<p>Oh, what's yours about, tennisdude? You're a junior right?</p>
<p>Yeah my essays blew, and I haven't done anything extraordinary, so...looks like I'm getting a job filing papers and being a general gofur at my doctor's office this summer? Also doing mucho rock climbing/concert going/chilling. What are all of your alternative summer plans?</p>
<p>Well, my family may go back to the states for a few weeks and visit relatives this summer, and if I'm not at tasp that's where I'll probably end up... We may take some other trips around Europe too, but nothing big--and my girlfriend is coming over for a couple of weeks sometime during the summer ^_^. Gah... It's been way too long since I've seen her. Other than that, I'll spend most of my time reading, writing, teaching myself calculus (assuming I'm still doing that by the summer), and painting/drawing (assuming I can actually switch my emphasis this semester from science/math to art).</p>
<p>So really, I'm doing nothing, but it might be a productive and worthwhile nothing.</p>
<p>In the (likely) event that I'm not accepted to TASP, want to either go to a Concordia language immersion camp (because I suck at spanish and wish I didn't) or a summer pre-college thing at Georgetown. I did the whole staying home/working full time thing last summer, so I'd like to get out of Colorado this time around.</p>
<p>i'm 99% sure i won't get in. instead, i might get a local research internship in neuroscience/psychology. i don't have it confirmed yet, but the professor i've been emailing seems open to the idea. i really hope it works out...because that would be amazing.</p>
<p>Applying to RSI and all those other summer internships. If worse comes to worse, I'll end up paying $$$$ to go to some program to do research.</p>
<p>Mm... that sounds like a cool idea..</p>
<p>Me? HOPEFULLY, TASP but just in case, RSI (pleeeeeeeeeeeease), This internship at JHU, some religious thing, some biology camp, or math camp. -___-</p>
<p>I'm so scared; I can't even think about my essays. As soon as I submitted mine, I remembered that I'm an AP scholar, since I took three AP's last year. Should I have put that on there? It's such a stupid award.</p>
<p>I wrote my critical essay on Lady Susan, by Jane Austen, with a really objective, formal tone. I kept the other ones looser, and wrote the issue one about CS Lewis and recent criticism maligning him, and the conflict one about my Newspaper teacher. I liked the critical essay one, but the other two were pretty bad... I think?</p>
<p>Anyway, just hoping and wishing for the interview. Ugh! Pins and needles until then.</p>
<p>I wrote about Catcher in the Rye by Salinger and about the need for society to accept the past and move on, etc. </p>
<p>Conflict, I wrote about how I dealt with my failures and continued on (haha, how cliche)</p>
<p>Issue, i wrote about violence and the noncahlence today's teenagers have against things in other places, and how selfish they are and the need for awareness.</p>
<p>Rank: WashU, CornellI, the romance, cultures, and then islam.</p>
<p>what else, there was the booklist..oh yeah. </p>
<p>the future; wrote about my dad and how his suffering helped me grow into a better humanitarian and want to help, etc. (doctor)</p>
<p>i analyzed "since feeling is first..." by e.e. cummings.
my conflict was about identity and moving every 4 years.
my issue was how militant vegetarian propaganda is counterproductive and makes other, less abrasive vegetarians look bad. or something.
i can't remember what i did for the other ones.</p>
<p>mine is about promoting physics learning & education. connecting higher level physics w/ younger ppl etc</p>
<p>edit: yea, i'm a junior</p>
<p>I think my best essay was my conflict essay about how I always got into fights when I was younger (3-5 years old) until I learned to "use my words" and then I connect that to what I do every day--debate, writing, being a salesgirl, etc. It sounds sort of dumb, but I liked my voice in it the best. With a little editing, I think this could become a college essay--SCORE.</p>
<p>I wrote about "You Shall Know Our Velocity!" by Dave Eggers, specifically how the first edition of the book is vastly different from the 2nd and all subsequent editions and how it changes the entire perspective of the book. I'd actually be interested to talk about it with anyone who has read it. That's probably my second favorite essay.</p>
<p>I wanted to write about the literary theory that Truman Capote actually wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird" for my idea essay but it ended up sounding too much like a second critical analysis, not to mention it was sort of hard to back it up without resorting to saying repeatedly "TOO MANY COINCIDENCES!" If I get an interview (REALLY not likely with my future education and conflict essays--so God-awful) then I want to bring it up with my interviewer because I looooove talking about it.</p>
<p>If/when I don't get into TASP, I'll probably spend the summer working at the coffee shop I work now, or maybe interning at a law office. If the Ruckus Society is having another session nearby, I might do that. If you're interested in social activism, I HIGHLY recommend checking that out too.</p>
<p>Oh, PS thisyearsgirl- I love the topic of your issue essay.</p>
<p>How important are the teacher rec and grades/test scores?</p>
<p>Incidentally, did anyone else do a Kurt Vonnegut book?</p>
<p>Essays DECIDE everything as far as what I have heard about Telluride admissions. Although bad grades and al ousy teacher rec might hurt your chances a lot...especially since TASP is so competitive to get into.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, do most of you guys have all A's in your English/Social Studies classes???</p>
<p>BTW, I am pretty sure that EC's have a very minor effect on admissions chances.</p>
<p>I agree with evilasian that recs/grades/EC's are the least important part of your app. They mostly just want to know that you're intelligent, interesting, and that you can write, which they can see through the essays.</p>
<p>Thisyearsgirl- I like your issue essay topic too. I have a soft spot in my heart for the radicals in any cause I agree with, just because they're sometimes the ones who get the most done. But in the case of radical animal rights activists, I don't doubt that their hearts are in the right place, but their motives are more alienating than anything else. It's frustrating.</p>
<p>That said, I wrote my issue essay about the ethics of veganism- its moral implications, where my views on it derive from philosophically, etc. I think it was my best essay, certainly the one I got most involved with anyway. If nothing else, it shows my passion for the topic.</p>
<p>The only other essay I wrote that I liked at all is my future plans essay. I wrote it about how the book To Kill a Mockingbird has influenced my interest in writing/social justice/history.</p>
<p>As for the other essays, my literary analysis was on the poem, "Things I Didn't Know I Loved" by Nazim Hikmet. I discussed mostly his use of rythm and stream of consciousness style. It felt very incomplete to me, but it was the last one I did and I had no time to fix it. </p>
<p>The conflict essay centered around a documentary I made last year on a gay civil rights activist, and how I debating leaving out the more contreversial parts of his life in order to have the best chance of winning in film festivals/national history day, but ultimately decided it wouldn't be doing his story justice. it was kind of a boring essay and super rushed. meh. </p>
<p>My book list had about six books read for school, several outside-school novels, some historical/political reading, and a few books of poetry. The only periodicals I put down were The Denver Post and Time magazine.</p>
<p>My seminar choice list was basically just a ramble about how much i want to go to the st. louis seminar (civil rights), and quick reasons for the others. </p>
<p>yep.</p>
<p>Education: I wrote on my wide-ranging interests and how I intended to pursue them, as well as what kind of university I want to go to and how I want to have access to good professors and resources and also have the freedom to learn on my own.</p>
<p>Booklist: I had about 39 books... Unfortunately, a large chunk (12) of these were in The Wheel of Time series, lmao XD. Also, about 4 or 5 were physics books...</p>
<p>Analysis: I did a parable by Kahlil Gibran... I felt my critical analysis was very incomplete and annoyingly empty... It was the last essay I did, and the one I had the least interest in writing. o.O</p>
<p>Problem: I talked about the question of the nature of consciousness, where it arose from, and my own ideas on it. This one, as long as they don't think it was too researchy, I think was good.</p>
<p>Conflict: I wrote about moving here after 9th grade and how my misery was fixed by someone I met here, who then randomly hated me and refused to talk to me for several months. Obviously I went more in-depth, but that's the gist of it XD. This one, like I said earlier, was also good, as long as they don't mind me calling her boyfriend "he of the ugly hair". -_-</p>
<p>Preferences: I wrote a paragraph about each seminar and what I found interesting about it, sometimes including little stories where they were relevant. This one was alright.</p>
<p>Education: a ramble about wanting to get involved in the global community or something</p>
<p>Book List: not long, but acceptable</p>
<p>Analysi: Slaugterhouse-Five. My English teacher loved it, wants to keep it forever....i thought it was boring and straightforward</p>
<p>Problem: wrote about language-death, made connections to my gaelic speaking grandmother. not riveting, but a good essay. probably my favorite</p>
<p>Conflict: pshh. theres no way to describe mine without sounding horribly cliche. it was about how my involvement in a mission trip and hurricane K helped me grow</p>
<p>Prefs: not even a page, it started good, but its hard to say why such and such is your last choice</p>
<p>I repeat, Oh GASP!, It's TASP!</p>
<p>Future Plans: Basically talked about the fact that I wanted to be a lawyer. I think this one could be considered good or bad, depending on your opinion. It's got a lot of anecdotes but not much conclusion. </p>
<p>Booklist: Wrote all the books I remembered until I filled a page. And I alphabetized by author.</p>
<p>Analysis: Was doing A Rose For Emily by Faulkner, found out someone else was doing it, got intimidated, decided on Ozymandias by Percy Shelley. Liked the analysis, thought it might be farfetched.</p>
<p>Problem: Eh, Cornell I was my first choice so I tried to do something international. U.S.-Mexico border, said some thoughts, and told my potential solution for problem. Kind of weak, and didn't really answer the question.</p>
<p>Conflict: Talked about how I suck at driving and wanted to give up at it. Silly, epiphany-ridden ending. I like this essay, but I feel like it might not be answering the question again.</p>
<p>Preferences: Boring, boring, boring. I just explained. I tried to sound like I like all of them, which is pretty true, I'd be happy to be accepted at all.</p>
<p>I'm sort of scared that the admissions guy will read through pages and pages of good essays and then get to mine. And want to burn them. The more I think about it, the less faith I have in myself. But you all sound like you have a good chance.</p>