<p>Is anyone entering an essay in The Fountainhead contest this year?</p>
<p>hehe...I always plan to do scholarship essays, but in the end blow them off. so, yes, if I feel especially motivated on the date of the deadline ;)</p>
<p>Haha, lilianphoebs. I am the exact same way. Ambitious until the deadline comes ... </p>
<p>I want to enter The Fountainhead contest, though, yes. When are you starting to write your essay?</p>
<p>I am thinking about entering the Fountainhead, I have already read the book once, but was wondering about how many people normally enter.</p>
<p>Isn't that a new movie with hugh jackman.....?</p>
<p>All those who are planning to enter--Have you all read the book? Are you planning to read the book? That book is so chunky. How can I get through it all?</p>
<p>btw--can you believe the same person won first place in 2003 and 2004? Wow, she must have been really smart. I'm just glad that she can't enter this year's contest, or else I'd had some competition.</p>
<p>i've never read the fountainhead, but i read atlas shrugged in 10th grade and may reread it to apply for that scholarship next year... who knows.. hah</p>
<p>The Fountainhead is more readable than Atlas Shrugged - if you got through Atlas Shrugged without being turned off, you'll probably like The Fountainhead more. There's certainly plenty of essay fodder in there...</p>
<p>vtoodler and all - I read The Fountainhead this past summer as part of the AP English summer assignment ... I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. It's quite lengthy and after a while Rand is practically preaching to her readers, but it's wonderful still. If you're reading it (which I definitely recommend), make sure to set aside quite a bit of time and a spot without distraction ... and read it in tons of sections (rather than a few long nights), you'll absorb it better.</p>
<p>The thing about the Fountainhead contest, and all the other Ayn Rand contests, is that they have huge applicant pools. I entered last year, and when they sent me my notice that I didn't win, I saw that there were thousands all going for the same prize. It gets too much publicity. So unless you've just happened to have already done a Fountainhead essay, I'm not sure it's worth it.</p>
<p>abeppu,</p>
<p>I could not agree with you more. Thats why I'm unsure about applying for this Ayn Rand Scholarship because it is so competitive. Every year, thousands of kids apply for just one scholarship, and even if someone is an excellent writer, his/her chances of winning are still slim. Can you imagine reading a difficult 700-page book and then composing a wonderful essay only to get a little postcard essentially saying, "We're sorry, but someone else has won this award." Thats heartbreaking.</p>
<p>I know that the learning experience is great, but I would still feel terrible if this had happened to me. Unfortunately, it happens to a vast majority of people who enter the Ayn Rand contests every year. The competition is unbelievably fierce.</p>
<p>That's exactly right. It's not just about being a great writer. The whole point of the competition is to explore the nuances of objectivism as potrayed through the characters. </p>
<p>Besides, ten grand is a serious amount of cash to be dishing out to high school juniors and seniors. That's what makes this scholarship so prestigious. What's the point of a prestigious award without fierce competition?</p>