<p>We had the class outside only once. The professor was a very emotional kind of guy, and one day just exclaimed that the weather was too beautiful to spend the time inside. He insisted we all go outside. So we lay on the lawn in the sun listening to him tell stories in Italian of his youth.</p>
<p>Ahh that sounds so nice.
Seriously, I think the grass was one of the reasons I fell in love with Princeton. When I visited, I couldn't stop exclaiming "oooh grass!" and I took off my shoes and started running the grass between my toes during the tour hehe
I am majorly grass-deprived, having lived in Beijing and New York.
The grass in Central Park is valuable real-estate and the lawns get SO crowded.</p>
<p>haha, sexicharmed, sounds like i'm out to seduce this whole board ; )</p>
<p>nopoisonivy -- i'm not sure, but i felt like it was redundant to talk about my EC's in the essays, cuz i basically dedicate alot of time to only two of them (violin & volleyball) and that already shows in the list part. i don't know how far i should stray from academics/EC's in the essay though; for example, is talking about a friend who got in a car accident wayyy too random a topic? haha i've gotten really good at BSing anything, a handy skill that comes in a package with IB.</p>
<p>ahaha, grass as a major incentive, that's a new one=) i'm grass-overloaded myself, in the suburbs of maryland. plus...i think i'm slightly allergic. boo. beijing/ny?! that's insane, i wouldn't be able to handle the hectic-osity. let's trade.</p>
<p>Brown has a decent amount of grass too. Though it's in a city, providence is pretty small.</p>
<p>Haha IB is a lot of BS. </p>
<p>I think you can talk about basically anything, as long as you stay focused to yourself. The biggest mistake, imo, is to go off on someone else (hence the danger in those "person who influenced you most" questions)</p>
<p>class outside made my freshman year. The last week of the spring semester-- it was perfect. And I only had one class outside (I <3 the sociology department), but just seeing all the classes outside on such nice days, it really highlights whats best about princeton. For those of you going-- just remember that in about february when the campus seems dreary and cold.</p>
<p>I really hate winters, but I'd always imagined Princeton to be a winterland paradise thing lol. Snow-covered gothic architecture...sigh</p>
<p>"The biggest mistake, imo, is to go off on someone else (hence the danger in those "person who influenced you most" questions)"</p>
<p>^ how are you supposed to answer those then? can't like, half of it be about them and then the rest about how they <em>changed</em> you?</p>
<p>man i hate being profound in papers
i also hate winter/snow, but i'll be a big girl and deal.</p>
<p>I'm not sure how helpful I can be, since I avoided those questions like the plague, but there isn't an exact breakdown involved...as long as someone reading ends up thinking "hmm I found out more about applicant suzie" rather than "oh now I know suzie's uncle's pant size but nothing about suzie" you know?</p>
<p>Oh man BSing is the best thing IB gave me.</p>
<p>hmm yeah i get you z'chia. i guess i've been looking at essays as also more of a way to showcase my writing style, instead of strictly to tell my life story or to explain my EC's or whatnot. (is this horribly wrong? should they just be all completely MEMEME ?)</p>
<p>haha max totally.. extended essay -- i'm like 5000 words into it and STILL don't know exactly what my topic is</p>
<p>The best part is, you can get a D on your EE and it won't matter. As long as you write it you pass. If you get an A or B, you can earn an extra credit or so, but really, it's useless at virtually every school. As long as you get over 24 you get your diploma.</p>
<p>Other than that I had fun enjoying my ultimately useless IB.</p>
<p>z'chia...I like that! that's a first, you're quite original semixcharmed!</p>
<p>Ok, here's what I think...I think that it helps to be a good writer with a good writing style, but only to the point that your essays flow and can be easily understood (and perhaps entertaining). But the MAIN JUICE of your essay should be "MEMEME." You want the colleges to think that you are a good person, talented, innovative, someone who can use their resources...someone who is a good fit for their school. And they're not just looking for good writers, so they definitely want a sense of you as a whole person, not just how good your writing style is. </p>
<p>So, yes, writing well is great, but if you have no substance as a person, it doesn't matter how pretty your sentences are. College essays should be honest and telling.</p>
<p>okay, that's a good way to put it. i'll keep that in mind. merci beaucoup. haha, i think i only shortened your username because the full thing perplexes me to no end=)</p>
<p>'enjoy' & 'IB' ...two words that should never be used in the same sentence</p>
<p>lol, I know, most people shorten it to zant/zante, but yours is by far the most creative!
It's actually the scientific name for calla lily.</p>
<p>now that's creative. mine's just one of my favorite songs.</p>
<p>another legacy question if anyone's still around - does it matter if my parents were grad or undergrad students? i heard that they value undergrad more, but i don't know. also, is legacy weaker if they don't really donate $$ to the school or have amazing network connections? disclaimer...i know that it doesn't guarantee anything and i'm NOT relying on legacy to get me in or anything. i'm just wondering if they prioritize different levels of it.</p>
<p>Umm I don't think grad school really counts as legacy. I mean, any connection's good but undergrad is definitely more "valuable" as far as legacy goes.
I don't think legacy is weaker if you don't donate, but it's stronger if you do...does that make sense?</p>
<p>Happy 7,000 zante! Woohoooo! Seems like I've seen that number before ;)</p>
<p>Anyways, I like all this talk of grass and Princeton. The quads were definitley some of its selling points for me. I heart Princeton, if I don't say that enough :)</p>
<p>semixcharmed - someone is almost always here on the Princeton board. Compare to the other Ivies....One of the charms of the place. Zante - congrats on the post count!</p>
<p>woahhh grad school doesn't really qualify as legacy? i never knew legacy just referred to undergrad only. anyone wanna back this up? :O</p>
<p>my post count is weak, but i'm a newbie...i think i'll hit 7000 in year 2067, when princeton like won't exist anymore.</p>
<p>yup, everything gets a lot of views...i just didn't think anyone would respond to add'l questions, seeing as how we weren't really discussing the original topic anymore. pleasantly surprised</p>
<p>Bite your tongue! Princeton will always exist!</p>
<p><em>dons black robe and returns to Princeton shrine</em></p>