Listen Up

Second Semister Seniors

As seniors, all of our college applications have been sent. Some of us are fortunate enough to already have a few acceptances under our belts. Even fewer of us know where we will be next year.

The range of emotions classmates are feeling is astounding. As expected, many are enjoying being “second semester seniors,” seniors taking advantage of the fact that colleges do not see second semester grades until one is already accepted. In contrast to these students living in a carefree mode, many are still stressed about school. Surprisingly, it’s not only my peers in limbo who are anxious. Even some of my friends who are accepted to top schools are feeling the pressure.

  Obviously, those of us without a clear destination have reasons to not feel so up to par. Some of those who know where they are going, or at least have viable options, have had their anxiety regarding where they will get in replaced with anxiety about financial aid, leaving home and entering an entirely new environment.

Last year, senior year seemed like paradise compared to the horror of SATs. For many, it is. Yet, for some, the relaxation period we were promised won’t happen.

The Whole Applicant

As early college decisions are rolling in, I've noticed a trend for the better. A fair number of students are getting into schools that came across as "high reaches." True, some of those academic superstars who spent nearly every weekend working on something resume building did get into great schools- as expected- however plenty are deferred or rejected. Yet, many candidates who one would never put at the top of the list for getting into a specific school have been offered admission.

These students are bright, but their lives are more than just academics. They may not have taken all the possible hardest courses, scored the highest on all the standardized or received the highest gpas, but they managed to balance their social lives, school and extracurricular activities. Although the line “we look at the whole applicant” is one many of us at information sessions roll our eyes to, colleges are telling the truth (a shocking concept nonetheless).

This is not an invitation for those of you who aim for Harvard, Yale and Princeton to drop your textbooks and quit those SAT classes. Start slowly. Maybe try to go out on a Friday or Saturday night with some friends. Maybe join a school club…for fun. Practice those pesky “social skills” you will need once you enter “the real world.” Maybe then, high school would have been worth it, even without an ivy acceptance letter.

Back to School

      

Summer had ended and the leaves have already begun to change color.  No longer can we enjoy lying in the sun, hoping for our skin to darken a shade or two.  Now, for us seniors, every free moment is spent working on college applications. 

For the first steps in applying to college, one must decide which schools to apply to. After all the visits and prior research done during my junior year, this process was not very challenging. The problem I faced was the large amount of schools that interested me. Choosing the schools to cut off my list was very difficult.  Deciding where to apply early further complicates this process since there are so many options.  The two options regarding applying early further entangle the process.  Early action is non binding but does not give students an advantage while early decision is binding but often has a higher acceptance rate than the usual rate.   

After choosing which schools to apply to, one needs to fill in the rest of common application. This includes filling in activities and writing two essays.  One of these essays must be about one significant extracurricular activity and one essay of choice. 

Once this is completed, mone must move on to supplements.  These are additional essays that some schools have.  Topics of these supplements range from personal communities to one’s contribution to the respective school.

It’s not just students who have work to do.  Teachers need to write recommendations for students.  Guidance departments need to send out transcripts.   

Finally, all of our hard work is culminating.

The College Process

With so many choices, the process of deciding which colleges to even consider is overwhelming.  However, I have managed to ease this process by completing certain tasks.

First of all, Fisk Guide is my greatest resource.  I began by looking at schools with comparable PSAT/SAT/ACT scores.  Once I read the profiles of schools of which I fell in range, I focused on schools that had strength in my potential major (Fisk Guide states the notable majors in each school). 

            Subsequently, I’ll look on the websites of the schools that interest me.  Most of the websites are quite similar so I focus on the webpage for my major and I compare curriculums. 

If a school interests me, I will visit.  When I visit, I find it useless to compare such superficial elements such as athletic facilities and dorm amenities since they are very similar between almost all schools.  However, there was an instance where a dorm room was so inhospitable that I immediately decided against even applying.

During the information session, I focus on student-teacher ratio and the amount of Teaching Assistants present. Additionally, I don’t focus on faculty that won prestigious awards (for example, Noble Prizes).  Often, those professors don’t teach undergraduates and if they do, they usually do so in very large classes.

I use the tour to talk with current students about admissions, the environment and academics at a particular school.  Usually, I gauge a school (in one respect) by the random students I speak to on campus.  No matter how great the school appears to be on paper, if the students do not seem to be intelligent and friendly, I disregard it as possibility. 

This process is quite time consuming and costly if one considers travel.  Hopefully, this whole process will pay off next year when decisions arrive.     

More Pamphlets

Another pile of college pamphlets arrived, each illuminating how "different" and "amazing" their college is.  After I scan the pile for a second, I immediately throw them out.  Glossy catalogues made by marketing teams hired to decrease the acceptance rate of their respective institutions no longer impresses me. 

    At first, receiving these brochures was exciting.  Who wouldn't get excited with a letterhead from Harvard or Yale saying that your PSAT scores were "outstanding"? However, fairly quickly I realized that there were about 50,000 of us "outstanding" test takers and a combined total of 2,000 spaces (for Harvard and Yale). 

   Occasionally, I will find some useful information in these pamphlets.  For instance, Carnegie Mellon's brochure included admissions statistics about each of its undergraduate schools.  Additionally, I had never heard of Washington University of Saint Louis until I received a booklet from the school.  I further researched and am now considering applying. 

   Ultimately though, all the booklets say the same things: academics, research, study abroad and fun.  School visits are essential to really see if the school is right.   

Discontent with Nothing

Last week, my AP and IB exams finally concluded.  Although the end did bring us much relief, it did not make us any happier.  In fact, many in my class have grown restless.  Maybe it’s because we are frustrated to be stuck inside during while the weather is so beautiful or maybe we have spent too much together, but everyone lately has been snippy; we’re constantly at one another’s throats. 

            It feels now as if we have no purpose.  Since our tests are over, classes seem to lose their significance.  We just seem to be doing activities to pass the time.  I know some believe that we should study for the joy of learning, which is noble.  However, it’s quite difficult to adjust from working towards a test to working for the love of the subject.  Additionally, when grades have so much bearing upon our futures, it’s very difficult for us to truly be passionate about what we’re learning.   

             As much as we hate to admit it, we cannot stand just performing various tasks without a reason or doing nothing at all.  Perhaps because during the year (by year, I mean before our AP and IB tests) we were all working for a common objective, we were able to be civil.   

APs and IBs

            The sun is glistening, it’s finally warm, yet many of my friends are greatly stressing.  Of course, the seniors I have class with aren’t (or at least shouldn’t be), but for my fellow juniors, AP and IB (International Baccalaureate) testing is an extremely trying time.  It’s astonishing how the material we studied for months all comes down to a matter of hours. 

            But can this mere number, a single digit, we receive as a score truly state whether we have mastered a supposedly college-level course?  These tests only take into account what we know, rather than how we learned it.  From the impressions of college I’ve obtained so far, it seems that the latter is far more significant.

            In today’s competitive admissions environment, AP courses are a catch 22.  Many take them because others take them, thereby creating a vicious cycle.  Challenging courses are selected not because of passion for the subject, but because they would look good on a transcript.  As great as it would be to truly focus on the areas on loves, no one wants to risk their chance at a prestigious school.      

The Joy of Spring Break

Ah, spring is in the air; flowers are in bloom, the sun is shinning and we can  finally take off those heavy layers.  So how will I use this free time in the gorgeous weather?  By studying, of course. 

            Nothing compares to the delight I feel every time I open my heavy AP Bio textbook, flip through my IB Math textbook or complete another SAT practice test. 

As fortunate as I am to have the pleasure of studying for various IB and AP tests, I am also blessed with a major project.

            Obviously, it hasn’t been all fun and books.  I have been dragged out of my room to participate in some of those grueling, typical teenage activities such as shopping and partying.  I’ve even left the comforts of my room for tennis, biking and running. 

            Yet, the vast majority of my time is spent in here, in my room, books spraweled along the floor and much to be accomplished. 

An Anniversary of Evil

I was eating lunch with some of my friends yesterday (Thursday afternoon), when the principal made an announcement over the loudspeaker: “All students, please grab your belongings and evacuate to the middle school immediately.” Within minutes, the entire student body had walked to the middle school, as we all waited anxiously to found out what could possibly be going on. We found out we had received a bomb threat- someone wrote some type of threatening messaging somewhere on school property. We were told that the bomb squad was checking the school, and we’d be returning shortly.

Not quite so.

Around a half hour later, we were told we were being dismissed. There was too much at stake to allow us to return back to school. Cheering erupted, naturally, and my friends and I immediately dashed to my friend’s car to take advantage of our day off. Yet, singing along to the radio suddenly did not seem to be the antidote to my suppressed feelings. Personally, I was enraged. I was embarrassed. I was beyond confused. In the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, who actually had the sick mind to threaten our school like this? Better yet, in the wake of the April 16^th Virginia Tech massacre, the anniversary of the April 19^th, 1995 Oklahoma City bombings and the anniversary of the April 20^th, 1999Columbine shootings, who would be so spiteful, so insidious, so depraved, to disrespect such tragedies like this? School should be a haven away from the dangers of the outside world, and suddenly this place seems more formidable than ever.                           

Now, here I am on a Friday morning writing this. School was canceled, as a result of the combination of the bomb threats, the VA Tech massacre, and the anniversary of the Columbine shootings. My teachers’ schedules have been thrown off entirely, senior photos for next year’s yearbook were canceled (we were supposed to have them today), and our holiday vacations have been shortened. And even these aspects seem trivial when we think about the larger picture- the entire notion of how corrupt and sick-minded some people can be. Additional sleep was nice, but the additional reminder of how sinister some people are was not.

The Big Picture

When I walked out of the ACT testing center on Saturday, I had every intention to write about the pain high school juniors must endure to gain admission to college.  I had every intention to write about the hot room, the lack of a clear positioned clock and the stress.

However, on my way home, I realized how unimportant my tests are in the scheme of things.  As my dad was driving, we noticed this beautiful Lamborghini on our left.  In it, there was a boy, about my age, and his father.  Suddenly, the father sped up and hit a telephone poll.  The car revolved around a few times.  The light fell off the poll.  Glass shattered everywhere.  I dialed 911 ran out of the car to find the passengers covered in blood.

            Suddenly, my problems seem miniscule in comparison to the fragility of life.  Maybe we should focus more on enjoying and experiencing life rather than spending so much time just going through the motions.