"6. Students who master skills they love, will become much more successful and happy than those who mastered their grades."<p>I was #20 in my high school class of 450 students, yet was accepted to Caltech, in part because I was into grinding my own telescope mirrors, and in part because I was so heavily into the theatre.<p>The valedictorian of the other high school in my town had a 4.0 GPA, yet was not even interviewed. The valedictorian of my high school didn't even apply to Caltech, despite going on to do well as an applied mathematician.