<p>So are you guys picking well known classics or more obscure material for your lit analyses?</p>
<p>Aww, Compt, don't despair. At least, don't despair TOO much. I thought I had absolutely no chance whatsoever for TASP, but hey, somehow I managed to scrape my way in, didn't I? </p>
<p>Ironically enough, I didn't really know <em>why</em> I got into TASP until afterwards (well I still don't know for sure, but I know what I contributed to the group dynamic, I think). Like, what made me special? How would little ol' silly <em>me</em> teach anybody else anything? I think I might know the answer now, but I certainly didn't realize that before TASP - the people I met at TASP really brought out the best of me, and what I have the potential to do. So just apply with all you've got, and you might just surprise yourself in the process ;) Even if you don't get in, the essays that you write (and the interview you may get) still teach you loads about yourself that you might not have realized beforehand. </p>
<p>And ajk, it's not limited to classics and obscure material, you know :P. Some people did songs. Other did poems. I did a kid's book. Yep, picked it off my little sister's shelf. But it was important to me, and I made sure the reader knew that. So just make sure it's something you like :)</p>
<p>i have to start studying for SAT2 Bio (Jan. 26)
start writing 6 essays,
start an independent studying unit for English class
make a dress for a conference I'm going to..
is it even possible to do them all? haha..</p>
<p>i don't know what i'm gonna do
I wish i had found out about TASP earlier.</p>
<p>*Well, my question is,
I'm an international student(i.e. I'm not Canadian) in Canada,
would I have a good chance of getting in?</p>
<p>*And how intense is TASP?
Is everyone one of those super smart people?
Do they write super smart essays and stuff?</p>
<p>caela: It is entirely possible to do them all. Trust me, I'm a major procrastinator (bad! bad! I'm working on it...haha), and so I left all my TASP essays to the weekend before they were due (started 1, I think).</p>
<p>Of course, I find out the week before that I have a journalism convention on Saturday. Scratch out Saturday. I dedicated Friday night to finishing my school homework.</p>
<p>On Sunday, I can't get into the essay writing mood. I decided to make my teacher (the one who wrote my TASP rec letter) a present. I spend the morning and afternoon making a book and sewing trousers. I have a bonding dinner for my club. Finally, at 8 pm I sit down and start to write.</p>
<p>1 am: I decide to sleep. I'm considering just giving up because my eyes are tired.</p>
<p>2 am: I wake up and start to freak. I want TASP too badly to give up. TASP <3 TASP <3 TASP <3 is all I can think of.</p>
<p>6:36 am: I finish my essays, take pictures, jump for joy, etc, put them in envelopes, put on stamps, scan over application, etc.</p>
<p>So yes. You have plenty of time. It's all about time management.</p>
<p>Telluride welcomes international students. It doesn't matter.</p>
<p>As for intensity, it depends on the people there, and the factota, and the professors. Ours wasn't that "intense," imo, although our conversations could get quite heated at times. So could our ultimate frisbee matches :)</p>
<p>What do you mean by "super smart"? I would classify every single one of my TASPers as somebody who, if they wanted to, could take over the world. Seriously. Not everybody talks like professors, nor does everybody have strong political opinions, but everybody was a genius in their own right. But you'd have to define "super smart" for me before I can answer your question.</p>
<p>it's actually four essays, one rankings, and one booklist.. so think of it like that if it helps you :)</p>
<p>i don't think it really matters if you're an international student in canada or canadian or a canadian citizen in the US... i'm not sure if they even ask for your citizenship. there is intended ethnic/racial/geographic diversity, but it does not really increase your "chance" of getting in whether you're one ethnicity or the other... your essays are what counts. at our TASP we had five (well, four and a half) asian girls and we couldn't have been any more different (no asian guys though! we found that mildly hilarious). </p>
<p>i was probably one of the biggest procrastinators at TASP (although i'm not a skilled one like tako... there was one day where i stayed up til 5am doing a paper with four cups of caffeine in my system, then couldn't fall asleep so i cleaned the basement instead.. only to fall asleep during seminar and stayed asleep for the entire three hours. yeah... don't do that.) although i did have company. as for the essay process... i think i started my personal conflict essay before break but finished the rest of them the week of, and three of them the DAY of. so you're more than fine. </p>
<p>lol jenny i love you. i was going to say "you don't have to be a genius to go to TASP" and i read your post, hehe. i don't think telluride goes and picks the most "super smart" people, but i would say everyone was picked for TASP and the particular seminar, especially, for a reason. i loved reading everyone's essays during our huge TASP essay orgy; they were so fun/interesting/hilarious to read.</p>
<p>So I heard about tasp TODAY because I got this thing in the mail out of the blue and now I will just die if I don't go because it sounds like SOMUCHFUN.</p>
<p>question for former taspers: what do they mean when they mention "self-government" in the brochure?</p>
<p>Hey, how long should letters of recommendation be?</p>
<p>lookbeyond: it just means that no one is gonna force you to do your work. mostly your responsible for yourself, they want everyone starting drama and all that. its a great experience as long as you handle your bussiness. i sort of had your experience, except for TASS it came in the mail and over time i got really pumped about it.</p>
<p>tyler: it should be as long as your teacher deems it necessary. it doesnt have to be an epic about your life but a few good words arent going to ruin your chances either. its more about picking the right teacher than about length.</p>
<p>i'm still debating because i feel like it will be a waste of time if i don't get accepted, (i have to write 5 essays.. and i'm not good with writing cus English is not my first language) but i really want to go at the same time...
i really want to do well on my SAT2 bio, too(that i haven't started studying)</p>
<p>how competitive is the admission for TASP?(not by the number 60/9000 but what kinds of people get in?)</p>
<p>Wow, so the TASP application doesn't ask for SAT scores?</p>
<p>I have a question: </p>
<p>I'm currently at a school that doesn't rank, but at my old high school, I was 1/1243 people. Would it be a bad idea to write this in the margin so readers can gauge my academic performance relative to my high school peers?</p>
<p>im a newbie too, but it sounds like tasp cares 95% about your essays and 5% about EVERYTHING else - grades, race, recommendations, rank, sats, ecs, and all that other stuff thats really important for college.</p>
<p>Yes, it is my opinion (of course we will never know for sure...) that Telluride really doesn't care about your academic performance...I mean, I'm sure it's taken slightly into account, but trust me, it's all essays, essays, essays, and interview. We had a kid who was literally on the brink of failing high school. Telluride still gave him a chance, didn't they? And good thing, too, because he is absolutely brilliant.</p>
<p>As for what kinds of people get in, well, every kind of people :) I would say that the things they have in common are:
- They want to learn
- They are open minded
- They have opinions </p>
<p>Honestly, I'd love to "quantify" or even "qualify" what type of people get in, but I really can't! Everybody's just so different! It's actually somewhat distressing. But that's simply what makes TASP TASP.</p>
<p>ajkcorner, i wouldn't write it, but that's just my opinion. again, TASP =/= college. telluride wants to know your ideas, your thoughts, your opinions and views of the future and the world. it's hard to quantify those things in a class rank or SAT scores. while they are appropriate for college admissions purposes, if you're looking at the application like it's a college application, chances are you're approaching it the wrong way. especially if you're used to relying on your test scores. you'll see from the application that there is no place to even mention them. </p>
<p>as for what type of people get in.. well, jenny covered most of what i was going to say. it's really hard to generalize because none of my TASPers are easily describable or falls under a certain stereotype (and jenny will elaborate). they were all brilliant and talented and lovable and, yes, opinionated (haha, pubspeaks?) but open minded at the same time. beyond that, though, we were all so different from each other that makes me happy we were able to know each other through a vacuum, because i was able to meet 19 amazing people i normally would not have otherwise. =)</p>
<p>Hey everyone! I've been a lurker for a while now and finally decided to register. Anyways I've been dreaming of going to TASP for like a month, but I thought applying would be hopeless because I'd never get in. Well I got the brochure in the mail this week and figured I might as well give it a shot, because ~9% acceptance is a whole lot better than the 0% for those who don't even try. So I have a few questions for the veteran TASPers here.</p>
<p>1) Exactly how "out there" can our essays be? For example, could I analyze the literary merit of a popular, seemingly shallow, teen novel and compare it to a classic? Or should I just stick to a more traditional choice, like Faulkner or Fitzgerald? Both are interesting to me.</p>
<p>2) My school's transcripts include standardized test scores unless you request that they be omitted. Does TASP need these? Or can I leave them out?</p>
<p>3) What types of awards/honors are they looking for? I'm not exactly sure if anything I have is worth mentioning. For example, Scholar Athlete Award.</p>
<ol>
<li>Go with the less traditional choice. Definitely.</li>
<li>You can if they aren't outstanding, and I probably would. I got in without submitting any SATs (I hadn't taken any). </li>
<li>Mention it all, I guarantee it won't hurt you but I can't guarantee it won't help you.</li>
</ol>
<p>Ah, I don't mean to sound so numbers-oriented... I had always read about people asking if such and such SAT score would disqualify them for TASP, so I was surprised that there wasn't even a spot to mention the scores.</p>
<p>And I will be the first person in line to thank the TASP folks for judging applicants mainly on essays! I guess I just wanted to present myself in a more favorable light with the added info, because I really, really want to gain entry into this program.</p>
<p>Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like such a square :)</p>
<p>
[quote]
Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like such a square :)
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</p>
<p>Ajk, its all good! </p>
<p>The truth is the tasplication-proccess is one that is uniquely holistic and truly one of a kind. I know the attitudes that represent the overwhelming population of my school (and it wouldn't surprise me if it was the same in your community) couldn't be more different than tasp. While it takes some time to get used to, it is a process that is refreshing and you obviously embrace it so no worries. </p>
<p>LoL, square. I haven't used that word in a minute.</p>
<p>do they interview international applicants?</p>
<p>depends how international you are</p>
<p>what if im in Canada?
are they gonna come to Toronto just to interview me?=D
(if i become one of the 150 people they want to interview.)</p>