are they of literary worth? these are the ones i’m most comfortable talking themes, partly because i like them a Lot so i think about them quite a bit. i had looked up a few author lists which would Work for the exam but they seem to be more reading suggestions than anything comprehensive. these books are all considered to be of “literary worth”, i think. but collegeboard is a vague and mysterious entity so i wouldn’t count on my uninformed opinion.
would they make for good passages? which ones?
zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance
macbeth
the diary of a madman
midnight children
god of small things
my name is red
clockwork orange
remains of the day
catch 22
i’m not sure if we can do poetry? but i’ve memorised plath’s “lady lazarus”, have been looking at meanings and alternate meanings online for ages, and also have a lot of thoughts about it. i think i could do a very good analysis on it. i could also do the same for “mirror” but that’s shorter and “daddy” doesn’t quite hit me the same way as LL does. does that work?
i’m aiming for an AP 5 so “does it work”translates to “will it detract from my score?”basically,haha. also i’m self studying for my AP English Lit and am very lost.i have to finish prep in 3 months but i’m already sort of used to analysing books and poetry,although not in class because well,indian curriculum.but i scrawl analyses of poetry in the corners of my anthologies and write down thoughts about narrative themes after reading books???it’s not a lot but i can’t really choose.i would love advice on how to go about it.
uh. also i should mention i’m taking the AP for college admissions. basically i do read a Lot and write nearly as much but my EBRW score on the SAT was a bit lower than it is usually for the exam and ended up being a 750. i’m also considering majoring in creative writing and even if i don’t i think it’d end up being a very large part of my future anyway. i don’t really understand college credits so that’s not really my goal.
College admissions officers will not be impressed by self-studying for an AP. They want to see strong performance in a classroom not the ability to cram for an exam. I suggest you spend your time on something more valuable.
@happy1 the reason i was thinking of doing this is because i’ve taken PCM+comp sc. in the indian CBSE curriculum, and the English offered isn’t strong at all. i plan to do lib arts but i took PCM because humanities here is considered weak and i have decent enough scores in science and math. in this particular english curriculum, i’ve actually not been able to score as high as a few others who have arguably worse english than i do, partly because of the nature of memorisation and also because i’m new to the curriculum. the curriculum is basically “cram for an exam” like you said, and yeah, i’m not very good with that. is there an alternative way to showcase my skill with writing and analysis? do colleges allow for a writing portfolio in their submissions usually? i have quite a few poems and short stories i could use if that’s the case. @skieurope alright, thank you for the list.
I’d recommend that you read a lot of good books for pleasure, do the best that you can in all your classes in school, do creative writing and poetry for pleasure and submit them for publication in journals that accept submissions from high school students, and if it’s possible, take a college level English lit class while in high school. A 750 on the SAT English is fine - it’s high enough that it would not keep you out of any school that wanted you for other reasons, and an 800 in English would not make you much more attractive to any school that wanted you.
Are you a US citizen, or a US permanent resident? Is your family able to pay for college in the US for you? If the answer to these questions is no, please understand that the odds of getting admitted in the US with a lot of funding are low for you. Make sure that you plan for options for college in India, too.
If you are a US citizen/permanent resident, and are finding the curriculum in your school in India to be focused on memorization rather than analytic thinking, is it too late to change schools? Is there an American or British type school where you live?
Yes, you can submit a writing supplement with your applications. Make it short. Music supplements are supposed to be about 3 minutes long - so figure on submitting something that takes no more than 5 minutes to read, preferably 3 minutes.
thank you. there isn’t really an opportunity to take a college-level eng lit class here, but i would’ve loved to. do you think a certified online course on a platform like edX would work? i’m looking into journals that i can send my work to, but opportunities here are limited and publications by children aren’t taken seriously, whatever their quality may be.
no, i’m not a US citizen. i’m an indian, studying in a school in India. perhaps i should have mentioned that. i’m planning on applying to colleges here, of course, and a few in other countries as well.
Yes, you can submit a writing supplement…
thank you, this is great news. so a short story under 1000 words and one or two poems should do it, i think.
All I can tell you is that for my kid’s supplement to an Ivy, I think it was recommended 3 minutes of music. The admissions officers are looking at thousands of applications. It would need to be something that grabs them, immediately, and then is over. Remember, they’re already taking the time to read your essay(s).
Are you looking for financial aid? How much can your family afford to pay for college, each year, for four years for you?
yes i am looking for financial aid. i did put a post earlier detailing the costs: they can afford about $8K per year, including living costs etc. that’s why my aim’s a bit unrealistic, but i’m looking at safety schools here too.
since i last responded, i’ve found some publications which might accept my fiction writing and the editor of a leading national newspaper said that they’re open to publishing an article of mine - if it’s current and good enough - after seeing my fiction work. what other ECs would you recommend? i have a little less than a year to strengthen my portfolio.
thank you.
There are very few colleges in the US that meet full financial aid needs for foreign students, maybe a dozen at most, although there are a few more that will admit extraordinarily outstanding international students and award them a full ride, even though they are not need-blind for international students. Those that do will take one or two prodigies, maybe, from a country, and usually they’re in STEM fields. So effectively, you are in competition against all the other students in India from your year, from every field, every discipline.
Aside from having superb grades, and perfect or virtually perfect test scores (don’t forget to try a practice ACT, too, to see if you’re more suited to the ACT than the SAT - the English section of the ACT is supposedly easier for non-native speakers than is the SAT), you need something that really makes you stand out from the other students in India. It will be very competitive, but who knows? Maybe you are that good! You won’t know if you don’t try, and you do have almost a year to make your mark. For someone whose strength is creative writing, getting published and recognized, whether in India or outside of India, would definitely be helpful. The editor of a leading national newspaper there is willing to look at something of yours? That is fantastic. Are you interested in journalism? In investigative journalism? Could you come up with some investigative journalism topic that is relevant to young people in India, write a feature piece, and submit it to that leading national newspaper? If that were to get published, that is the sort of thing that could get you into a school here, especially one of the few liberal arts colleges that offer financial aid to international students.
Getting a piece of creative writing published and recognized, and having the schools see you as the next big creative writer to come out of India would be tougher, but that’s the sort of achievement that could possibly get you in with sufficient money. Every school in the US will have good creative writing classes - we’ve produced so many potential faculty members that the field is totally flooded, and any college has their pick of so many fantastic creative writing teachers.