HKDan

I must admit though that our motives are not as pure as might appear at a first glance. Getting our students into good US universities these days often depends as much on what the student has done outside of the classroom as in it. A high SAT is no longer enough to get in a top school. Schools want the whole package and that includes extracurricular activities(sports, model UN, debate team), and increasingly volunteer work. This is something that often really confuses Asian parents, but ultimately makes all the difference in the world when applying for schools.

Having said that, I feel like a better person when I spend more time doing things like that and less time hanging out at the bar with my low life friends.