enth leaves out the fifth important category of thought on the program: "in it, still can't stand the pretentious assholes."

i think there was only one other sensible human being in that class, at least while i was there. we were never close, but we supported each other's arguments against the arguments of the catholic athelete majority in there...especially on the subject of the base test score for the program, which was lowered our freshman year, from 130 to 120. being the only two students in the program that year who had topped the previous year's standard, we figured we had a right to complain. why were we suddenly surrounded by people of medium intelligenece, who believed themselves to be geniuses, but couldn't keep their social and religious issues out of the classroom? ("i don't like you, you're a satanist!" etc., etc.) one girl actually started *crying* in the middle of a debate because she felt that our arguments about prostitution were meant to weaken her belief in the truth of the lord! we, of course, were properly confused. we never even mentioned the moral questions of prostitution, just the medical/social/financial aspects.

the year we graduated, three schools dropped their gifted programs because not enough students could meet the new, lowered standards. *sigh* i have less faith in public education every year.