, apprehension anxiety.
00:36:58The essays are probably one of the most important things, uh, next to grades and transcripts.
00:37:03It's, like, how well you're able to articulate yourself, how well you're able to package yourself for the university.
00:37:09So, I have roughly seven supplemental essays, the Common App essay, the UC essay.
00:37:14I'm probably gonna have to, in the end, write, like, about 20 essays.
00:37:18It's just really hard to talk about yourself.
00:37:20I don't know whether or not I should, like, be humble or, like, say good things or say one good
00:37:27thing and a bad thing.
00:37:28If you ask a lot of Asians, a lot of them have a really, like, a more humble outlook. Like,
00:37:33they don't want to show too much about themselves.
00:37:37Uh, that's just how a lot of Chinese people or, uh, other Asian people are, like, brought up.
00:37:42You have to sell yourself 100%. So, even if you're not convinced that you're the best, you have to convince
00:37:47other people you're the best.
00:37:49My mom, she really thinks that I have a big chance of getting it to Stanford.
00:37:56She's like, well, we're gonna get our acceptance on December 15th.
00:37:59And I'm like, no, we're going to get mail from Stanford on December 15th.
00:38:28I don't have a 4.0 GPA. I have a 3.9 cumulative. And, you know, I didn't get a
00:38:341600 on the SAT. I only got a 1500.
00:38:37You know, and that's significantly lower than the average of what gets accepted in the high-level schools like that.
00:38:43The kids who are going to higher-level colleges are, they're the big players of the world, you know.
00:38:51If I don't go to one of those big colleges, I will not be able to do what I want
00:38:56to do.
00:38:59And, at least looking at my resume, I don't have what it takes.
00:39:10Okay. So, I'm just going to do a quick check on myself and make sure I have 35 copies before
00:39:16I start messing it up.
00:39:20I am not going to go.
00:39:22I am not going to go.
00:39:23I am not going to go.
00:39:23I am not going to go.
00:39:24You are not going to go.
00:39:25Don't worry about it.
00:39:29You got in the...
00:39:30The god?
00:39:32He got into Harvard.
00:39:34Oh, he did?
00:39:35I am literally actually...
00:39:37He's pretty sick.
00:39:39Are you guys surprised that he got in?
00:39:43You guys are talking too much for being in the possession of an exam, okay?
00:39:59It's a hard college to get into, so I wasn't really upset.
00:40:03It's not like I was, like, hoping and wishing and thinking that I was for certain going to get in.
00:40:08My mom seemed, she tried to pretend like she was okay, but I could tell she was kind of disappointed.
00:40:17I'm okay. I didn't really expect much.
00:40:20That kind of just, like, told me, I guess, that I'd be going to the East Coast for college, which
00:40:25was my, like, original plan.
00:40:28What was your mom's reaction when she found out that you got rejected?
00:40:31Oh, she was, she's the one who told me. Like, I didn't even look at my email. She was the
00:40:35one who told me.
00:40:36Wait, she, she, she, she checked it for you?
00:40:39Yeah.
00:40:58We didn't exchange the gift.
00:41:01Because they buy the things all the time, so.
00:41:04So you don't get a present from your mom?
00:41:20It's nothing you can in control.
00:41:24Yeah, I, I haven't really been doing anything besides, like, apps.
00:41:28I think that my number of colleges that I've applied to is, like, enough.
00:41:32And then my mom's, like, okay, once you finish this, then you're done, right?
00:41:36You don't have to do anything else.
00:41:38And right after I finish it, she wants me to do, like, five more.
00:41:40And it's, like, and, like, that's, that's the same for every single, it's, like, I don't even,
00:41:45I'm just so done with this.
00:41:49Even though he's a teenager, he listened to parents' advice pretty well.
00:41:54And sometimes, a few times, maybe he was kind of disagree, but he still will try to accommodate parents' advice.
00:42:03She looks through stuff, and she gives me ideas.
00:42:06My dad is, like, the physical help, he'll, like, drive.
00:42:11Yeah, and sometimes we try to translate the question to my husband, even though he didn't get a high school
00:42:20diploma, but he's smart.
00:42:24Yeah, he said, just don't say that.
00:42:27You should put that on your college application.
00:42:30You know that?
00:42:31Because that would actually help your chances.
00:42:34No, because I don't want, you know, people to, like, think lowly of my dad or anything, so.
00:42:39Yeah.
00:42:40Yeah.
00:42:41Think low.
00:42:56All right, welcome back.
00:42:58I am Mr. Cooley, if you haven't seen me.
00:43:02Mr. Shapiro has given me control over your fates.
00:43:06I have finished my college applications, and I have sent everything in.
00:43:12I am finishing my 20th school.
00:43:16My sanity's almost gone.
00:43:18I've applied to 11.
00:43:20That's including Stanford.
00:43:21I have the two UCs, so that's Berkeley and LA, and then Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Brown, Duke, Columbia, Penn, and
00:43:31Washington University.
00:43:32Was that 11?
00:43:32Yeah, I think I was 11.
00:43:35My worst fear would have a student apply to 10 very prestigious schools and not get into any of them,
00:43:41and not have a backup plan.
00:43:43How's everybody great?
00:43:44Anything interesting?
00:43:45Physics moments?
00:43:46There must have been some physics moments.
00:43:48Stanford was a huge disappointment.
00:43:49I got that.
00:43:51But now we know that's not the direction we're going in, and we're going to go in a totally entirely
00:43:55different direction.
00:43:57Because if you went to Stanford, you'd write down the street from me.
00:44:00Yeah, exactly.
00:44:00And you'd be in my face every weekend.
00:44:03Well done.
00:44:04I'm not.
00:44:05You know I love you.
00:44:05I mean, like, even Berkeley's not going to work for me.
00:44:07That's a buttwad right away.
00:44:09Why do you want me far away?
00:44:10I feel like you're kicking me out.
00:44:12Because I think you, well, here's the deal.
00:44:13I think that you grow up more when you're away.
00:44:15I would like for you to take your own space and make your own way.
00:44:30Give me a hug.
00:44:32It's really good to see you.
00:44:36Oh, I'm doing okay.
00:44:37I'm doing okay.
00:44:38You know, just there's a lot of, you know, emotional difficulties, waiting.
00:44:44It's, you know.
00:44:45On the last nine days, I think I was back up on two livers.
00:44:50So I would need one pretty soon.
00:44:52Yeah.
00:44:54That's the scary thing.
00:44:56And it really could happen.
00:44:58So be positive.
00:44:59Send positive prayers and vibes my way.
00:45:02You'll do that?
00:45:03Yeah.
00:45:04Send.
00:45:04Send.
00:45:07So, any fun happening at school?
00:45:09It's nerve-wracking.
00:45:11Did you apply to all these?
00:45:13Oh, my God.
00:45:14Boston, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Emory, Fordham, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Northeastern, Perona,
00:45:20Stanford, Tulane.
00:45:21My parents really like Berkeley, but the location is so close to home.
00:45:25It's like my parents come visit me like every like two days or something.
00:45:29Like I don't, you know, they're going to like tell me to go home on the weekends or something.
00:45:33Like I don't want that.
00:45:34I totally like I want to go a bit further.
00:45:37Like I really like L.A.
00:45:40So I would put that like first.
00:45:42I'm going to show them that, you know, I don't need East Coast first-ranked schools.
00:46:01Hello.
00:46:07I hate answering the like, why do you want to go to this school?
00:46:09And I'm like, I don't know.
00:46:13Wait.
00:46:15Especially when you haven't like gone to this school.
00:46:17Did you get like a question like that?
00:46:18Just outright?
00:46:20So, at my other interview?
00:46:21Yeah.
00:46:23I also got that from an MIT interview.
00:46:24They're like, oh yeah, why do you want to go?
00:46:26I'm like.
00:46:27Oh, yeah.
00:46:29Those are the worst questions.
00:46:34Oh my God.
00:46:35The Lowell crew is here.
00:46:36Eight o'clock.
00:46:38Plot twist.
00:46:39They interview us all together.
00:46:42My mom, she keeps Boston weather on her phone to check in and see the weather in Boston.
00:46:48And she's like, oh, it's snowing if you were in Harvard and you'd have to wear a big coat.
00:46:55She tries to give me a little practice interviews, but I think it makes me more nervous because
00:47:00once I say like an answer that I think would be okay, she'd be like, no, no, don't say that.
00:47:05That's wrong.
00:47:06No.
00:47:06And I'm like, oh.
00:47:19I wanted to apply for all the Ivies.
00:47:23That's kind of an awesome thing to have.
00:47:25It's much, to me, like a union ticket.
00:47:26Once you graduate from an Ivy League school, you basically can work where you want to.
00:47:31So I would like for her to have that level of security.
00:47:34It's very important that she's not relying upon anybody's salary but her own.
00:47:40We didn't apply for anything that was a bad idea.
00:47:43I mean, I think if you play it too safe, then you don't take any chances.
00:47:48You don't want rejection.
00:47:49I think deliberate rejection is a part of growing up.
00:47:59I see my dad once every three or four days.
00:48:08He's unemployed and he doesn't take any responsibility for the most part in his life.
00:48:17It's my grandma on my dad's side that gives me money for food and has taken up the responsibility
00:48:24of raising me.
00:48:28I go shopping for myself.
00:48:29I clean the house.
00:48:30I do all of that.
00:48:31Then he's, you know, out from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night.
00:48:36I mean, that's what he does.
00:48:44There is something about eating your own food that makes it better, though.
00:48:47There's something to it.
00:48:48Like, you can burn everything and you can still savor it a bit more if you made it.
00:49:15You don't want to give him a thing.
00:49:17I'm not sure you should give him a thing.
00:49:19Do you have any other things?
00:49:21No, I didn't.
00:49:23He wanted to give two movies.
00:49:25But he didn't get it.
00:49:28So I didn't get it.
00:49:29So I didn't get it.
00:49:32I didn't get it.
00:49:33He didn't get it.
00:49:36It's like spending money.
00:49:38It's not like that.
00:49:41You don't have to say that.
00:49:41You don't have to say that.
00:49:44There are other intentions.
00:49:46They get it wrong.
00:49:47So the best is not to give them the things.
00:50:01If you want to eat two dollars,
00:50:03I won't eat this one.
00:50:05This year is the year.
00:50:07I don't care what year.
00:50:09I don't care if you want to eat it.
00:50:12Lucy.
00:50:16Lucy.
00:50:17This is for you and your boss.
00:50:19No, no, no, no.
00:50:26We initially thought that the interview would last about an hour or so.
00:50:30But it went way over time.
00:50:32So it went from 10 to almost about 12.
00:50:35He said that I'm a pretty good fit for Brown.
00:50:39And, you know, he'll try to put in a good word for me, you know, in his evaluation and stuff.
00:50:45I just had to tell my mom that there's like different aspects of the culture that she's not necessarily familiar
00:50:51with.
00:50:51That was really cringy.
00:50:53And while my mom was talking to my interview, I was just like, oh my God.
00:50:58Like, this is going to end so badly.
00:51:08Okay, here we go.
00:51:09Shh.
00:51:09This is a scenario you're going to try to reframe for yourself.
00:51:14Pretend you got a rejection letter to all the colleges you want to go to.
00:51:20I know this is like preemptive as in you haven't got rejected yet.
00:51:24But how would you normally interpret the situation?
00:51:26What does it signal to you?
00:51:27Oh, the rejection letter equals what?
00:51:29Anybody hates you.
00:51:31What about potentials of your future?
00:51:33You have none.
00:51:34You have none.
00:51:35Yeah, signs of failure, signs of no future.
00:51:37What are you going to do?
00:51:39There's no hope for you, et cetera, right?
00:51:42And the prospects of having no future.
00:51:45Who needs a Bible again?
00:51:46One, one, two.
00:51:50God, we pray for just all of us.
00:51:53We pray for the seniors.
00:51:55During this college up season, the Lord, the letters are coming in.
00:51:59We ask that no matter what, we would know that this is all according to your plan.
00:52:06Um, do you know the, like, username and password for the UC Davis application?
00:52:13On the verge.
00:52:14Yes.
00:52:16Okay.
00:52:16At the very last play, he took a shot.
00:52:18Oh, hey.
00:52:20So they fell in.
00:52:22Guess who got accepted?
00:52:29Hey, hey, hey.
00:52:30We, we.
00:52:31I got, I got in.
00:52:33Okay.
00:52:34I'll be out soon.
00:52:35Okay, bye.
00:52:35It's too early to get excited.
00:52:37But it's an acceptance.
00:52:38It's, I know, but I've been in touch with Dartmouth today.
00:52:41It was actually in touch with the financial aid lady.
00:52:43She said she just needed some more information.
00:52:44Wait, what?
00:52:46Yeah.
00:52:47Wait.
00:52:48Wait, wait, wait.
00:52:49Wait, wait.
00:52:49What'd you just say?
00:52:50Well, I'm just saying.
00:52:51Wait, would you?
00:52:52It may have let the cat out the back.
00:52:52Wait, wait, wait.
00:52:53Just a little talk when I was talking to her.
00:52:54Wait, can you, like, say word from word what she said?
00:52:56Uh, she said it's no big deal, no big deal.
00:52:58We're just trying, we're down to our final lesson.
00:52:59We're just trying to get all the stuff together for these kids.
00:53:02And then I think she kind of let the cat out the back with a comment of that nature.
00:53:08So I'm feeling really hopeful.
00:53:13I'm going to see whether or not I got in Johns Hopkins.
00:53:17Here goes nothing.
00:53:19God damn it, give me some Wi-Fi, bro.
00:53:25Holy shit.
00:53:28Hey, I didn't get in.
00:53:30Woo!
00:53:31It's lit.
00:53:36My weekend was quite terrible.
00:53:42I logged in and found out, yeah, I got rejected.
00:53:45Why is that?
00:53:48All right, another one.
00:53:50I didn't get in.
00:53:51Oh, really?
00:53:51No, I didn't get in.
00:53:52Well, if I didn't get into Davis, then, like, obviously, like, Berkeley and LA are probably
00:53:57going to reject me too now because those ones are supposed to be more difficult than Davis
00:54:00to get into.
00:54:08Oh, shit.
00:54:09It's out.
00:54:10I could, I could log in.
00:54:12Ooh.
00:54:14All right.
00:54:15This is going to determine my future.
00:54:18I swear to God, dude.
00:54:19If I...
00:54:21Come on, man.
00:54:22Come on.
00:54:23Come on, dude.
00:54:31No.
00:54:32No.
00:54:39Yeah.
00:54:41What was their excuse?
00:54:43It's always the same.
00:54:45It's like, you're one out of, what, 102,000 applicants.
00:54:52And that they were all overachieving, high achieving, but we couldn't accept them all.
00:54:57So it's like, that's always their excuse.
00:54:58They don't...
00:55:01There's an option to be waitlisted.
00:55:04Yeah, I'm going to tell my mom now.
00:55:07I'm going to call her.
00:55:08All right.
00:55:09All right, ma'am.
00:55:11Hey, Ma'am.
00:55:12Hey, Ma'am, I'm now with Jean.
00:55:24We're in chocolate chip, right?
00:55:25I have pretty high expectations for the type of people who will be at the college that I go to.
00:55:36A lot of professors at the schools that I'm applying to, they're really, I don't know, I guess you would
00:55:41call them prestigious.
00:55:42Like, interesting people who have stories to tell.
00:55:45Thank you. Have a good day.
00:55:48You too.
00:55:51Obviously, after you apply to college, you'll be in a community where all of these people have gone through the
00:55:56same application process as you,
00:55:58and they've kind of been weeded out.
00:56:02It hasn't been often that I've been in a situation where there's less Asian people than there are other ethnicities.
00:56:12And I'm just really looking forward to that. I'm kind of tired of Chinese people.
00:56:24Okay, I got waitlisted.
00:56:29From where?
00:56:30Harvard.
00:56:37Okay, I got waitlisted.
00:56:40Yeah, from Columbia.
00:56:45Okay, I think I'm going to check Brown.
00:56:48Brown.
00:56:52Oh my gosh, another waitlist.
00:56:56I'm checking Penn right now.
00:57:01Okay, I got rejected.
00:57:03Yeah.
00:57:06That's okay.
00:57:08Okay, so I got rejected from Yale.
00:57:15Okay.
00:57:16So I got rejected from Princeton.
00:57:19Okay.
00:57:23Okay.
00:57:25That's it.
00:57:28Yeah.
00:57:30Okay.
00:57:31Okay.
00:57:31I'm relieved now.
00:57:40There you go.
00:57:41Anytime.
00:57:44I think I was expecting to get into at least one.
00:57:50I did really, really want to go over to the East Coast, but I guess it's okay.
00:57:57We'll do another time.
00:58:03All right, let's kick this rally off.
00:58:05How are you guys doing today?
00:58:09What was that?
00:58:10How are you guys doing today?
00:58:13So many kids got into Berkeley and I'm like, why didn't I get into Berkeley?
00:58:16You're getting used to feeling mediocre.
00:58:19It's just, it's slowly but surely.
00:58:21I was just personally hoping for more.
00:58:24It's kind of a hard time right now.
00:58:28What the hell?
00:58:29Like this is not how high school is supposed to end.
00:58:32Three and a half years of killing myself here and I got in Santa Cruz.
00:58:38I just feel like I tried so hard and I'm going to a school that I didn't even have to
00:58:41try that hard to like get into.
00:58:44Are you?
00:58:45Are you guys ready?
00:58:48Are you going to be more hyped for this?
00:58:50Are you guys ready?
00:58:50Are you ready?
00:58:51Raul!
00:58:52No.
00:58:53No.
00:58:56No.
00:58:56No.
00:58:57No.
00:58:58No.
00:58:59No.
00:59:00No.
00:59:01No.
00:59:02No.
00:59:09No.
00:59:11No.
00:59:12No.
00:59:12No.
00:59:12I just think I am not good enough.
00:59:15That's what I think.
00:59:20That's the one issue with the college application process because you can't figure out what
00:59:24went wrong and what went right.
00:59:25I mean, you're just so proud of this situation.
00:59:27You know that there are so many people out there who are like similar to you and like
00:59:30how do they accept?
00:59:31Like, oh, they just like flip a coin or they like throw darts at a board.
00:59:34This whole process creates people who are very cynical about the colleges they end up
00:59:38going to.
00:59:40Go!
00:59:57I can't go if it's full price because I can't afford it.
01:00:00My family cannot afford it.
01:00:04But I hope if I do get in, some aid that makes it affordable.
01:00:12Oh my gosh.
01:00:19Hey mom, so I got into Oxford.
01:00:24Full tuition for four years.
01:00:26Wow, I guess that's pretty surprising.
01:00:29Full tuition.
01:00:30All right, yeah.
01:00:30Bye.
01:00:38I guess I still don't even know why I got into Emory.
01:00:42There's definitely a part of me that says that I probably shouldn't have.
01:00:47But I guess that's just like the culture of role seeping into my brain.
01:00:52The reason is that there really is no reason and that college admissions is like the only
01:00:56sure thing is that there's no sure things.
01:00:59Well, besides Jonathan Chu getting into Harvard and Stanford, like I'm pretty sure everyone
01:01:04saw that since freshman year.
01:01:05You know, like come on now.
01:01:15I know one kid thought that I only got into UCLA because I was black.
01:01:19He said that, like just flat out.
01:01:22You probably just got in because you're black.
01:01:27She gets a lot of pushback at school.
01:01:30People convincing her that she got in because she's black.
01:01:34And with a 33 ACT score and a 4.1 GPA, it put her right in the medium for every
01:01:40Ivy League
01:01:40school that she applied for.
01:01:42Ladies and gentlemen, where do you go?
01:01:44Please welcome our 4.0 students.
01:02:05I never imagined I would have gotten here.
01:02:07Four out of the eight Ivy's waitlisted me.
01:02:11Two of them I got into.
01:02:13I got into Brown University and Cornell University.
01:02:19My name is Rachel and I go to Lowell High School.
01:02:25Throughout my time at Lowell, I've really internalized that stereotype that I get a lot of things because
01:02:32I'm black.
01:02:33And I think for a while, I tried to like not own up to my blackness, you know?
01:02:41I think I've worked hard and I think I have the right grades and I've done the right things to
01:02:47get to where I am.
01:02:49But I don't like the fact that Asian students who deserve to get in, too, just as much as I
01:02:54do, they're not getting in just because of their race.
01:03:13I think colleges want somebody who really knows what they want to do.
01:03:17And a lot of people at Lowell don't really know what their passion is yet.
01:03:25Including me.
01:03:35I don't think this far ahead.
01:03:43I tried to portray myself as less Asian because Asians were seen as like machines.
01:03:51But like, I work hard and I strive to be a nerd.
01:03:59Is that the definition of being Asian?
01:04:09I never took, I didn't take dance like before, but I feel like I should have because I feel like
01:04:14I'm missing out on a lot of stuff.
01:04:16But yeah, it's pretty cool.
01:04:31What time does prom start?
01:04:33It starts at 8?
01:04:34Wow, that's pretty late.
01:04:35Yeah, and it goes until midnight.
01:04:38Are you going to do a limo?
01:04:40My mom's got like a room at the hotel where the prom is at.
01:04:45OMG.
01:04:45Yeah.
01:04:46Uh oh.
01:04:47Afterwards, I can just go up to my room and go to sleep.
01:04:50Are your friends going to stay with you?
01:04:52In the room?
01:04:54Well, yeah.
01:04:55Yeah.
01:04:56Yeah.
01:04:56Well, you want to go party with your friends, so.
01:04:59Yeah.
01:05:02So mommy going to stay?
01:05:03Yeah.
01:05:04Okay, just say me and mommy.
01:05:05Yeah.
01:05:06Okay.
01:05:07Yes.
01:05:08What's up?
01:05:09Okay, how's it going?
01:05:11Well, yesterday morning, my mom woke me up and she was like, well, you need to choose your college today.
01:05:18We're not leaving the house until you do it.
01:05:21Initially, I wanted to go to Brown.
01:05:23Just a lot of people strong in literature came out of Brown.
01:05:26And I like creative writing, but she kept pushing for Cornell.
01:05:30And I thought to please her, I would go to Cornell and she'd be happier.
01:05:35Okay, and right now I'm not happy because I wasn't successful.
01:05:38Mhm.
01:05:38You got one more.
01:05:40Alrighty.
01:05:43I want, it's like balancing between what I want and what I think my mom will be most happy with.
01:05:49And I feel like that's the problem for a lot of people at Lowell.
01:05:57Yeah.
01:05:59Awesome.
01:06:01Oh, gosh.
01:06:04Oh, right next to my heart.
01:06:06Oh, right next to my new liver.
01:06:09And then right next to my heart.
01:06:12This is awesome.
01:06:13I got off the Berkeley waitlist.
01:06:17So you got into Berserkly?
01:06:19Yeah.
01:06:20Oh, that could cause a little bit of contemplation, shall we say?
01:06:27Yeah.
01:06:28Are you right?
01:06:28I know.
01:06:30It's so nice to see you.
01:06:32So much from me.
01:06:32Yes.
01:06:33Yes.
01:06:33Yeah, as a mother.
01:06:34Of course, like San Diego offering like neuroscience, which is his major that he really like to do
01:06:41in the future.
01:06:42But San Diego only have like a 55% four year graduation rate.
01:06:45The question is not which school is better, which school is better for Alvin.
01:06:48The best place for him is where he feels the most comfortable.
01:06:53And since I know there's many research opportunities at San Diego, he'll be better off than going
01:07:02to Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, any place.
01:07:07So we are leaving because I think we spend you too much time.
01:07:10Okay.
01:07:10And then you have to take rest.
01:07:12Okay.
01:07:12That's great.
01:07:13I got energized by Alvin.
01:07:15That's what he does.
01:07:16Thank you very much.
01:07:16Thank you so much.
01:07:17Good luck.
01:07:18Good luck.
01:07:22I'm 18.
01:07:23This is my college experience.
01:07:24Should I be making a decision, right?
01:07:26But my mom just doesn't think so.
01:07:28And she wants to keep me in like a little, you know, in like a little box or something.
01:07:32Bye, Shapiro.
01:07:34Bye-bye.
01:07:34Bye, Mr. Shapiro.
01:07:51A lot of people have told me high school is going to be like the best time in your life.
01:08:01My best times in this school were getting decent test scores, getting decent GPAs, finishing
01:08:07assignments on time.
01:08:09Honestly, there hasn't been anything that has been like, whoa, I'm going to remember
01:08:13that when I'm like 80 and have Alzheimer's or something.
01:08:21A lot of kids here, they feel like their self-worth is really measured in which university they
01:08:26go to, and once they can't get in, they get all sad, they can't define themselves in the
01:08:32way that they want to, and it's crushing to see.
01:08:40Ah, ah, shoot.
01:09:05I have a year and a half more before I go into college.
01:09:11The more I've looked around, I think I don't need to be in a top 20 school to make a
01:09:17difference.
01:09:17I think I can make whatever school I'm at my own, and I think that's what's important.
01:09:25And I think that might come off as me settling for less or something, or changing my perspective
01:09:31to avoid the hurt, but I really do think that my perspective on that has changed in the sense
01:09:37that I really do think that I could make a school of my own and make it meaningful.
01:10:05Oh, my goodness.
01:10:08Oh, my goodness.
01:10:19All right.
01:10:20Oh, my goodness.
01:10:21Wow.
01:10:28All right.
01:10:36All right.
01:10:38Thank you, Karen.
01:10:41Great.
01:10:41All right.
01:10:42Like you have to be successful in high school,
01:10:44you have to be successful in college,
01:10:45you have to get a good job, it pays a lot of money.
01:10:48Like I feel like it leaves a really important thing out
01:10:50and I think that's happiness.
01:10:54Ian Wang!
01:11:05So I packed my suitcase a few days ago.
01:11:08I'm like super happy.
01:11:10It honestly can't get any better, you know?
01:11:15I guess like another really weird fact is that
01:11:18I was able to do it and not really have a tiger mom and stuff.
01:11:22I guess I'm very fortunate that my mom really cares about me
01:11:24and she lets me do what I want to do.
01:11:28I'm really excited for him because this is like such a nice opportunity
01:11:32that he can leave school and just live out his dream
01:11:37and not be weighed down by anything.
01:11:39Chinese-style, you know, that's all.
01:11:41No debt!
01:11:49A couple days before we got here, I was still a bit unsure.
01:11:53I don't know if this is going to make my mom happy.
01:11:56I don't know if this is like the one that she really wanted.
01:11:59Welcome to Brown 2021!
01:12:04But I'm excited about Brown because it's what I chose
01:12:07and being happy about it makes me feel like I made the right choice.
01:12:12Thank you!
01:12:16Ah, it's beautiful.
01:12:19I love this bear!
01:12:23We used to have this thing where because of the divorce
01:12:25I would cry a lot in K-8.
01:12:28And so she would tell me, you need to stop that.
01:12:31You need to hide your emotions a bit more.
01:12:34Or at least not like show them outwardly.
01:12:36See?
01:12:36My eyes are watering.
01:12:39So what's next for you?
01:12:42I live life.
01:12:43I don't know how to answer that.
01:12:45How does it feel?
01:12:46It feels great.
01:12:47But how does it feel?
01:12:48It feels awful.
01:12:49So...
01:12:50I'm serious.
01:12:51It's just...
01:12:51I'm happy that she has the opportunity, but...
01:12:55I'm sad that...
01:12:57she's gone.
01:12:59You gotta touch me when you land, okay?
01:13:01I touch you every step of the way.
01:13:04Okay.
01:13:05Oh my gosh, you're crying!
01:13:07I am not.
01:13:07Yes you are.
01:13:08It's okay.
01:13:09It's okay to cry.
01:13:14I'm gonna miss you too, Mama.
01:13:16Be strong.
01:13:17Because that is what we do.
01:13:18That's what we do.
01:13:20That's what we do, girl.
01:13:21Okay.
01:13:22Alrighty.
01:13:23Bye, Mama.
01:13:25Have a safe life, okay?
01:13:49Checking in?
01:13:50Yeah.
01:13:51What is your checking time?
01:13:53Um...
01:13:54Uh, 2 o'clock?
01:13:55Yeah.
01:13:55Oh, hello.
01:13:56And what's your name?
01:13:57Alvin.
01:13:58Alvin.
01:13:59Alvin.
01:14:01Alvin.
01:14:03What's your name?
01:14:04Alvin.
01:14:05Alvin.
01:14:07Okay, I see.
01:14:07So you're in 8D-26D.
01:14:20I think this is my building.
01:14:27Hello.
01:14:27What's up, brother?
01:14:29I live in SF.
01:14:30Oh, yeah?
01:14:31So it's like a heli-coast, yeah.
01:14:33Oh, it's in Mexico.
01:14:35Oh my gosh.
01:14:35You never see.
01:14:36I do value, you know, what my parents have, like, done for me.
01:14:42I'm actually really grateful.
01:14:45But, you know, I have to be an adult now.
01:14:50I don't know, it's kind of like humbling.
01:14:53Which closet?
01:14:54Which closet do you take?
01:14:55Ah, I took that one.
01:14:57I took that one.
01:14:59Okay.
01:15:00That one?
01:15:01That one?
01:15:01That one?
01:15:01That one?
01:15:02Yeah.
01:15:02That one?
01:15:04Yeah, all right.
01:15:05Okay, all right.
01:15:07Bye-bye.
01:15:08Bye.
01:15:10Bye-bye.
01:15:10I love you.
01:15:12Bye-bye.
01:15:13Let's get out of here.
01:15:15Bye-bye.
01:15:16Bye.
01:15:16We will see each other more, okay?
01:15:18And I'll bring you to San Francisco to have a good dinner or lunch, okay?
01:15:22Bye-bye.
01:15:23Bye.
01:15:23Thank you, Casper.
01:15:24Yeah.
01:15:25Nice to talk with you.
01:15:27And I told him that we can meet each other as outfit as he wants.
01:15:57With the exception of the occasional anxiety attack, um, today's been okay.
01:16:10Oh my God!
01:16:13What the fuck!
01:16:15No way!
01:16:16No!
01:16:17No no no no no!
01:16:18Are you-
01:16:19Oh my God!
01:16:21No, no, no, no, no, no, no way!
01:16:29Oh my God!
01:16:32I got in!
01:16:34Yes!
01:16:36Who do I even call?
01:16:37Who do I call first?
01:16:43Who do I call?
01:16:50Who do I call?
01:16:51Who do I call?
01:16:53When I was young, I'd seen that laugh was so wonderful
01:16:57A miracle
01:16:59Oh, it was beautiful, magical
01:17:02And all the birds in the trees
01:17:04Oh, they'd be singing so happily
01:17:07Oh, joyfully
01:17:09Oh, playfully
01:17:11Watching me
01:17:14But then they sent me away
01:17:16To teach me how to be sensible
01:17:18Logical
01:17:21Oh, responsible
01:17:22Practical
01:17:23And...
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