<p>Oh yeah, don’t worry, I know that…there are 1000 applicants, so yeah, definitely. [:</p>
<p>My roommate and I had the same topic for the issue/topic of choice essay. Obviously we both got in, so yeah, no worries there. (heartsiez, introvert!)</p>
<p>Hi guys! I’m applying this year.
<em>QUESTION</em> for past TASPers - for my critical analysis essay
these are the options i’m thinking about:
- a thousand splendid suns (most likely, since it goes along with the topic for the specific problem)
- gone with the wind</p>
<p>i read room with a view in 9th grade, but its my favorite book and reread it this yr without any school requirement.</p>
<p>my questions:
- which book seems to best to choose, in your opinion?
- are they that strict about using books i have read for school at some point?</p>
<p>THANK YOU SO MUCH!</p>
<p>I’m not STRESSING!
Haha actually it’s the alum from my high school that told me all these: TASP, prep schools, US colleges, etc. </p>
<p>What’s wrong with thinking ahead?
Haha I admit I worry toooo much. </p>
<p>Happy Chinese New Year!
(just falls on Feb.14th this year)</p>
<p>So I was wondering, for the section where you talk about your future, is this supposed to be as long as the other essays?</p>
<p>I think they don’t want school books because they want your own ideas and your own critical thinking- not your teacher’s or your classmates’</p>
<p>@gonnastop, even though it’s in a month, Happy Chinese New Year to you too! and i hope everyone had a wonderful solar New Year!</p>
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<p>Mine’s considerably shorter, but I’m not sure if they’re meant to be. If you think you’ve managed to fully express yourself, it should be fine.</p>
<p>how do you edit posts on this site, just wondering.</p>
<p>If your post was written recently- there will be an edit button. you click it and change your posts.
I just told someone about my essay topic and he liked it. I think thats the impetus i need to go forward. I’m going to write the what makes you tick essay. I can do it ! I gotta believe in myself!</p>
<p>Go ND! :D:D</p>
<p>The “discuss a problem or topic” essay specifically “should not be a research paper,” according to the application, and in the FAQ it says that “the main outside source you will need to cite is your text for the first essay.” With that said, I’m doing a somewhat science-y topic for my second essay, and I’d like to cite a few (reputable) online sources for some population data. As of now, I’m citing three sources. It’s just the hard data I’m getting from the sources, not using their ideas or anything like that. Is this ok? Or should I just take it out, make unsubstantiated claims, and not have any data and citations?</p>
<p>Also, I’m assuming they’re pretty lax about citation format? For the discuss a topic essay I’m just putting the URLs in parentheses at the end of the sentence, and for the critical analysis one I’m putting the page number in parentheses, with a note at the end of the text about the title, author, publication date, edition, etc. of the text I used. Is this ok?</p>
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<p>You shouldn’t make unsubstantiated claims, that’s not what they mean by “not a research paper.” </p>
<p>I think your citation method is fine.</p>
<p>I’m at 1/5 essays (and barely an unpolished rough draft at that), and I consider that a miracle…cheers for such progress.</p>
<p>Some of you are worrying too much IMO about aspects like topic choice, if the readers will dislike the style of writing, etc - I’m also using some “cliched” topics, but then again I’m not the type to stress much about things like showing myself well to the readers or overanalyzing superficial and intricate details.</p>
<p>I do, though, feel a bit pathetic with my literally empty award list and a set of mediocre extracurricular activities (if anything, I’m more “worried” about this than my essays). ;(</p>
<p>And wombat, PM box cleared?</p>
<p>What if I don’t have any awards that can be directly associated with literature/English?</p>
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<p>I don’t think it really matters. It seems like they’re looking for where your interests lie more than whether you’ve received recognition for your writing skills. If you have good skills, that should show up in your essays anyway.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about the awards/EC section; it will neither make up for poor essays or detract from good ones.</p>
<p>Wait, the awards section HAVE to be literature related?!</p>
<p>^No.</p>
<p>10char</p>
<p>Alright, a couple more questions. The personal conflict essay asks you to discuss a conflict that has “led you to new insights about yourself/other people.” What are they looking for when they say “insights”? Do they want something like specific things you learned about specific people’s psychology (so-and-so has a tendency to do such-and-such)? Or are they saying more generally, “life lesson”-type things you learned?</p>
<p>Secondly, the form says that “online applications must be submitted by midnight (Pacific time) on January 25, 2010.” Is this midnight between the 24th and 25th, or between the 25th and 26th? I’d just hate to leave a few things to touch up after school Monday the 25th, come home, and find that I can’t submit my application.</p>