Tasp 2007

Pre-College Topics Summer Programs
2281

<p>You guys are all amazing.
Essays for Sheep:</p>

<p>Critical Analysis: I wrote about Doris Lessing's The Grass is Singing. I'm not entirely sure why. In retrospect, I think I could have said more...probably too much like a summary. 1.80 pages</p>

<p>Topic of interest: Too painful to comprehend...makes me want to cry when I think of it. Ah, well. Something strange about the negative influence of the American media. Sooooooooo bad...not even a page, probably.</p>

<p>Personal Conflict: About my personal disillusionment and living with someone who's bipolar. Not very pretty....This could have been better, too, although it wasn't as much of a nightmare as my second essay. 1.80 pages</p>

<p>Future Education: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" sort of thing. I actually like this one, because I spent the most time on it. I started it earliest, actually. 1.75 pages</p>

<p>Book List: I read too much. 1.70 pages</p>

<p>Rankings: Cornell II topped my list. Second was U Michigan, third was Cornell I, fourth was U Texas, and last (I don't like this one. I'll be honest) Wash U.</p>

<p>I started the application on Wednesday of last week, which means I probably won't get in. Ah, well. I can dream, can't I? :)</p>

<p>Sheep</p>

2282

<p>Hmm I also applied to a summer program at Brown that I really want to attend in case I don't get accepted to TASP. My essays went...</p>

<p>Literary Analysis: Analyzed Jeffrey Eugenides' "The Virgin Suicides" on how it reflects society and its need to overanalyze every emotion and event that occurs (which I guess is kind of hypocritical of me now that I look back on it). About 2 pages, I'm really proud of it since my lit. anals usually turn out... anal.</p>

<p>Topic in a field of interest: Human apathy, its (probable) causes, and related it to myself by talking about my mother and my views on it regarding how society views environmental issues. Pretty good, I liked the topic but I didn't do a good job editing it so not really sure how I feel about it. 2 pages</p>

<p>Personal Conflict: Not as an important conflict, but I talked about how my best friend stole last year's bio-chem final and cheated on the test, and how being a spectator in the event changed my perspective on how schools function nowadays and the increasing need to look perfect on paper, just so a college will accept you, 2 pages.</p>

<p>Future Objectives: Talked about how moving from Dallas TX to Seattle WA changed my life, the influence Seattle had on beginning my love of environmental studies and architecture, especially Frank Gehry. 1.5 pages of ramble.</p>

<p>Book List: 1 page, nothing special... I wish I could've had more time to read this past year.</p>

<p>Rankings: Wrote it on the last day so definitely rushed but tried to relate it personally... hopefully this one's not as important haha.
WUSTL
Austin
Michigan
Cornell I
Cornell II</p>

2283

<p>Okay, I'll bite:</p>

<p>Critical Analysis: Dissected the main arguments of The Empty Cradle by Phillip Longman and showed why population decline won't have negative economic and social impacts.</p>

<p>Topic of Interest: Philosophy of social science. Explained why Popperian falsification can't work in the social sciences and why a replacement is necessary, and elaborated on what one could look like.</p>

<p>Personal conflict: This one huge argument I had with a friend over some intellectual dispute, and why I decided to concede the point to preserve the friendship.</p>

<p>Future objectives: My obsessive interest in international relations theory and desire to become an academic in that field.</p>

<p>Book list: Lots of non-fiction; nary a novel in the lot.</p>

<p>Rankings: Cornell I, Michigan, Texas, Cornell II, WashU. Explained exactly how much I love Cornell I, my moderate liking of Michigan and Texas, and my dislike of Cornell II and WashU.</p>

2284

<p>oh wow everyone seemed to be written a lot..mine were only about 1.5 pgs long, and my crit. analysis was exactly 1.5
does tasp seem to prefer when you write more?</p>

2285

<p>Essays 1-4 were just under two pages, and the ranking was closer to 1.7 pages.</p>

<p>Critnal: An excerpt of Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.</p>

<p>Topic of Interest: Gay marriage (argued in favor, duh)</p>

<p>Personal Conflict: I took the option on this one of writing about a time when I positively impacted a situation. Talked about how my friends and I raised money to donate to the Cheetah Conservation Fund when we were in 5th grade.</p>

<p>Future Objectives: Talked about how I've been interested in science/medicinen from a young age, and how compatible my life is with a medical career. Talked about the humanitarian & scientific parts of being a doctor, and how my choices are preparing me for all that.</p>

<p>Booklist: a few dozen titles, not very lengthy.</p>

<p>Rankings: Wrote a big fatty paragraph or two on each one, except for my last two choices (Cornell I and II)-- they shared a paragraph (XD, don't ask how, but they did). My first choices: tie between Michigan and Texas, 3rd choice WashU.</p>

2286

<p>Jeez. I feel solid about my first three, but you all used the 4th and 5th as further chances to express yourselves. I went the lame route on both. Bleh.</p>

<p>Critnal: 1.75 pages: I wrote about John Donne's poem Valediction Forbidding Mourning, analyzing it literally line to line. I tried to elaborate on the metaphysical conceits in it without using pretentious literary gabble, like vehicle and tenor. I tried to make a (hidden) point that the poem isn't really about death; it's about the mystery of distance. Blah blah blah.</p>

<p>Topic: EXACTLY 2 pages: I initially wrote four single-spaced pages and by manipulating margins and cutting some beautiful imagery (T_T) and details, I got it down to the required length. I wrote about geisha and prostitution (as everyone knows by now, probably) and how historically and economically this is a misconception. I gave a lot of background info into the original culture of the japanese courtesan, the evolution of the geisha, and the origin of the fallacy. Yep.</p>

<p>Personal: EXACTLY 2 pages: The length just fell into place here. I sat down one night, inspired to get at least one essay done, and WROTE it, and then I was done. It was about my trainwrecked mind in 9th grade, the two years I spent in therapeutic boarding school rescuing my personality, and the changes the whole experience enacted on me as a person. Plus I threw in a brief summary of the six months I took off from March '06 to September '06 as a recoup session after two years of intense therapy. I hope my readers keep an open mind; often, immature teenagers I tell about this get freaked out. No one at my current school knows the true story. =O</p>

<p>Future Plans: .5 pages (LOL): I kept this simple. Just a brief summary of what I want to major in, the level of education I'm looking at, and potential career choices.</p>

<p>Book List: I picked a tiny portion of what I read this past year (I finish about two books a week...the whole list wasn't going on there.) and wrote a little about my impressions of each. I tried to display a range of reading, from japanese pop lit (Haruki and Ryu Murakami, READ THEM) to the classics (P&P, was blown away by the chick lit in elegant prose.)</p>

<p>Preferences: 1 page EXACTLY: I raved about Cornell II for about half a page, talking about my background studying the 15th and 16th centuries, offered some brief explainations as to my #2 and 3 (Cornell I and UT Austin), and then LAMBASTED Michigan and WashU. I reeeaaallllyyy don't want to do either of those because I hate race discussion (I feel bad, even though my ancestors were picking potatoes in Lithuania and getting killed by Cossacks during the slave years and indian oppression...yeah, I'm jewish) and a summer in St. Louis makes me itch. Great city, but no me gusta the midwest.</p>

<p>There you are...my essay topics. I'm so impressed at the range of topics everyone got from the same prompts! And all so well-written! I think Telluride should publish a collection of the best essays from the past years. What good reading, judging from the selection of the essay orgies I've participated in. =O</p>

<p>Crimson, what is popperian falsification? I looked in up on google and got more confused. Comisar: you'll definately have stuff to talk about with your interviewer, considering your topics. Good job. =D</p>

2287

<p>lmao iriseyes. you are hilarious. </p>

<p>p.s. you guys are scaring me with all your essays. holy crap. but [applauds] awesome job, everyone.</p>

2288

<p>lol, why thank you roam.</p>

2289

<p>iriseyes - It's the idea, thought of by Austrian philosopher Karl Popper, that a scientific theory is one that can be proven wrong - that is, one that is falsifiable. While most natural scientists accept it, I argue it makes little sense in social science.</p>

2290

<p>Iriseyes, I did the same thing with my future plans, don't worry! I'm scared after reading about all yours. Anyway, my essays were...</p>

<p>Critical analysis (just less than 2 pages): Analyzed U2's song "Until the End of the World." I talked about how while it seems like a simple loved-and-lost song on the surface, the actual meaning runs deeper. Explored how the entire song is actually a metaphor for Jesus/Judas and how the comparison runs so deep that most never notice it.</p>

<p>Topic (just at 2 pages): Pretty simple. Talked about the extreme partisanship that runs throughout all levels of United States government. I then discussed what could theoretically happen if this was not fixed, and also what steps the voters could take to fix it. This was my hardest essay to write, but I also think it turned out best.</p>

<p>Conflict (exactly 2 pages): My most personal essay. I talked about how my well-loved parish priest, who I had a really close relationship with (no sick jokes, please?), was transferred two years ago and how I had to deal with his less than desirable replacement. I did NO rewrites on this...what flowed when I wrote it stayed. I think it was more emotional that way. Hey, it made my mom cry, so I think I did my job.</p>

<p>Future plans (half a page): Okay, this scares me. I, like iriseyes, did a basic outline. I talked about what I'm interested in, my college plans, grad plans, and why I want to do all of those things. I didn't feel a need to go further in depth than that.</p>

<p>Book List (full page): Not many books, maybe 20 or so? Showed my diversity this year, from Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope to Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time.</p>

<p>Rankings (.75 page): Just rankings and a quick paragraph on my decisions. For the record, it was Cornell I, WUSTL, UT, Michigan, and Cornell II.</p>

2291

<p>iriseyes-- really? Awesome. I thought they all sounded canned and unoriginal.</p>

2292

<p>Lit Crit- A Separate Peace, kinda bland, 1.5 pages</p>

<p>Topic- Limitations to creativity, probably my best, 1.7? pages</p>

<p>Personal Conflict-On some other essay I wrote, not very personal. a little less than 2 pages</p>

<p>Futures- Turned into a resume listing. Very very bad. A page and a paragraph.</p>

<p>Book list- About a page and a book. I deleted some books I didn't want to talk about.</p>

<p>Seminars- 1 page</p>

<p>Rankings: WashU, Cornell II, Cornell I, UT Austin, Michigan</p>

<p>I kind of did three of these on the last day, so I'm pretty disappointed with how a lot of them turned out. I didn't find out about the application until that week though.</p>

2293

<p>Oh, this thread is just too hard to resist. And everyone's essays sound soooo cool(<---what a great adjective)! I'm afraid mine aren't deep/philosophical/political at all. Oh well.</p>

<p>Critical Analysis: (2 pages) On Mikhail Lermontov's "Death of a Poet". The poem is very dramatic/passionate since it was written in response to the brutal death of another famous and esteemed Russian poet. I absolutely love the poem itself, but I'm afraid my analysis may have failed to do it justice.</p>

<p>Topic of Choice: (1.8 pages) I wrote about the common misconception that abstract art is "simple" or "easy" art. I myself do quite a bit of art in my free time, mostly abstract, so I'm always dissapointed to hear opinions from people who seem to think that abstract art is a lesser art form. In my essay, I tried to explain why abstract art is just as worthy as representational art. Hopefully, I was at least a little bit convincing.</p>

<p>Conflict: (2 pages) About how my cousin (whom I basically considered my other half) ended up getting engaged at age sixteen. The news came as a huge blow to me - I'd always had great plans for the pair of us and her premature marriage seemed utterly devastating at first. Eventually, I realised that we were both cut for different paths and I was able to accept her choice. In the essay itself, I tried to convey those feelings of hurt/betrayal and so this one was definitely the most personal thing I wrote. </p>

<p>Future Education: (1.5 pages) Discussed the struggle of being an ambitious woman coming from an extremely paternal/traditional culture. In my family, girls dont go to college or go to work - they just get married. So I talked about that for about a page. The rest was a blur. Because I myself have no solid answers about my future, this essay didn't discuss college/possible jobs a whole lot. More about my general desires and ambitions in life.</p>

<p>Book List: (1 page) Just a generic list. I didn't break into categories or anything.</p>

<p>Seminar Rankings: (1.75 Pages) Just went through each of the seminars and talked about my reactions to the various topics. I spent much longer on my first choice (Wash. U.) and just a paragraph or a few sentences on all the others.</p>

2294

<p>yay ink!!</p>

<p>i need to get off this thread and start being productive. as;lkdfasl;df</p>

2295

<p>^lol roam. my productivity level has dropped significantly in the past week or so. i don't remember who said it (probably 20 pages back or so) but this thread really is our demise. blah.</p>

2296

<p>Couldn't resist. Here's how it went down for me:</p>

<p>Critical Analysis (2 pages): Kenneth Fearing's "Love 20 Cents The First Quarter Mile" (poem). Basically, I discussed the various poetic devices (lack of imagery, major use of voice, etc.), punctuation, sound devices, symbols, themes, etc. etc. I might have overanalyzed this poem, lmao. </p>

<p>Issue (2 pages): A discussion of our generation which is deemed the "iGeneration." I explain how our generation's drive for success has permeated into every aspect of our lives, be it moral, aesthetic, or psychological. Our generation always seems to have an agenda and is extremely goal-oriented, as opposed to previous generations. I cite numerous examples from pop culture like Little Miss Sunshine, Jack's Mannequin, Jay-Z, etc.</p>

<p>Conflict (2.1 pages): Essentially, I discuss my life(long)'s conflict, which is that I am a writer merely going through life without a story. I state how I am a child of suburbia who finds it difficult to find conflict in paradise. I constantly search for something truly noteworthy in my life, which is escalated into a lifelong pursuit. I make use of creative writing by writing a short short SHORT story (diary entry) using my mom's experiences in Vietnam during the Vietnam War and explain how her story has enhanced my own story, because, as I discover at the end of the essay, my family's legacy is something that I carry with me as part of my lifelong "story."</p>

<p>Future Plans (2 pages):Outlined my life's philosophies and my general perspective of life. I discuss my love of writing in all forms (academic, business, creative, journalism, etc etc.) and my natural tendency to just take in everything that the world has to offer me. I enumerate some ecs and previous summers which have influenced how I grew into this. I also relate "la vie boheme" or the bohemian life to what I believe is the ideal life ("do what you like, live your passion").</p>

<p>Book list (0.8 page): I listed 25 books. Not that many since I haven't been reading much what with school and all that. I have a lot of school books. I'm a bit concerned with this one.</p>

<p>Rankings (2.1 pages):
1- WUSTL
2- Michigan
3- UT-Austin
4- Cornell I
5- Cornell II</p>

<p>Discussion of each topic, no real rejection of any one seminar.</p>

<p>Dang that took forever to type up.</p>

2297

<p>47 calculus problems sit </p>

<p>beside me begging for attention</p>

<p>The Art of Fiction sits</p>

<p>in front of me begging on behalf of my lang grade</p>

<p>my laptop sits</p>

<p>on me luring me to the timetrap known as CC</p>

<p>my mind stands</p>

<p>and runs away in fear as I read about your essays</p>

<p>so much for quitting CC</p>

2298

<p>Math homework? Me too.
It sits undone. I'm clueless.
Chem test tomorrow.</p>

<p>(HAH, mine is in haiku form.)</p>

2299

<p>I'll join in. =)</p>

<p>Critical Analysis (2): I had such a hard time with this one. I couldn't think of a book to analyze and I wasn't creative enough to think of a song, poem, movie, etc. (although I probably wouldn't have thought of one either, hah). I ended up taking a look at my book list and realizing that Joseph Conrad's The Secret Sharer fit in pretty nicely with my other essays; I wrote an essay comparing the way the "plot" of the story and what happens during the whole thing directly relates to how we keep secrets from society and how we act when we're keeping them. My fear is that because I focused so much on using the events of the story as the basis of my analysis I'll be docked for making it too much of a summary. </p>

<p>Issue (2): The one I dreaded writing the most, I think this one came out better than most of my other ones. I wrote on a process I usually call normalization (not a real term, though)-- the way society forces us to conform, willingly or unwillingly, both knowingly and not, to different constructions. I focused mainly on gender and sexuality (bah, it's gonna seem like I'm obsessed), showing how we grow up being forced into certain identities. I wrote a bit on the impacts of these constructed identities, and I described how even the way we communicate reemphasizes these identities. Kinda jumbled, but that's how my brain works, unfortunately. =)</p>

<p>Conflict (1 2/3): I wrote about coming out and how it has completely changed my views on Religion, how it's affected my family life, etc. I don't like it much, even though it should have been my strongest. It could have been more personal I1 guess, but I kinda have issues opening up and doing it on a piece of paper is even harder. It still makes me uncomfortable, too. =/</p>

<p>Future (1): Written pretty conversationally, I divided it into Senior year, College, and Career. I actually admitted that college isn't an absolute Must for me (in case I somehow shoot to fame my Senior year. =P), but from there I went normally into describing a career in either Math/Science or International Relations. I'm kicking myself for not mentioning my interest in theology and the history of religion, but it's alright. =)</p>

<p>Book List (1.5): Divided by how much of the book I've read, hahaha. Most of the books I put down are school books, unfortunately, but I was able to list a few periodcals. I put CNN.com on there, actually, although I did mention real magazines. </p>

<p>Choices (1 1/3) - Cornell I and then UT Austin as my main choices. I wrote a paragraph for each seminar telling why I would or wouldn't like them, although I admitted that I'd probably have a good time at all of them. </p>

<p>Hmm... looking back at my app, I feel pretty inadequate. =P</p>

2300

<p>I like your haiku Lauren. I counted the sylls. Abotu 10 times. Realizing that your 2nd line really was 7sylls. not 6 as I thought. <em>doh</em></p>

<p>Arthur I would feel inadequate too. I just dont think you stack up. Normalization could basically sum up your trite and unoriginal Essays. Last time I checked 10 ppl wrote their Critanal on Secret Sharer.</p>

<p>LOL JP JP TOTAL 100% SARCASIM!!!</p>

<p>Good Luck :-D</p>