<p>i hadn't heard that, but it seems plausible enough. i do know that there was no complete dictionary of the english language at that time, meaning that he had to choose what words to use completely from memory. that's one of the reasons he made up so many words--there were no set standards for the english language. his vocabulary must have impressively large.</p>
<p>(i love random trivia.)</p>
<p>That doesn't change the way I feel about him.</p>
<p>Didn't you guys like my cornucopia of words for "hate."</p>
<p>yea, very cute. but shakespear is better in theory than in practice. i haven't met many who 'enjoy' reading shakespear.</p>
<p>no, i can't honestly say i'd choose hamlet for a relaxing moment on the beach. but i do think that shakespeare is an important part of english-speaking culture, and that an educated person should have a basic familiarity with his work, like it or not.</p>
<p>I'm not familiar with Shakespeare at all, and sparknoted my way through the few items of Hamlet I had to actually know.</p>
<p>I think I'd rather read something cool, like Da Vinci Code or even 1984</p>
<p>agreed and agreed</p>
<p>the da vinci code isn't exactly the epitome of good writing (stylistically speaking). to each his own, of course.</p>
<p>To be truthful the Da vinci code is a hyped up made for movie book that just criticises the catholic church. Give me Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood. Now thats a good read.</p>
<p>Spydertennis...although you point out some truths among many high school students, you might look too obvious to admissions ppl...they see 1000s of applicants and are eager to reject those that do stuff just to get into college so be CAREFUL...</p>
<p>oh thank you so much Hyper 2400, I wasnt going to be careful before you told me too but now I definitely will! You might have saved my entire college application process!</p>
<p>Whatever, I still like Da Vinci Code much more than Hamlet or whatever</p>
<p>yes high school is a bunch of bs...thank you for telling me something i didnt already know..</p>
<p>I have news for all of you! Take spyder for example, who did a lot of something he didn't really care about, just to get into college.</p>
<p>All he writes on the application is what he did, and maybe in his essay why he did it. The adcom has absolutely no way of telling whether or not he really cared about it.</p>
<p>Humans have the power to show fallacious passion. Admissions committees are not full of psychologists awho are going to dissect what someone says in person or on an application, as long as the person is a qualified applicant.</p>
<p>on that subject...why go to school? Don't do it for anything! I don't LIKE going to school. Why do it? :) LOL</p>
<p>While spyder's cynicism and haste to criticize others is disconcerting, there is an important point that a lot of people seem to be missing: college admissions officers are not omniscient, trancendental gods. If someone intelligently "fakes a passion" (a rather ambiguous phrase, in my opinion), they won't be able to tell. They aren't magical.</p>
<p>My point exactly. An admissions officer is a human being, who chose that field. He or she is not a god, who will condemn you to the food service industry if you fake a passion because they know you did.</p>
<p>I don't think Spydertennis is the most tactful person I've ever met, but I try to understand his points for the good in them.</p>
<p>Spyder, let me know if you get into Harvard or what not, I'm honestly curious. I don't have any doubts that you will, especially with RSI, but it will certainly confirm my suspicions :D.</p>
<p>reminds me of this story i once heard...this kid worked his ass off in high school to get to harvard..and he got in. He realized that he had worked his entire life to get into college, and that he had wasted away his life. He jumped in front of a subway train and killed himself.</p>
<p>How can someone consider getting into Harvard a waste? That kid obviously had some problem and probably would've committed suicide sooner or later. "He had worked his entire life to get into college." You mean the four years he was in high school? For those of you opposed to working hard in high school, what would you rather do? Just kick back and relax? Not worry at all about getting into a good college? ...Well I suppose becoming a gardener isn't so bad.</p>
<p>Wait, he killed himself because he got into his goal school? What a moron. I'm pretty sure that is a fabrication either way.</p>