[JamesBrown]

If any one on your team thinks that a team of "Over achievers" or "Nerds" is what the team needs to be or even should be then they are certainly mistaken. While FIRST has its fair share of nerds I can't see a team of just nerds being any where near the best solution. Some one with hands on experience, a desire to try something, and a willingness to learn is more valuable to a team than any "nerd" that the team will find. Last year team 1568 graduated Many students in the top 10% of the class, however we also graduated students right in the middle, and even a student in the bottom 10%. I regularly worked with people I would never have talked to if it wasn't for robotics. Whoever your captain is really needs to step in and work things out.

Also talk to the mentors, I am sure they can make an exception for the application deadline for this case. If the students who had a problem with the new member can manage to learn how to work side by side with some one who doesn't "fit in" with them then they will have learned a lesson this year that is infinitely more valuable than any thing they will learn about science, engineering or robotics. Never in the real world will you work in a team where every one is just like you, unless the members of your team learn that now, they will quickly be passed by more open minded peers.

FIRST is not about building robots, it is about building people, the robots are just a good way to get the people there.