Telluride Association Summer Program ( TASP ) 2008

<p>coolziller2: You can do a song. As far as the online app goes and getting them a copy of the song I am unsure. I know last year in the tass app it addressed this specifically... Something along the lines of: "If you wish to write about a song, please including a copy of the lyrics. Please do not send in cds or other audio content." But obviously doesnt address what to do if you are applying online. In the box for the essay you could always just put a few spaces then write lyrics and put them at the bottom. If you find it necessary to attach a copy, I am sure that doing something like that would be more than acceptable. </p>

<p>I realize I just think about tasp apps a lot and dont really do them. I have only finished one essay, lol.</p>

<p>thanks lobster, i guess i'll figure it out</p>

<p>AHH! i just feel like i have major writers' block, and i'm just babbling.
i'm kind of nervous because i'm not sure if the topic of -a lot of- my essays would be looked down upon?</p>

<p>i had an ED, and it really was a big part of my life, but i'm scared that if i outright admit to it in the essays that telluride will think i'm a freak or a liability or something.</p>

<p>i wrote about it from an objectivish pov for my issue essay, but would it be too personal/weird to write about it for my problem essay? :[</p>

<p>I just want to say thanks to everyone who pm'ed and cared that I wasn't applying...I'll try to apply but I don't know...good luck again though!</p>

<p>Okay... well the song I'm analyzing is really offensive. Should I still... include it? Censor the bad words, maybe? (I analzyed the cultural context and stuff instead, haha)</p>

<p>and yes, I'm actually reallllly interested in the UTaustin seminar. My friends and i always discuss issues like that in our spare time anyway :o) so I will apply</p>

<p>You guys are amazing - especially those of you who have already finished rough drafts? Insane! Y'all are super hardcore, hehe. And happy new year - it's officially 2008 which means...6 and a half more months ;)</p>

<p>CoolZ2: by no way be afraid or ashamed of a major part of your life. While what you wrote was vague, it seems that your ED was a major part of your life and something you have overcome. By no means is that a bad personal conflict essay, while the essay prompt lets you write about community conflicts and other external issues, internal and personal conflicts are 100% valid and something that will really allow TA to learn more about you. While some may just see it as oh, that kid had an ED; I can confidently say that TA will see someone that is confident, not ashamed and who has obviously overcome a lot to get where he is. If you read the prompt it is just as much conflict as it is resolution. With every conflict there is a messy side, but there is also a positive side of resolution. They wouldnt ask such a question if they were expecting all their applicants to be infalliable. </p>

<p>That being said, if you dont feel comfortable writing about something, than dont do it. There is always a right time to share somethings; I know there were things about myself and my fellow tassers that didnt come out until well into the program. I guess what I am saying is that TA is about environment and there is definitely an emphasis shared by all on making it one that is comfortable to those involved. </p>

<p>--
Haha, papercrane, I know some songs where to censor the lyrics you might as well send in a blank piece of paper.</p>

<p>(But you probably just used Gimme More by Britney Spears, and you are worried about the first line, "Its Britney *****."</p>

<p>hahaha, nope, I used another song. The lyrics are actually quite incoherent anyway...</p>

<p>CoolZ2, I think a big part of it is how you present the matter. If the readers are left with the feeling that you still haven't gotten over the issue yet, that may pose some concern. However, if you can make it clear what you've learned from it, that you're moving forward... stuff like that, I think it would give deep insight into who you are.</p>

<p>TPC: Wow, way to be more concise and coherent than me.</p>

<p>I'm in the same boat as you shuffle...with all the essays, SATs, and finals. great way to start the year... <em>grumble</em></p>

<p>1) On the first page of the application, are we supposed to write in the space "For Office Use Only" our choice of program (Cornell I/II, Michigan, Texas)? If not, do the admissions office choose for us?</p>

<p>2) Do we need to send standardized test scores?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>1) No. There is an entire essay dedicated to the seminar programs, it is based on this and other factors that participants are selected for the actual seminar groupings. As "For office use only" implies, you dont have to worry about that.</p>

<p>2) No. There is no place, need, or reason to send test scores. As you may already know, or will soon discover, the tasplication process is pretty unique especially when juxtaposed to the college applications we will face next year.</p>

<p>Good Luck, welcome and feel free to ask any other questions you may have. :)</p>

<p>no, that's why it's titled "for office use only"</p>

<p>and no, i don't think so...</p>

<p>I know that TASP doesn't look primarily at grades, but i calculated my cumalative 9th/10th grades and my average was a 3.2/4. Please dont think I am a complete retard I was doing the IB MYP so that essentially is a 7/7 if they graded out of of 7 but since our school transcripts say things like that im in the ib (only a few of us are in it) and still list in As, Bs based on percentages im out of luck. Will TASP reject just seeing a pathetic GPA? </p>

<p>Im ok for colleges cuz they just send my predicted grades ;)</p>

<p>i can't keep up with this thread so sorry if i'm reiterating, but DON'T STRESS ABOUT THE BOOKLIST. you don't need to strategically place your mindgoo books between tolstoy and hemingway, you don't need to make up books you haven't read, you don't need to list books you read five years ago. just follow the app and do what it says. </p>

<p>there is no "tone" you need to internalize for your essays. write however you want to write. by no means should you write in netspeak (unless you're proving a point, <3 jenny), but don't be concerned with sounding too "conservative" or colloquial or naive; not everybody at TASP is a liberal, and not everybody has a formal writing style and not everybody has seen the entire world. yes, it's okay to have subpar grades, mediocre awards, and arial font as opposed to times new roman (which is poo). </p>

<p>also, take what people say on this thread with a grain of salt. like aida already said, nobody here is a representative of telluride and we're just giving our own opinions based on our own experiences.</p>

<p>oh, one more thing. some people asked me whether they should do xyz for their critnal/personal conflict/issues essay. telluride is pretty lax with most things, but don't just do something random and obscure for the sake of being "different," unless you can pull it off. doing a critnal on a 10-second song with only instrumentals might be okay but only do it if you have a point and an argument.</p>

<p>phew, back to work. our TASP reunion just ended today and it was exhausting. but very fun! TASP = love.</p>

<p>This is really a non-issue. the tasp application process is a combination of many things, and grades are a really really really minor part of that. Transcripts show more than just numbers too. They show what classes your in which gives them a better indication into what you are interested in, if you challenge yourself. Ect.</p>

<p>I would not worry about something like that, :-).</p>

<p>And in all honesty a 3.2 isnt terrible, so dont feel ashamed or bad about that.</p>

<p>Join us in the official TASP thread!
:)</p>

<p>Neltharion: Yes. You are worrying too much. Informality is really not a problem, and as I recall was quite common in last year's submissions. Of course, if it really feels inappropriate or unnatural to you, you might want to tone it down a little, but otherwise, chill.</p>

<p>88: To an extent, sure, the analysis is the argument. But, <strong>I think</strong>, it's important that that analysis is backing up a clear stance on the work, say, the author's intention, whatever. BUT THEN AGAIN, I am not Ellen Baer. If you're terribly concerned about it, contact Telluride.</p>

<p>And a note to all of you:
Yes, you should strive for excellence, brilliance, insight in every single one of your essays. But if you end up screwing up one of them, don't stick your head in the oven. It's not the end of the world. It may not even be the end of your candidacy.
Take your chances, and take some risks. Statistically, you're not getting in. Make the experience worth it anyway. This is intellectual boot camp. Push yourself somewhere new, so when (if) you don't make it, you're not left there holding the bag and wondering why the universe doesn't love you.
Oh, and I firmly believe that TASP works in mysterious ways. If you're meant to be selected, you will be. Which is not to say that you shouldn't work your ass off if you really want it, but if you're not ~chosen~, there will be other opportunities for you.</p>

<p>do you attend school in the US? I was just curious, because I don't know of any school that only sends predicted scores and not grades. </p>

<p>You might double check on that -- because the same transcript that is sent to TASP is the one that is sent to colleges. </p>

<p>Go to your school office and ask for an "official transcript" and see what is on it. Now is the time to figure this stuff out!</p>

<p>D-Yu (I think; I can't remember):
It absolutely does not matter if you are from Hicktown, USA. About half of my TASP came from such wonderful places (as do I).
Sorry about the obnoxious fake posting; I don't really know what came over me. I miss TASP!
Oh, and what is the origin of the word "critnal"? It seems pretty well-understood on this forum, but the OED has yet to mention it.</p>

<p>I think it may have been coined on last year's thread, actually.</p>

<p>Critnal is so 2007, lol.</p>

<p>Definitely a portmanteau word --> Critical + Analysis=Critnal=Genius </p>

<p>Neologisms.... Thats Hot!</p>

<p>I think it was coined by musechick.</p>