A little help please???

Question

Okay so---
I can't stand my school-one of those smart people schools with 40 people to a grade-and I would like to transfer to an art oriented school for ninth grade(I'm just now going into eighth). this school is a whole lot bigger and is also where my best(and almost only) friend is headed for highschool. The only glich is my parents. they keep saying they have open minds, but they havnt said one good thing about the place i want to go. for college I want to go to Yale, the London School of Economics, or the Sorbonne in paris. The kids at my school get solicited offers from school asking them to PLEASE APPLY!!! and as much as I would like that, I would like it even more if i was able to do that without the fancy prep school. It almost feels as if my parents doubt my abilities in acting(what i want to do) to A) get in to the school(you have to audition) and B) then get into the colleges i want
I am soo confused I want to go somewhere great but i hate my school what should i do?

actually i just finished 7th going into 8th i have until halfway through 8th to audition for the school

I want to be an actress I already have experience and my parents support it--My dad himself told me that LSE had a good theatre program i like london so I suppose i should have looked into that

Answer 1

Your parents may know some things that you and I don't. For one thing, they seem to realize that you can't just go wherever you want to go at each level separately; you have a much better chance of getting into an elite college if you went to an elite high school. There is no doubt about that. So while I don't know how about the academics either at the school you are now attending or the one you want to attend, but they may have decided that the school where you currently are gives you the best chance at life.

Secondly, the list of schools you describe, while they are all wonderful schools, don't suggest to me that you are thinking about an eventual career as an actor. While Yale does have a drama school, the London School of Economics does not. So even if they are convinced of your ability to ace your acting auditions, they may correctly see this as a hobby for you, rather than a future career. Since school is about academics, with hobbies playing only a supporting role, they may think that it is more important that the academics are good than that the theater is. They may also guess that much of your reason for wanting to go to the other school is that you want to be with your best friend, which is a poor reason for choosing a particular school.

I might suggest a few things. First of all, even your email comes off as a bit whiny. Be careful when you talk to your parents about this, you don't whine, because generally parents of teens have learned to tune that out altogether.

Secondly, if you really hate your school, you need to decide why. Is it because you are lonely there? Is it that you feel overwhelmed by the classes and feel that you just can't do well there? You need to be ready to articulate that clearly to them.

Thirdly, part of what has been going wrong is that you have been giving your parents an instant solution to your problem. Since they don't see this as a solution, they shut you down. It sounds to me like they are not impressed with the school you want to go to and are unlikely to send you there. Instead of saying, "I hate my school and I want to go to School A," tell them that you are unhappy at your school. Period. Then let them know that you would like to make a switch. Let them decide which schools would be appropriate (they may be convinced that your current school is best for you, but given their comments about being open, my guess is that they are not. They just don't like the option that you are giving them). As they are looking at schools, you might be able to ask if they would also be willing to consider School A. They may then give you a very specific reason why not, or they may be willing to include it in the pool of possibilities at that time. Don't push it.

I understand that having your best friend go elsewhere is painful, but realize that in life that happens to all of us. Certainly it would happen four years later when you go to college. The good thing is that with IM, social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook, cellphones and email, people are able to stay in touch with old friends much better than they ever could in the past, and you don't need to lose them.

Answer 2

Make a list of all the pros and cons, and sit down with your parents to discuss them. You can be very formal about it and make an appointment with them for a couple of evenings ahead of time.

Also, do some research to back up your position on each pro and con. For instance, show them information indicating that Yale and LSE will consider admitting someone who graduated from this school you went to.

If you get all of your information lined up and make a cogent argument, it will be hard for them to say no to you.

Answer 3

Well first of all, wanting to accomplish something on your OWN hard work and merit is something you should be proud of.. so should your parents.. you said you are 8th going to 9th.. hell.. i was in high school and STILL didnt get to choose my college lolz.. parents simply FEEL that they are doing right... what you could TRY is showing them that you HAVE thought this out... any back up plans? stick out this one year.. take on any summer internships you can get... or volunteer work related to what you want.. even if it's working as a stage hand.. you can learn by hearing what the actors are being critized for... shows that you have inititive..

best of luck..