The Overachievers

"The Overachievers" or "The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids" is a nonfiction book written by Alexandra Robbins. It centers upon Overachievism's (or the lifestyle in which being successful depends upon a perfect GPA in high school and which college one is to attend) negative effect in today's society.Where

Throughout the work, she follows many diverse students who have a lifestyle where overachieving takes priority. She also occasionally interrupts to address certain issues which affect one of the teens, and explains its negative effect on an international scale. She discusses how social pressure from parents and friends, drugs, drinking, and suicide all play a part in driving high school teenagers to the brink of insanity.

She also puts the No Child Left Behind Act in a negative light and claims the college admissions process to be corrupt and inefficient.Where

The Overachievers

For 3 Semesters (July 20, 2004 - December 9, 2004) Alexandra Robbins followed eight Walt Whitman High School students around in their daily lives to document their lives and incorporate them into her book. Robbins chose Whitman because "in the mid-1990s, in many ways Alexandra Robbins was these students, rushing through the same hallways, cramming anxiously for tests in the same classrooms, battling rivals on the same varsity fields." Whitman is also one of the best public schools in the nation and is located in Bethesda, Maryland.

"AP" Frank

"AP" Frank (later just "Frank") is a mixed race Korean/white college freshman attending Harvard. As a high school student, he had to deal with horrifying parental pressure to succeed and to come out on the top. His Korean mother's traditional Asian upbringing and values clashes against those of his white father. AP Frank enjoys the self-aggrandizing nature of Walt Whitman-related wikipedia entries and finds them to be extraordinarily humorous. Also, if you try to randomly friend AP Frank on facebook, he will probably ignore you, unless he actually has met you and knows you by face. And even then, your chances are slim. Since the completion of The Overachievers, AP Frank has turned down a good-paying job doing environmental contractual work for the government to take up video game testing at Harmonix, the creators of the Guitar Hero franchise and of Rock Band. He doesn't like the lousy pay, but welcomes the feeling of not being depressed on Sunday night because the next day is Monday - he enjoys his work and the people he works with. AP Frank also thinks that if anything else, you should be ballsy with your college application essay - strive to be atypical. Also, do not make it your goal to find out what your ultimate career path is during college - that is what your 20s are for. Andrew, a dear friend of AP Frank's, gave him two rules for life:1) Have fun.2) Leave a legacy.Enjoy high school, enjoy college, enjoy your youth. Be well.

Audrey

Audrey is a Hispanic junior who deals with perfectionism throughout the book. When a Physics project surfaces which will be placed in a competition, Audrey works vigorously (often on weekends) to make sure hers comes on top. She has to make a bridge out of toothpicks that can hold an amount of weight. After crafting it, she leaves it in the physics classroom only to find out later that it was gone. Her physics teacher decides to give her an A, but Audrey still wanted first place in the competition.

C.J.

As a young woman, C.J. has to deal with misconceptions about being an overachiever. She is often perceived as a class flirt.

Julie

Julie is a self-driven overachiever who runs cross country. She fooled people into thinking she was confident, perfect, and had everything under control. Julie finally relaxes when she arrives at Dartmouth College. Instead of taking herself so seriously and worrying so much about her image, she adopts the mantra "my life is a joke" and thus becomes immune to awkward situations.

am

Sam is an overachiever who feels that if he doesn't get in a name-brand school, his hard work in high school would be wasted.

The Stealth Overachiever

Stealth Overachiever is a guy who overachieves but manages to play it down so nobody notices.Later you find out the Pete is really the Stealth Overachiever.

Pete

Pete is labeled an underachieving "meathead" who has the necessary skills to succeed but not the motivation. His image and parents' financial issues have been stifling him.

Taylor

Taylor is popular, but she is also friends with the "smart kids" and frequently has trouble balancing these two worlds. She often hides her intelligence from her "popular" friends, knowing that they will judge her for re-taking the SAT when she got a 1490 [including a perfect score on the math section] on her first try.

Ryland

Ryland struggles with dropping grades, too many extracurricular activities, and a form of ADD, which his mother is convinced he doesn't have. He gets Ritalin.

References

External links

* http://www.failuremag.com/arch_flop_college_try.html
* http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/09/08/DI2006090801182.html
* http://www.theoverachievers.com/