<p>I stopped using MS Word since the page lengths were deceivingly long, with LaTeX output, which halves length and is easier to read.</p>
<p>But seriously, I wouldn't do TAP if I had to leave my beloved, familiars or family. I wouldn't quit my job to do TAP. UCLA/Berkeley isn't worth all of that to me.</p>
<p>Heres a Solution, I live in the central valley so Money made and my expenses are cheaper than say someone that lives in the 408 or in LA</p>
<p>I work 3 to 4 days a week as a Waiter, at a little Mexican Resturant, about 3-5 hours a shift at night from 4:30-9 pm and I make over 1600 dollars a month.
I make on average 90-120 dollars in tips then like every two weeks 190-220 for my checks. RESTAURANTS are very FLEXIBLE in regards to school cause A most College/ Senior high school students work at them, and B a Full time shift is considered 4-5 hours. I just think half of you are in the wrong market paying for school. just my 2 cents.</p>
<p>I wasn't using Ms word, Well for me living in a low income family ( less than 15k a year) going to the best school and allocating the best job prospects is the American Dream for me, I want to be able to provide for my entire family, If my nephew is eager to go to college when he's older and his parent's can't afford it, go talk to his uncle I'll hook him up. That's my dream and I need to take every measure to get to that point.</p>
<p>That makes no sense at all, you just said you make 1600/month which amounts to almost 20k.</p>
<p>only a percentage of tips is counted as revenue on my taxes. so get your facts straight.</p>
<p>My apologies, I thought those figures were post-tax. You seemed to have missed the important step--means of accumulating wealth.</p>
<p>Maybe as a math major I can come in and qualify everything perfectly. (;</p>
<p>You choose a course of action based on cost and reward. Simple economics, if the reward outweighs the cost then you go for it. Now, everyone has an option to pursue TAP, and for everyone it would provide roughly the same (great) reward, but for some it's much more costly.</p>
<p>Joe Schmuckatelli just graduated HS, lives at home with his parents in Palo Alto, and can enroll in a TAP program without a problem. Joe Blow lives in Palm Springs, has a fair amount of debt to service, pays rent, doesn't have the skills to do anything but his current day job or a minimum wage part time job, will work every bit as hard as Schmuckatelli at community college and get better grades, but will make the proper economical decision not to enroll in a TAP program because it would simply be too costly.</p>
<p>So, now Joe Blow is wondering if it's fair that despite their equivalent investment in college J. Schmuckatelli is able to attain a silver bullet for admissions at a much lower personal cost.</p>
<p>That's an econ101 analysis. D:</p>
<p>And the contention has already been made and accepted that TAP isn't for everyone because of varying circumstances. Might I implore that you not belabor the point?</p>
<p>Well, Logos, I emphasized the neglected subtelties that I felt were consequential. Furthermore, identifying an argument as fundamental economics does not weaken it...nor does the addition of a frowny face.</p>
<p>
[quote]
And the contention has already been made and accepted that TAP isn't for everyone because of varying circumstances. Might I implore that you not belabor the point?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I can not answer your question because it relies on a false premise.</p>
<p>I would say that TAP for Mt. SAC did not either meet my schedule nor was I able to complete the 6 courses required. I was not invited into the honors program until my 3rd semester there, so I had already taken a lot of the GE classes. I wouldn't have done it either way though. UCB doesn't accept TAP, so maybe my GPA would have suffered if I took TAP along with work, family obligations, and gym. I do think that chances with TAP are ridiculous. A 3.3-3.5 student can be as competitive as a 3.8-4.0 student? That's a joke. I've had many professors in non-honors classes that assign more homework and papers than honors courses. I can say this because many of my classmates take honors classes and inform me of the coursework. And I'm also sure that there are other cases were the honors professors give huge loads. However, the students that are able to get high GPAs are able to take honors and get 3.5 also. Whats the difference? Students on TAP don't have to worry about decisions because it is pretty much written in stone. Either way, I don't hate on people who take the TAP route because they will not be more or less competitive than me in the eyes of Cal. I applaud people who are able to get into their #1 choice on TAP. </p>
<p>
If you really think that, I feel sorry for you. I have not seen anyone else on this forum be that harsh. For the most part, people on this forum are able to clean up their tone and not crush people. Also, karabear1 contributes a lot on the UCB forums. What do you do? Bash on people? Thanks but we don't need that.</p>
<p>3.4 TAP is not necessarily equivalent to a 3.8 w/o.
So I'm surprised that one person would say they would accept the 3.8 over the 3.4.</p>
<p>My friend has a 3.4 w/ TAP. Her GPA isn't affected much by TAP. If her GPA is low, it's because she did poorly in her language classes (both B's, both 5-unit classes-- you know how it affects you). They were not TAP classes. If you think the TAP classes pulled these two classes down, you're wrong. (She took them in the 6-week semester).</p>
<p>Some people are just confident that they don't need to waste their time with TAP to get in, or just work even harder to look that much more competitive. It's horrible that some people should need to worry because they didn't invest their time and take advantage of the system when they did fairly well in their academics, but you know... they need to just suck it up and wait for the decisions.</p>
<p>I agree to the thread starter. I think TAP is easier than what the program sounds like. TAP at my school was relatively easy. Honors courses were merely an extra term paper due at the end of the quarter. However, there were those really hard honors classes that required a lot more. But one could just take the easy honors classes and get by.</p>
<p>With such competition, community colleges should require more from a student in TAP.With more and more competitive applicants, I can see UCLA getting rid of TAP in the next several years (just like Cal got rid of their transfer program).</p>
<p>I honestly think that TAP is a joke, at least from my perspective. I know a lot of people who were really cocky about it and I didn't participate in it because i thought at my school (De Anza) it lacked integrity. You take the same classes as everyone else and just do one extra essay? That honestly doesn't seem as if though in my eyes it counts as "honors." </p>
<p>I took honors/AP classes in high school and they were taught completely different from "regular" classes; they were actually challenging.</p>
<p>Am I against TAP people? not really. If you want to take honors classes and have a minimum gpa...do whatever you think you need to get accepted. </p>
<p>I am not TAP certified or whatever and i honestly don't care. I have a high gpa (3.98), work full time, and manage to do community service. I don't need TAP to get into UCLA or Cal and I am sure a lot of you don't need it either.</p>
<p>De Anza is not TAP certified, btw</p>
<p>"I honestly think that TAP is a joke, at least from my perspective. I know a lot of people who were really cocky about it and I didn't participate in it because i thought at my school (De Anza) it lacked integrity. You take the same classes as everyone else and just do one extra essay? That honestly doesn't seem as if though in my eyes it counts as "honors.""</p>
<p>haha i hate it when people are part of some club/org/program and they think they are superior.</p>
<p>TAP is as much as you make of it: one is admitted individual time with a professor to do just about anything with the barest minimum of a term paper. In honors classes, one will know their professor much better relative to a non-honors class, and will able to do work formerly impossible at a community college. It's less about students not working than professors being able to lead non-introductory classes at the community-college level.</p>
<p>At worst, one will be grouped with (other?) people of dubious intent, but not underachievers; at best, you'll find an academically motivated student base (at a community college?!?). I'd say there are definitely fewer of the latter and most fitting the former description, but it's the few people that make TAP fun.</p>
<p>Of course, if one's just in it for the admissions edge, TAP is potentially disappointing.</p>
<p>I'm picking up the general consensus that that the TAP program does indeed have it's share weaknesses and flaws. The fact is most TAP classes aren't more difficult than the original course other than requiring an extra essay or so. Furthermore, I find that several TAP professors aren't inherently more qualified than their non-TAP colleagues, nor do they push their students any harder (or any less).</p>
<p>Given this information, wouldn't you guys agree that TAP is weighted upon too heavily? </p>
<p>One person mentioned that he would choose a 3.4 with TAP over a 3.8 without it... Are you kidding me?... I hope that was a gross exaggeration...</p>
<p>I agree that TAP should give applicants an edge, but only within the boundary of a single GPA point (given all other factors between 2 competitors, TAP and non-TAP, are equivalent)</p>
<p>"One person mentioned that he would choose a 3.4 with TAP over a 3.8 without it... Are you kidding me?... I hope that was a gross exaggeration..."</p>
<p>thats what i thought.</p>
<p>here's a perfect example with identical majors.</p>
<p>NO TAP: EXHIBIT A.</p>
<p>04-30-2007, 07:00 PM #7
HeavyMetalG0d
Junior Member</p>
<p>Accepted: UCI UCB
Rejected: UCLA
Applied from: Santiago Canyon College
Major: UCI- Bizecon, UCLA UCB-econ
Cumulative GPA: 3.77
Transferrable GPA: 3.77
Relevant transfer programs: IGETC (no TAP)
Relevant EC's: Biz club- VP, leadership seminars
Work Experience: Waiter
Essay: Talked about a business I created and its relationship to economics, going to night classes while in high school and investing.
Comments: This is my first year out of high school and I applied as a junior. I took night classes while in high school.</p>
<p>WITH TAP, EXHIBIT B. NOTICE THE 3.56 GPA TAP > 3.77 NON TAP</p>
<p>iwanttogotoauc
Junior Member</p>
<p>Accepted: UCI, UCSB, UCSD, UCLA, UCB
Rejected: NONE
Applied from: Orange Coast College
Major: Economics
Cumulative GPA: 3.56 +/. .05
Transferrable GPA: 3.56 +/- .05
Pre-Req's completed: All
Relevant transfer programs: Honors Program (TAP)
Relevant EC's: Study abroad trip to Paris. Attempted to start a club, but it failed.
Work Experience: 20/hrs week at fathers business.
Essay: wrote about how I want to be a doctor. My experience in france. my ex girlfriend.</p>
<p>NO GROSS EXAGGERATION THERE.
There are many more like that I've found in those admission decisions threads, go ahead and look for yourself.</p>
<p>What exactly are you trying to prove?</p>