Which would you rather hear first? The good or the bad?
Maybe it’s best to start with the bad.
March 31, 4:20 PM: I was sitting in the car with my dad, returning to Iowa City after a whirlwind day in Des Moines. Earlier that morning, we had attended a ceremony hosted by the Des Moines Register. As much as I enjoyed the trip, I was somewhat eager to see it come to an end as college decisions were supposed to be accessible online at four!
4:35 PM: We arrived back home and I practically sprinted into the house. My mom had already brought in the mail, and I noticed a glossy flyer labeled “Congratulations Future Hoyas!” I got really excited and screamed for about a minute. Georgetown University has always been one of my top choices and I was thrilled to be accepted.
4:40 PM: After my heart rate returned to a manageable rate, I started checking my online decisions.
4:43 PM: Waitlisted by Brown.
4:45 PM: Rejected by Harvard.
4:47 PM: Rejected by Princeton.
4:49 PM: Rejected by Yale.
4:51 PM: I continued gaping at the computer screen.
5:00 PM: My phone started ringing. People continued to call me all evening to ask where I had gotten in, and I finally just stopped answering the phone. I later found out that one girl had told all of my friends that I’d been missing from school that day because I was freaking out about college decisions—so a lot of people had thought I was at home, hyperventilating under my bed.
I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. Although I would wake up the next morning feeling considerably better, I had a pretty miserable Monday night. I started doubting whether everything that I had worked so hard on in high school—volunteering, AP classes, internships, SAT scores, part-time jobs, athletics—had really been worth it. Even though I was excited about the Georgetown acceptance, I was pretty sore over the other decisions.
But now I’m sounding pretty morose. I should mention that some good came out of the decisions.
The next day, I re-assessed my options. I wasn’t accepted by the heavyweights my friends had gotten into, but I have amazing options. I don’t think I fully appreciated those options until April Fool’s Day—when I realized I had been foolish to pin all my hopes on lofty schools. I still have the University of Iowa, Northwestern, University of Chicago, Georgetown and Cornell University in my deck, which is a darn good hand when viewed with a little perspective.
Since “college doomsday,” I’ve narrowed my favorites down to Georgetown and Cornell. Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service provides everything that I’m looking for in a college, and it seems to be a haven for political junkies and policy wonks. Cornell, on the other hand, has a program that I’m particularly interested in—the Chinese and Asia-Pacific Studies major—that takes students to D.C. and Beijing. Cornell also offered me a position as a dean’s scholar, which made me feel pretty warm and fuzzy inside. Both schools have their definite strengths, and I will have a hard time making a decision.
Soon, I’ll be completing my visit to Cornell—more on that later!—and receiving all my financial aid information. I think my decision will only get harder as time goes on.
Now, almost two weeks after I’ve received my college results, I’ll admit I feel silly for acting so melodramatic about admissions decisions. This might sound corny but, in the grand scheme of things, the rejections you receive won’t matter nearly as much as how you handle those rejections. So for now, I intend to eat my humble pie and learn from all that has happened to me in the past couple weeks—both the good and the bad.
Audrey
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Just a quick note for this entry. A lot of good news has been coming my way! I received a letter from Cornell University in the mail a few days ago, saying that I was “very likely” to be admitted to the university. The letter also informed me of my status as a Tanner Dean’s Scholar! This means that if I choose Cornell, I’ll have the opportunity to receive funding for my own research, in addition to having a college dean or professor as an adviser. I’m super excited about the opportunity and thrilled that I’ll likely be admitted to the Chinese and Asia-Pacific Studies program. More on that later…
I also received notice from the University of Chicago that I’ve been admitted as an East Asian languages and civilizations major! When I received the news, I probably screamed for a full minute. U. Chicago, along with Cornell, was in my top five list of favorite universities. I also received a splashy housing guide from U. Chicago this week, and I’ve poured over it for so long that I’ve practically memorized all of the details.
As if things couldn’t get any better, I just received notice of my acceptance to Northwestern University! I love Northwestern because, like U. Chicago, it’s close to home. I also think Evanston is an ideal college town, and it seems like town/gown relations are pretty strong. When I visited last summer, almost everything about the campus—the beach, the shady lanes, the top-notch facilities—seemed perfect.
On the 31st, I’ll receive news from Georgetown, Harvard, Brown, Princeton and Yale. I’m not expecting much from the latter four (especially after hearing that admissions rates this year reached an all-time low), but I’m crossing my fingers especially hard for Georgetown. I applied to the School of Foreign Service, which has been my dream for a long, long time. Hopefully the college admissions gods will smile on me…although after receiving three acceptances recently, I may be pushing my luck.
To anyone else out there waiting for decisions—best wishes!
Audrey
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Since my last entry, a lot has happened. First of all, I had my Brown interview, which was my favorite interview by far! I think it was a great finish to the entire interview process. My interviewer and I met at my favorite coffee shop (already a good omen) and he was the first interviewer to offer to pay for my drink. But of course, it was the discussion that made the interview astounding. We hardly talked about Brown at all, instead discussing current events and politics for two hours. I left the interview with the impression that I would love Brown—and its undergraduate focus truly seems unique. If I’m lucky enough to be accepted there, I’ll probably want to book plane tickets to Providence immediately.
Some other neat things have been happening here. I found out last week that I’ve been awarded a Presidential Scholarship to the University of Iowa, which means that I’ll have a full ride if I matriculate. Presidential Scholars get $13,000 a year and live in honors housing, with access to private libraries and study rooms. I feel so lucky to have received the scholarship.
Just this past week, I found out I was appointed to the Des Moines Register’s All-State Academic Team. Every high school in Iowa nominates one graduating senior for his/her leadership and scholarship, so I’m very flattered to be chosen as one of ten seniors for the state team. I’ll get to skip school to go to Des Moines one day for an interview. Unfortunately, almost all of my college decisions will come out that day, and I’ll probably be bouncing off the walls.
In light of all the good things that have happened over the past couple weeks, I should have known matters would take a turn for the worse. This afternoon I checked my Wash U. decision online, only to find that I’ve been waitlisted. I was really crushed, especially because Wash U. is one of the “safer” schools on my list (if it can even be called that). I wasn’t the only one to be waitlisted though—I already know of nine other students from my school who were waitlisted or rejected. One of the waitlisted students is class president, another has already been accepted to University of Chicago and one was personally honored by President Bush last weekend! I’m very surprised by the decisions for those students, but I’ve heard that Wash U. tends to waitlist students who they feel haven’t demonstrated a significant interest in the university, or who they feel may be applying to the school only as a “safety.” I just hope that this doesn’t start a trend that’ll carry over to other decisions.
As of now, I still have to hear back from Brown, University of Chicago, Northwestern, Cornell, Harvard, Georgetown, Yale and Princeton. No safeties there. I think Northwestern and Cornell may come out a little earlier, but I’m positive that the other decisions won’t come out until March 31. It seems like such a long time to wait…I just hope it’s worth my while. Good luck to everyone else waiting for decisions! I’m crossing my fingers until the 31st. : )
Audrey
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I think I feel a bad case of senioritis coming on. The trimester is drawing to a close and I have plenty of finals I should be studying for, but instead I’m wasting my time online. Interestingly enough, I spend a lot of time visiting college websites, when I really should be using that time to concentrate on getting into colleges.
Now, however, I feel that the matter is out of my hands. I hope this leap year brings me good luck, because in just over a month, I’ll be receiving envelopes—hopefully largish ones. Slowly, the college mania is dying down. I had two of my last college interviews this week, and my final one is this upcoming Wednesday.
My Harvard interview was not what I had expected. I actually think it may have been my worst interview so far. My interviewer and I didn’t share many interests—he had concentrated on the sciences at Harvard and I’m wired for humanities—so we had some trouble finding common ground in our discussion. We both had an interest in public service, however, and my interviewer’s experiences with the Phillips Brooks House Program (Harvard’s umbrella organization for community service) were fascinating to hear about. By the end of our discussion, I felt I had made a strong impression despite the rocky start.
My Princeton interview, in contrast, may have been the best interview I’ve had so far. It wasn’t especially long, but I think I really connected with the interviewer. She was an amazing individual—she has traveled to over 100 countries, is an expert in law, Middle Eastern studies, African studies, you name it—and obviously adored Princeton. We discussed my interest in the Foreign Service—a career she had considered before entering law—and also talked a bit about my family history. My heritage is part of what has inspired me to pursue an East Asian studies concentration in college, and my interviewer was very gung-ho about ethnic studies and migration. I was able to have a very honest, open discussion with her. In my opinion, it was a genuinely stimulating interview.
Also this week, I completed some scholarship applications and shipped them off. ACT does a lot of independent scholarship judging for companies and government organizations, and because the headquarters for ACT are right here in Iowa City, I found out that I can take certain scholarship applications directly to the ACT offices. By physically dropping them off, I’ve been able to save money that I would normally spend on last-minute courier services, great news for my already-thin wallet.
To solve the wallet dilemma, I’ve been looking for a steady job. I work on weekends at a retirement home, but the salary I earn there is usually only enough for my frequent coffee breaks, sushi runs and emergency Cheez-It purchases. And because I intern and take classes on weekday afternoons, I don’t have time to get a great job. This summer, I’d like to be able to work at an office somewhere, or maybe a restaurant. I’ve also been toying with the idea of moving out after graduation. Lots of apartments in the downtown area will be available once the University of Iowa students leave and it might be fun to try living on my own for a couple months. We’ll just have to see how the apartment search goes.
I really want this summer to be the one that I’ll remember as an eighty-year-old lady. You know, the one filled with road trips and days at the lake. But I also realize that I have to get through February, March, April and May before I can put all mention of AP tests, school lunch and gym class behind me. Ugh. I suppose I’m due for an academic check-up…but the senior in me says it’s best to save that for tomorrow.
Audrey
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The weather here in Iowa is really gross. That’s about all I can say about the fourteen inches of snow we got recently, not to mention the ice, the wind and the subfreezing temperatures. Some good did come out of it—I had two days off from school—but I’m still entirely sick of the snow. I’m beginning to wish I had applied to colleges that are somewhere closer to the equator.
Aside from the weather, good things have been happening. I found out the other day that I’ve been selected as a National Merit Finalist. I don’t know whether I’ll actually receive any scholarship money because the award amount depends on which college I go to, but I think most schools give finalists around two thousand dollars. I also heard back from the University of Iowa—I’ve been awarded a partial scholarship and I’ll be considered for a full Presidential Scholarship. The Presidential Scholarship winners are announced sometime in early March. I’ll be crossing my fingers until then.
The rest of February looks like it’ll go by quickly. Second trimester ends in twelve days or so, and I can count of having finals soon. I think my grades are a bit shaky in certain classes, but I’m hoping I can pull those up in time. Also, I have my Harvard alumni interview on the 16th, my Princeton alumni interview on the 18th and a slew of scholarship/financial aid applications due all throughout the next two weeks. I should be keeping pretty busy.
I’ve also done some projects lately that have been interesting. In English, we finished reading Heart of Darkness and watched Apocalypse Now as a supplement to the novel. We also completed our own African literature readings. I chose to read the book Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The book is her autobiography and it’s been pretty eye-opening. She makes a strong case against being politically correct and vehemently condemns Islam, which is likely why she’s so controversial a figure. I would recommend the book to anyone who wants to really think.
Also, my Chinese class is going very well. We have our pinyin test on Tuesday and I’m eager to move on to writing in Chinese characters. I’ve done a few activities in my character book, and I really think that Chinese characters are beautiful. In some cases, the meaning of the character is illustrated by the shape of the character—the character for “grass” looks like grass, the character for “mouth” looks like a mouth, etc. I don’t think that our English letters are nearly as expressive.
Well, I suppose I should go work on homework. I’m writing this a couple days past deadline, on a Sunday evening. And of course, I pushed off everything until the last minute. I have an English final tomorrow and a lot of busywork-type handouts to do for other classes. So until next time—hang tight.
Audrey
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On Dec. 14th Yale was scheduled to release their admissions decisions online. That day, I wore my favorite jeans to school. I put my lucky pig in my pocket. I picked up a penny I found on the street. I figured I needed all the luck I could get.
When school finally got out, I went home and checked to see whether I had been accepted. I was totally crushed when I saw that I had been deferred—it was especially hard because so many students in my grade had been accepted at their early schools. Everyone, it seemed, but me.
Well, I got over that pretty quickly. Winter break was the perfect opportunity to revamp my college list and my overall application. I completely rewrote my Common App essay, choosing an off-the-wall topic and making the essay more creative. I rewrote my short answer, as well. And I finally decided to use the Common App online—something I hadn’t done during the early admission process.
I am not a tech-savvy person. And I’m a real micro-manager. I had figured that completing my applications on paper would give me greater control of everything. But after working with the Common App online, I suddenly realized why 93% of Yale applicants didn’t submit their applications on paper.
I got into a bit of trouble, however, when I was completing my Princeton application. Since my Princeton supplement essay was about the same topic as my Common App short answer, I decided to write a different Common App short answer and submit a different version of the Common App to Princeton. I created a second version of my Common App and submitted my Princeton supplement—only to realize I had linked the supplement to the wrong version of the Common App. Princeton was going to receive two identical essays from me! Thankfully, the Common App tech support team was able to help me out. I got lucky, I suppose.
Aside from college applications, a lot has been going on in Iowa. The caucuses were this past Thursday and I was allowed to participate because I’ll be eighteen by Election Day. It was my first time witnessing a caucus and it was fun to break into preference groups and shout out numbers as the precinct captains counted heads. The caucus system may be less efficient than a regular primary—it took a couple hours to tally votes for the 700+ people in my precinct—but it’s true to the political nature of Iowans.
Additionally, I had my Northwestern interview this past weekend. It was an enjoyable experience and easier than my other interviews, now that I’ve gone through my paces a couple times. I think I would really like attending Northwestern, if accepted. And the fact that they offer the prospect of sailing (Iowa City is about as landlocked as a city can be) is definitely a plus.
I should be done with all my scholarship applications by the middle of this month, and most of my interviews will be over by February. I’m pretty pumped to finish the college application process. At that point, I’ll just have to sit back, relax and hope my lucky pig doesn’t fail me…
Audrey
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I’m writing this column a little late - on the 10th. Today we had a day off from school because a huge ice storm swept through the Midwest and dumped a quarter inch of ice on Iowa City. The trees looked really pretty when I woke up this morning—that is until their limbs began snapping off. Sirens have been droning throughout town and everything is closed.
Monday definitely felt like the calm before the storm—in more ways than one. It was eerily quiet outside when I left for school, and it seemed equally quiet in my classes. I had stayed up late the night before, reading about molecular orbitals and pi bonds for a chemistry test. Apparently, everyone else was tired as well. My English teacher even paused in the middle of class to glare at us all: “What’s up with you guys today? All my classes have seemed so sleepy.”
In reality, though, I think we were quite awake. Awake, and focusing on one thought—Friday. Almost every student at my school who applied under an early application plan will hear back from his or her school on Friday. The realization that the announcement is less than four days away seems to have stunned everyone into silence.
But as we get closer to the deadline, I’m sure the tempest of anxiety and apprehension will arrive. Already, I’m feeling a bit skittish about Friday evening. A couple of my friends have arranged to be free that day, so they can sit at their computers hitting “refresh.” Even the teachers seem to realize that Friday is the day—I heard a couple of them discussing it in the hallway yesterday.
I’m extremely nervous for the Yale decision, because I have no idea what it will be. Applications at Yale increased by 36% this year. Over 4800 kids applied—and last year, only about 700 kids were accepted early. The admissions officers say they’re being extra careful about their selections, and I’m sure the applicant pool is even stronger than it’s been previously. I heard that nine kids in my general area are applying, and statistically speaking, only one of us will get in. It’s a scary thought, but perhaps I’m overanalyzing the situation. True, I will be devastated if I don’t get into Yale, but I should take comfort in my back-up plans. Although I only enjoyed a brief stint as a Brownie Scout, I’ve learned to “be prepared” for any situation—in this case a possible rejection.
This week, I’m turning in my Presidential Scholarship application to the University of Iowa. Each year, they select 20 students to receive full tuition, room and board, for their undergraduate years. If I receive the scholarship, it could be a great deal to stay in Iowa and participate in a four-year honors program for free. Also due this week is my Princeton application, which I have yet to finish. I suppose I should get on that now, right?
The next time I write, I’ll be done with all my applications. And I will have been rejected, waitlisted or accepted to Yale. The column will be an interesting one, I promise. In the meantime, I wish the best of luck to everyone who has applied early to college. In no time, the storm will be over.
Audrey
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Just a quick note for this week. Things have been a bit hectic. The trimester drew to a close on Monday, and all my final exams are now over. I managed to scrape through another trimester without getting Bs, although my grades were a bit shaky in chemistry and U.S. history. Hopefully they’ll be up to snuff by the end of this upcoming trimester, which I’m looking forward to.
I was sick on-and-off over this past weekend, and I hardly got any of my homework done. Even worse was the fact that I had to bail out of my Yale interview, which was supposed to be on Saturday. I woke up that morning feeling like the cheeseburger I had eaten the night before was trying to crawl back up my esophagus. I persuaded myself that if I popped a couple Tylenol and waited it out, I would be fine by the time my interview rolled around. Finally, an hour before I was supposed to leave, I had to call my interviewer and explain that I was sick. It must’ve sounded like the lamest excuse in the book: “I’m really sorry, but I don’t think I can meet with you today. I woke up with an awful stomachache.”
I stayed home from school today (Monday), still feeling slightly queasy. When I checked my email, I saw that the alumnus had contacted me about rescheduling—to 4:30 this afternoon. I readily agreed, then hopped into the shower, changed into a nice sweater and rapidly blow-dried my hair. A half hour later, I was driving to the hospital where he works.
The interview itself went smoothly. We met in his office, discussed my plans and talked about the ins and outs of daily life at Yale. I feel that I was really lucky to meet with this interviewer—we shared some similar interests and activities. He also remembered me from a college fair I went to two years ago! I was pretty amazed. The interview lasted for almost two hours—maybe I was just being really chatty, but I also felt that we had a great conversation. Now I’m even more persuaded that Yale would be the ideal school for a person with my interests.
Audrey
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This is the latest I've ever turned in a column—a whopping eight days late. The past week has been filled with finals as the trimester draws to a close. In English, we had a killer test over Hamlet and then a comprehensive final covering four major works and Greek mythology. In econ, we had a chapter quiz about exchange rates and the first part of our final exam over macroeconomics. The second half of the test comes up on Monday—along with my chemistry and U.S. history finals. Wow. On top of it all, I haven't been very productive with my studying—I guess I'm anticipating that if I go out for coffee and sit with the book on my lap for a good hour or two, I'll absorb everything I need to know via osmosis (hint: this DOESN'T work).
On the bright side, I received an acceptance letter from the University of Iowa. From what I hear, they have a pretty cool honors program; during the summers of my sophomore and junior year, I attended workshops at the honors facility and lived in the adjoining dorm. The workshops persuaded me that the UI program is a strong one, but I'm still not sure whether I would be happy to stay in Iowa for the next four years. I suppose it's a comfort to know that I have at least one acceptance on the table—and hopefully others will come along in the near future.
On that note, I should mention that I finally sent out my application to Yale. We'll see how my application fares along with the thousands of others submitted by students applying under Yale's early action option. I'm especially nervous about the essays I submitted, because they don't necessarily focus on me as much as they focus on my interests and activities. In my personal statement, I wrote about my internship at Congressman Loebsack's office and how the experience has broadened my view of public service. For my short essay, I wrote about the teen board I help out with at the library. Yale also asks for an additional essay; for this one I took a plunge and decided to write about my interest in history and how specific memories have shaped that interest. I turned in the essay without ever having it proofread, so I felt a bit apprehensive when I sealed the envelope and dropped it off at the post office. I hope the Yale interview gives me a chance to fill in any gaps in my application and make a final, lasting impression for my file.
A lot of my friends also submitted their applications under early or rolling admissions plans. Some have made the decision to matriculate to Iowa State or the University of Iowa. Others are still waiting to hear back from early action/early decision schools. This year, there seem to be a few popular picks: Washington University in St. Louis, Yale, University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern. I guess I can't decide whether I'm dreading or looking forward to mid-December. I know that some of us will get acceptance letters and some of us won't—I just hope there'll be fewer of us who fall with the latter.
Aside from schoolwork and college stuff, a lot has been going on in Iowa City. The results from Tuesday's election were pleasing, and the candidate I had been campaigning for completely swept at the polls. My U.S. history teacher was also elected to the city council of Coralville, which sits next to Iowa City. He replayed a congratulatory phone message that he received from Barack Obama during our first period class on Thursday—it was pretty neat.
Probably the most thrilling event tied to the election was the defeat of a controversial ordinance that would exclude underage students from the city's bars. Downtown Iowa City is filled with bars, and underage drinking is a well-recognized problem on campus. The proposed ordinance would prevent 19 and 20-year-olds from entering bars after 10 PM. Most of the older population wanted the ordinance to be passed, arguing that current law allows underage students to easily obtain alcohol at bars. Opponents to the proposed ordinance argued that raising the entry age would cause students to party in the neighborhoods around campus instead of hitting the bars—which could result in more assaults, greater noise pollution and a harder job for law enforcement. Musicians and artists who make a living off Iowa City nightlife were concerned that they wouldn't make profits. And some high school students were afraid they wouldn't be able to go to gigs in the evenings. It was amazing to see how the city mobilized in response to this issue—a huge percentage of the population turned out to the polls, and some 5,000 students voted in advance.
The upcoming week looks much less eventful in comparison. Hopefully, I can slog through finals and manage to scrape some As this trimester. I'll be sure to mention how everything goes—and hopefully, I'll be free enough to actually turn in my column by deadline.
Audrey
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Homecoming. I don’t know how many times I heard that word last week. It was all that anyone could talk about. What does your dress look like? Where are you going to eat? What are you going to do afterwards? Choices, choices.
I skipped our school’s homecoming assembly, but it wasn’t for lack of school spirit. That morning, I met with my academic advisor at the University of Iowa to schedule spring semester courses. While everyone else back at school was cheering for the Homecoming Court candidates, I was debating whether to enroll in conversational Chinese or beginning Chinese I. Choices, choices.
After the meeting, I went back to school and was promptly launched into Homecoming discussions all over again. The week culminated with a dance at a local hotel/conference center. I went with a good mix of people and had a great time. It was kind of weird to think that it was the last high school Homecoming I would ever go to.
The next day I woke up and stared in the mirror. My makeup had rubbed all over my face. My hair was still crusty with hairspray. My raccoon-eyes opened wide when I saw the sticky-note on my mirror: "Gtown @ 4:00." My first college interview was that afternoon.
Miraculously, I showed up on time. The Georgetown alumnus had agreed to meet with me at a local coffee shop, and he was ordering as I walked in the door. We shook hands, grabbed our coffee, and settled in a corner of the shop.
“Whoa,” he said as he was enveloped by a red armchair.
“Uh, yeah,” I said. “The chairs here are really, uh, puffy.” As soon as I said it, I felt like smacking myself on the forehead. Doh!
Thankfully, the interview progressed from there. We began by talking about my family, my courses and my activities. Eventually we ended up talking about my internship at the Congressman’s office, involvement with the City Council elections, and the international relations course I took at UI last semester. The interviewer himself was young, laid back and pretty involved with politics. I was thoroughly enjoying our conversation and had hardly noticed that two hours had passed until I realized the sun was setting. We ended the interview on a much better note than we had started, and I sent him a quick thank-you letter the following day. The experience had been entirely painless and truly enjoyable—I’m feeling much more confident about my upcoming interviews.
I wish I could feel as confident about my early applications. I had a lot of trouble deciding which school to apply early at. Both Georgetown and the University of Chicago offer early action, and Yale offers single-choice early action. For a while, I was sure I would apply at Georgetown and UChicago early, but now, I think I’m going to apply at Yale early. The only problem is that several insanely well-qualified students from my school are applying there as well. Although I’m genuinely interested in Yale and I’m positive that I would love to go there, I can’t help feeling that Yale is only going to accept one or two seniors from my school—at most—and I won’t be one of them.
In any case, my application will arrive in their mailroom sometime this week. At that point, the matter will be out of my hands, and in theirs. Choices, choices.
Audrey
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In Spanish class the other day, we were discussing adjectives that could be used to enhance a narrative and make character descriptions more personal. The long list of words we were given failed to contain the one adjective that characterized my life this past week: estresado.
This week was stressful. Big time. I went on a four-day trip to Washington last weekend and when I finally got home Sunday evening, I had about five hours to do all my homework and projects from Thursday and Friday.
The beastliest project on my to-do list was the mythology presentation I had to prepare for AP English. My group and I had spent the past week papier-mâché-ing and spray painting a series of dioramas; each diorama corresponded with a scene from Homer’s The Odyssey. We had tiny origami lotuses for the Island of the Lotus-Eaters. We had a gigantic, stone-textured cave for the Cyclops Polyphemus. We had even decorated our dioramas with natural moss and grasses. Finally it was complete. After our presentation, I could breathe easily again. That is, until I realized how much work I still had to do.
Midterm grades were due this week, so almost everyone had tests on Monday and Tuesday. I barely managed to slog through my AP Chem and AP Econ tests. When my grades came out on Wednesday, I was disappointed to see a couple Bs. I suppose I should apply myself more in the 28 days we have left before the end of the trimester. It would be a shame to lose my 4.0 right before I sent my mid-year grades to colleges.
Thankfully, life on the college front isn’t going too bad. My list of schools is finalized and most of my applications are almost done. I’m still having trouble with the essays, though, and I need to choose my top two this week! I’ll be sure to describe my essays when I make my final selections.
In addition, I still need to send my test scores to colleges. I took the SATs last December and scored a 2280 (740 Math, 760 Writing, 780 Critical Reading). Although the score is not amazingly high, I’m pretty satisfied with it. I don’t think I can fork over another $80 to take the test again, anyway.
The ACT was a one-time affair as well. I took the test last April and received a 35 (34 Math, 35 Science, 35 Writing, 36 Reading).
My subject tests are also in order, although I’m slightly dissatisfied with my Spanish score (680). Luckily, my Biology (750) and Literature (780) scores were good; altogether the SAT IIs were not nearly as painful as everyone said they would be.
As my applications near completion, I have to begin preparing for the alumni interviews. My first interview is on the 14th. I’ll be meeting a Georgetown alumnus at a local coffee shop. I’m kind of nervous about this interview because Georgetown is one of my top choices and I don’t want to blow my chances of getting in. Hopefully, I won’t spill coffee on my interviewer or anything like that. How traumatic.
Other than the interview, I don’t have too much to worry about in the upcoming week. This weekend will probably be spent writing essays and adding finishing touches to my early application forms. A week from today, I hope to be done with most of the application process. It will definitely be a cause for celebration. At least I won’t be estresado any longer.
Until next time, then. Hasta luego.
Audrey
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Some people don’t need deadlines, some meet their deadlines, and some have deadlines thrust upon them.
I fall with the latter. It’s kind of scary how deadlines sneak up on me. Take newspaper deadlines, for example. Last week we wrapped up the first edition of our school newspaper, the West Side Story. I was supposed to design the centerfold, but somehow, that didn’t happen. Thursday and Friday were spent scrambling to fill 132x90 picas with newsworthy material.
Today was publication day and I could breathe easy again. Our staff gathered before school to take a group photo and hand out newspapers. We came, we collected, we distributed. It was a great success.
In comparison to newspaper, my other classes seem laid-back. AP U.S. History has become one of my favorite classes because our tests and quizzes are invariably postponed. Of course, I like history too— ’cause, you know, the Puritans and I are tight.
AP Econ is becoming marginally better (har har) as I’m starting to wrap my brain around basic concepts. Although the textbook reads like a user’s manual, the class itself is steadily improving.
I’m having the most trouble with AP English, largely because of the college essays we’ve been asked to turn in. The college essay is the hardest thing I have ever tried to write. I am not exaggerating. How am I supposed to squeeze all that I am into 500 words or less? How can I choose a topic that will make me stand out from the 29 other merit semifinalists at my school? How can I channel all my thoughts and ideas onto a blank Word document?
I’m beginning to fear that it won’t happen. The Early Action deadline will thrust itself upon me, but I’ll be unable to meet its challenge. I’ll be left in the dust by other college applicants who have the stamina to sit, zombie-eyed, in front of their computers for extended periods.
Okay, so maybe not. But I would like to have my essays completed by the end of this month, and I have yet to settle on a topic. Everything that I come up with sounds used and abused; I don’t want to submit a trite essay that admissions officers have read a thousand times. When (if) I settle on an essay, I’ll be sure to note it here.
Although I haven’t made much progress with the essays, I’ve covered a lot of ground as far as college selection goes. My current list of schools includes Georgetown, University of Chicago, Yale, Tufts, Harvard, Brown, Northwestern, Princeton, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Iowa. My list is long and obviously lacking safety schools. I’m definitely taking a huge risk.
In fact, this entire process feels like a gamble. With early action and early decision thrown in the picture, I’ve become especially confused. Should I bet all I have on an early decision school? Is it really much different if I apply single-choice early action? And what if I don’t apply early action at the toughest schools—am I at a disadvantage with higher admission rates? I wish every school could drop their early decision and early action options. If schools offered a single deadline, the playing field would be level for everyone. Isn’t that how college admissions should be?
In any case, I’ve had more than enough deadlines thrust upon me during the past couple weeks. Newspaper deadlines will continue to sneak up on me each month. Application deadlines will rear their ugly heads come November, December and January. It’s nice to know that I’ve met one deadline, at least: the deadline for this blog. My entry is complete (with two hours to spare) and I’m going to go catch some sleep. Until next time—over and out.
Audrey
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Hey everyone! Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Audrey, and I live in Iowa City, IA, home to the University of Iowa Hawkeyes (represent!). I’m a lover of mashed potatoes, reality TV and long walks on the beach—or I would be, if there were any beaches in Iowa.
My friends would say that I’m constantly in motion—when I’m not at school or at work, I’m running off to activities or events. Iowa City is a liberal, eclectic community, and for that reason political rallies, band shows and literary readings abound. The myriad options make Iowa City one of my favorite places in the world.
Iowa City is also home to West High, where I’m going into my fourth week as a senior. I can’t believe I’m a senior already—clichéd as it sounds, freshman year seems like yesterday.
This year, I’m taking AP U.S. history, journalism (two back-to-back periods), AP Chem, AP Econ and AP English. Journalism is probably my most time-consuming class. This year, I’m the design and double-truck editor of the school newspaper, and a lot of my time is spent in what we affectionately call the J-Room. We publish on a monthly basis, so I’m sure I’ll be mentioning the school paper as the year goes on.
I have seventh hour open and I usually use that as a prep hour. After school, I take Spanish classes at the university and intern at my local Congressman’s office. The internship at the Congressman’s office is probably one of my most rewarding activities. For that reason, what was supposed to be just a summer internship has turned into a sort of after-school job.
In my community, I contribute to a teen advisory board at my local library, chair the city’s youth advisory commission, sit on the board of directors at the youth center and work on a city council campaign. In any given week, I’ll probably have a meeting or volunteer activity to attend—that’s what makes me tick. I love the general craziness of my schedule, even if I look frazzled as a result.
Even now, so early in the school year, I’m beginning to feel the burn of my activities. But something else has been bothering me, as well: anxiety over my college applications. Way back in June, I told myself I was going to enter my senior year with a typed list of colleges, a neat stack of applications and a folder of essays fit to burst. Today I looked around my room and realized that I only have a couple essays, a few half-completed applications and a whole lot of empty coffee cups. I’m sensing that the Common Application is about to become the bane of my existence…
Thankfully, I have a general idea of which colleges I’m applying to and I should have a final list of schools by my next entry. I’ve also lined up the three teachers that I need to write letters of recommendation. I’m pumped that they said yes, and I know they’ll work their teacher-magic on their letters.
On a different note, I’m reminding myself that I’m a SENIOR in high school, and my life doesn’t revolve around college applications. On weekends, I like to hang out with friends, go shopping and eat out. I’m also a huge fan of sappy romantic comedies and almost all films made in the ’80s (key word: almost). I occasionally overdose on chocolate, but I can never have too many books.
Currently, I’m trying to save money so I can take a trip to Europe next summer. This past June, I was lucky enough to go there, and the trip only made me want to go again. Planning for the trip takes some of my attention away from college applications—and helps preserve my sanity.
Wow, this is really long. I guess it took longer than I thought to introduce myself. It’s a good thing that I’ll be writing these entries until May. That ought to be enough time for things to play out—and for me to find out where I’ll be going, what I’ll be doing and how I’ll write it all down.
Thanks for reading, and until next time, peace out.
Audrey
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