<p>So I've been lurking on this thread for a while, and the suspense is now officially killing me. Still no letter (I'm in the Bay Area), so I tried calling in today, but they're already closed for the day by the time I get home from school. Maybe I'll call tomorrow while I'm at school... that'll either make or break my day.</p>
<p>6 for Cornell I (foreign policy)
3 for Cornell II (medieval lit)
2 for Wash U (civil rights)
2 for UT Austin (culture of writing)</p>
<p>I guess we know which seminar's the most popular:) and no love for Michigan at all! I'm surprised by that. The Islam one sounds fascinating to me. I put it down as my 2nd choice.</p>
<p>rejected.</p>
<p>i thought i'd be the first to post:-).</p>
<p>you know when they cite how many apps they received that year, it's gonna be bad.</p>
<p>but i knew after reading all your fantastic essay topics.</p>
<p>besides, my heart is set on RSI/WTP.
and i learned a very valueable lesson without even attending.
don't finish your essays at midnight.
kudos to you who made it, good job for putting effort into it. i obviously didn't care enough :-D. hope your summer is fantastic!</p>
<p>now go pray for my RSI app.</p>
<p>Reaching, sorry to hear about your app. But, at the risk of sounding insensitive, I'm really curious to hear what the letter said. My acceptance was pretty brief, so I'm wondering what the other letter was like. Would you mind posting it?</p>
<p>Good luck with RSI!</p>
<p>I got a letter from a friend in MA today -_- (postmarked February 28th) so I'm thinking there's something wrong with our local stinkin' post office...I still don't have my darngosh letter, be it rejection or acceptance and so, i can't help but snoop around this forum for scraps of news and figures lol. </p>
<p>Isn't it curious though that the acceptance letters were all recieved before the rejection letters? This is a bad omen for me, haha</p>
<p>Reaching, I'm sorry to hear that you were rejected :( I wish you the best with RSI but like calicollegegirl, I'm also curious about the contents of the letter. How many apps did they recieve? o_o And oi, was the date postmarked also March 3rd (same as the acceptance letters)?</p>
<p>950 applications
180 finalists
86 spots</p>
<p>Gosh, all I have been able to think about the past two days is TASP and how awesome it would actually be to spend 6 weeks there. I'm even more nervous now that I know that is actually within grasp after the interview. Has anyone else found that during school, you frequently daydream about TASP?</p>
<p>Definitely, especially in US History (sooo dry and boring). Except, honestly, it's a bit more worrying than daydreaming of late-- my interview is next Friday, and predictably, I'm nervous.</p>
<p>"Dear Elisabeth,</p>
<p>We have now finished over 950 applications for the 86 places in this year's Summer Programs. I am sorry to inform you that your application was not one of those selected for interview.</p>
<p>I regret that we cannot send each of you a personal letter outlining the reasons for our decision. As you probably realize, competition for places in the Summer Program is extraordinarily intense. Only highly qualified students, yourself among them, are invited to apply, and from those who do apply, we can select only a small number to interview. As a result, choosing finalists is invariably difficult. For that reason, we are unable to provide a detailed analysis of your application either by mail or telephone.</p>
<p>The Telluride application is as comprehensive as any you will encounter when applying to college. I hope that completing it has helped you to clarify your personal and educational goals.</p>
<p>Thank you for the effort and thought you invested in applying. We wish you the best for the future.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>Ellen Baer
Administrative Director"</p>
<p>bravos89- I feel the same way. I knew I really wanted to go to TASP when I applied, but I never saw it as a real possibility. Now that I have an interview I'm realizing, wow, I could actually make it. I want this so badly! I think about it all the time. Eeps!</p>
<p>OH, same here vegangirl! I'm getting so emotional nowadays, especially when I think about how this is truly one of a kind. What scares me now is that though the odds are better, the competition is just so incredibly tough. I've been talking to some previous TASPers about their experiences, and it just seems like such a fantastically connected and intimate community, truly one of a kind. I hope I can somehow communicate these feelings into my interview.</p>
<p>What scares me now is that though the odds are better, the competition is just so incredibly tough.</p>
<p>EXACTLY. Almost 50% of us who got interviews will get accepted, but that hardly reassures me, since I'm sure most of the 180 who got interviews are brilliant. I consider myself to be an intelligent person, but brilliant? definitely not. I'm afraid I won't compare to these kids!</p>
<p>It's all such a case of imposter syndrome, isn't it? No matter how qualified you or I (or any of us) may be, everyone else must be way better (they are so brilliant, after all), and sooner or later, the TASP people will find out. This isn't the case in reality, certainly-- we wouldn't have that chance to interview were it the truth, to a large extent, anyway-- but doesn't it feel that way?</p>
<p>Totally. I got my interview letter, and the second thing I thought (right after OH MY GOD YESSSS!!!) was I've tricked them; I've somehow fooled these people into believing I'm smarter than I really am.</p>
<p>I feel the exact same way vegangirl, kelsiface, and chillaxin!!!:( Some of the 950 applicants to TASP probably missed some of the directions on the application or wrote really poor or incomprehensive essays, so it probably wasn't <em>too</em> hard to make finalist or top 180 if you spent an adequate amount of time concerning yourself with the whole TASP deal and are a decent writer.</p>
<p>But now, we're competing against kids whose essays clearly stood out in the applicant pool and are probably brilliant in some way or another(don't kid yourself Ryan heh;)). Therefore, public speaking and the ability to think wuickly on your feet is probably going to be of utmost importance now. In fact, I was more worried about the essays than the interview because I figured I have always been a good communicator...but now I just don't know anymore.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, don't forget you guys that your essays are still a factor in the final decision even after the interview. I beleive Teluride views both in context so GAHHH I wish I knew how high up I am in the top 180 finalists.</p>
<p>Just a guess but...I think if your essays were thought by Telluride to be among the top 50 of the pool, you can probably get away with having a less than awesome interview. Don't get your hopes up people but I really hope this reassures some of you awesome writers yet low-key public conversationists out there.:D</p>
<p>Ahh, honestly, I've been finding the silliest mistakes in my application (I e-mailed Telluride for a copy and they kindly sent me one). For example, I put the Narrative of Stephen Douglass as opposed to Frederick Douglass on my book list. Hope that doesn't come up. Heh. Other small grammatical errors are dispersed throughout the essays too. I have to say that I was actually shocked by my essays upon rereading them for the first time since I sent them in. They were a lot better than I had imagined, though I still don't like my conflict one. Still, I doubt that I'm in the top 50. In fact, I'd wager to say that I'm in about the bottom 50, which is nothing to complain about.</p>
<p>Anyone have tips for thinking quickly on your feet, as evil<em>asian</em>dictator mentioned? I can come up with amazing responses given the enough time to think them through, but they're usually quite superficial if I'm surprised by a question. I think I'm probably going to go to the Speech and Debate teacher at school and ask for some tips.</p>
<p>What is everyone doing to prepare? I'm probably going to memorize as best I can the content of my essays and arguments, basic themes of the books I read as they relate to my seminar choice a lot, and connections between current events and what I wrote.</p>
<p>Oh, and I'm still waiting for my interviewer (interviewers?) to contact me. Has anyone in the Bay Area been contacted yet?</p>
<p>Hey thisyearsgirl and hey_la, I just received my rejection letter also.</p>
<p>While it was pretty heart-sinking, I received an acceptance letter for my 10-week journalism internship the day before, so I guess it makes for it up somehow. At least I don't have an interview to dread for! :)</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone who received an interview. I'm sure you're all going to make it!</p>
<p>its fine that you wanted to know, i realized pretty early that it wasn't gonna happen,and its my own fault. my letter is the same as elizabeth's.</p>
<p>I havn't received any sort of letter, but I'm expecting a rejection letter rither tomorrow or Friday since I'm on the WC.</p>