My Community's Good Intentions Gone...Too Right?

     I love to believe that my class is very special, but unfortunately I know that we probably aren't very unique at all. But I'll believe it anyway.
     When I say "my class", I don't mean my graduating class of 300 something kids, I mean maybe the top 40 students. My school system utilized the practice of sorting students by academic ability from very early on (meaning, if in grade 5, there were 3 teachers, one class was the "smart" kids, one was the "normal" kids, and the other "dumb" kids. good idea at heart, but kids make it harsh on each other, and I have some issues with it.) Anyway, I made it into the "smart" group, and we all had some interesting experiences in that school system.
     In elementary school, we had a gifted program that took us out of our regular classes for one full day each week, and we would do accelerated material that was more interesting and fun, and we weren't graded. In middle school, we had an accelerated language arts program. In high school, there was the honors/AP track, plus all the additional stuff we got, like mentorships and special field trips and stuff. Basically, we got the high life. Our community really valued gifted education and did everything possible to make sure we had extra opportunities to get us ahead. This is VERY important, and honestly I think everyone should have this, but I'm glad at least I got to.
     The problem is what I see my class doing now. I think they are special because I felt like it was a group of very intelligent, motivated people who were socially very kind and supportive. I expect them all to go far in life. We were somehwat a secluded group from the other students because of this sorting thing, and we didn't really experience the social norms of hgih school. Instead, smart kids were cool, athletic, popular, witty, and not ashamed of their academic life. 
     We were told so often that we could be anything we wanted, that we could go to any school, have any career, that I became positive that that was what would happen. But what I'm seeing is mass confusion! No one knows where to go, what to do. The brightest students went to fairly average schools. I transferred out of an "alternative" school to a regular school just so I can get my degree and be done with it. I've given up on getting the education and I'm settling for normality. I get the impression that many of my classmates are in similar positions.
     If you set up a group of people, tell them they are spectacular and will achieve the spectacular, does that then make it impossible for them to do so? Were we given too much encouragement but not enough realistic support and guidance? Would we have been better off ifwe had been neglected? Would we be striving to be spectacular now, to overcome our hardships, instead of floating around, unsure of ourselves and what to do with our lives? The world isn't made up of people that are like my classmates. It's made up of an assortment that doesnt understand me. What am I supposed to do now? How do I achieve in a world that isn't set up to support me?