A Month into Senior Year

It's mid-October and the deluge of homework, sports commitments, and college preparation has already become too much to handle at times. We're all tired and running on coffee 24 hours a day. Now, 1st quarter grades are the ones sent to colleges, so you can understand everyone's anxiety.

But me? I'm procrastinating more than ever! I've got a paper due tomorrow and I've been watching The West Wing  and writing useless blog posts! Obviously I need to get my shit together, but a couple updates first.

1. In November I am going back to DC, this time looking at George Mason, UMaryland CP, and George Washington. Hopefully this may knock one (or more) of them off of my list and strengthen my interest for another (less applications please!)

2. I'm going to try to post more often- these blog posts almost make it fun.

3. I AM applying Early Action.... in fact Single-Choice Early Action.... to TULANE! Yes, this school has been on my radar for a while and they have a free application, so I just decided to go for it. Even though it's not precisely my dream school, who knows- plus it will feel nice to have an acceptance.
If I get in. Which I won't if I keep procrastinating English. Ok, bye!

Tufts, UMass, and Amherst

Hello there! I just returned from February vacation and, like many of my friends, I was not on a beach in St. Tropez. Instead I was sitting in on info sessions and going on college tours in my home state of Massachusetts (yay?).  I visited two state schools, Amherst College, and Tufts University. And boy do I have some news for you.

But first, a segway; I have developed a new system of measurement for schools that I visit. Because it really isn't just about how median test scores match up, what your GPA is, or whether you were a published writer at the age of seven; schools all have their own perspective and feel. 

Here is my proposal:  Pick one single word (preferably a noun) that can define the "feel" of a school.

For example: Georgetown's word? Competition.  It's everywhere, and maybe its just the heightened political atmosphere, but it seemed to me that everyone was thriving on the hope of becoming THE best. Some people would find this unattractive; I, however, loved it.

So to shorten a week's worth of college visits, I'm going to give you "the word" on the four tours I went on (expanding on those which I liked the most ;) ).

UMass Lowell- Tired  Enough said.

Tufts University- Open-Minded  I went to this school with my friend, Liz, and her dad with no expectations of my own. But WOW, when I walked on campus, I felt completely at home. Jumbos are the coolest, most unabashed nerds you have ever seen. From the mural by Shepard Fairey to the greatest information I have ever seen (it included bee dances!), Tufts has become one of my favorites!

UMass Amherst- Hodgepodge  My cousin goes here and gave me a tour of the MASSIVE campus (mostly revolving around the best places to eat of course!) and my mom is an alum. UMass feels like a school that can be whatever you make it, and I really admire that. This is also probably the most financially responsible school for me to go to.

Amherst College- Focused  It's the "king of the little Ivies" and they're not kidding. A gorgeous school, but much too small for me, not to mention out of my reach. At the information session, a rep told us they have a 400 person freshman class- that 8,000 people applied for!

Thoughts?

Between the stacks, musing on SATs

So as a victim of the January 22nd SAT, I received my scores less than a week ago. Not really going to share them here, just because I hate how score-obsessed my peers and I have all become; suffice to say that they were fine, but the EXACT SAME scores as my PSAT from September, which is more than a little frustrating. I guess just one practice test a week before doesn't constitute much preparation, huh?

Kids in my grade have asked each other multiple times "Wuddya get?"and I've pretty much kept silent. but honestly, that's not much better. Why is it that we are all so greedy for this information, and so self-conscious about it at the same time? I really do want to know what scores people recieved but
A)   anyone asking has probably already come up with a fake number in their mind about 150 points higher than they actually received and

B)   in return for that info, it's customary to give your own, which I would rather not inflate for the sake of my sanity and awkwardness.

So why, why the sudden February tenth freak out? The curse on us juniors is that these four digits have supposedly become a litmus test for who is your greatest competition. Insane, right? And who, might you ask, has built up the expectations of the SAT? Because whoever it is, they sure have made me feel like this "dog fight" just got a whole lot more complicated.

Follow Up: bought 2 new SAT books, signed up for a student-run SAT prep course at MIT (link below, it's actually pretty good), then kicked myself for spending $40 on massive SAT books better suited as bricks in Hadrian's wall than studying. Have resolved to try 1 practice test a week.

http://esp.mit.edu/learn/SATPrep/index.html

Washington DC Part II

All righty, so now comes the second part of my trip to DC. Right away I can tell you that it wasn’t nearly as exciting as the first part. Sorry for the spoiler, but I promise this; it was pretty funny! After going to Georgetown, I had a feeling I would be underwhelmed by the other campuses I saw (I was right).

Mom and I went shopping in Georgetown, did some sightseeing on the National Mall, saw South Pacific at the Kennedy Center, and then walked around George Washington University.

 Now for those of you not familiar, GW is a very urban school, similar to NYU. The university buildings looked fine, the dorms too, but I couldn’t help but think “why is this place so attractive to people?” A year at GW costs $42,905, not to mention the extra costs of living in an expensive city. According to a study in 2009, GW graduate with an average of $31,300 in debt; that’s ridiculous!  Money is one my biggest concerns when deciding on college, and while I see the draw to city living in college, how would I ever pay that much back?! I didn’t get to talk to any school reps and only one student (who only talked about his massive debt- the poor bastard) so maybe I’m overlooking something, but, truly, I can’t let myself be sucked in without an amazing financial aid package.

Final stop: American University. This was where shit got interesting.

We went to the Arts Center, where we were COMMANDED by the stoplight to “WAIT!” and finally found our way to a meeting with an admissions officer, including Madre and I with two other “family units” of moms and two guys. Let’s call them Beevis and Butthead.

Beevis was really interested in American. He snagged all the brochures. He asked thoughtful questions. He giggled with anticipation when he thought I couldn’t hear.

Butthead, on the other hand, was an ass like you read about. He pissed and moaned. He was completely silent in the meeting, picking his nose and facing away from the admissions officer. AND HIS MOM WAS ASKING QUESTIONS AFTER EVERY OTHER SENTENCE! This kid obviously could not care less, and she obviously was going to be writing all of his applications for him. Do you know a Butthead? I have a sinking feeling that these are much more common than anyone wants.

After the meeting, we walked around campus. The buildings at American are all concrete, and while the newer ones look pretty cool, the dorms and older ones just looked “meh.” Mom absolutely hated it, but I think it’s something I could deal with. And for the record, the guidebooks have it wrong; American is near Embassy Row and the VP’s house. It is by no means in the heart of the city, which is why they have free busses to the Metro station (which, also for the record, have the longest, creakiest escalators, going down a dark tunnel that makes you feel like you’re descending into hell!).

Unfortunately, AU had already gone through finals and the students were all gone. I might go onto some online forums to hear what people actually have to say about American.

ACTUAL USE OF BLOG! WHOAAAA! Washington DC Part I: Georgetown University

oh.

hey.

this is awkward.

Ah well. I'm just going to go with it. Due to major technological issues in the past few months, I have ignored my blogging duties. But no more! I will now try to post once a week, cross my heart!

So about a month back, in December, I went to visit some of my top pick schools in my favorite city; Washington DC! My future career will hopefully include politics, international affairs, and education, Washington is definitely the place to go. I went there before when I was eleven, and it's one of the craziest cities in the country, but OH MY GOD is it fun.

Our cabbie was probably just taking us on the scenic route, but when we pulled out of the airport at seven o'clock at night in a freak snowstorm, the city was mute and cleanly coated in snow. We cruised by the Lincoln Memorial, illuminated and incandescent against the black sky; I couldn't stop grinning. I'm not exactly the "celestial will" type, but this felt as though the city was trying to seduce me. It worked, too.

First stop: Georgetown, my ideal school. 

In our usual form, Mom and I showed up late to the informational seminar because we were chatting with possibly the coolest girl I have ever met walking up campus. She said she was from New York, studying international economics at the Walsh School of Foreign Service (my goal), and she was the complete antithesis of all the bad things I have heard about Georgetown. She had cornrows, a nose piercing, and seemed so cool and down to earth. After hearing so many complaints about the uber preppy Hoyas, she was the best possible person to meet on my first visit- wish I caught her name though! The seminar was all pretty standard; statistics, pictures of grinning students on foreign exchange, and famous alumni mentions (including my hero, Madeleine Albright). Then it was time for the tour.

As the college-bound kid's Bible, Fiske Guide to Colleges 2010, describes it, "from its scenic location just blocks from the Potomac River, Georgetown affords its students an excellent vantage point from which to survey the world"(Fiske 259). (And yes, I did just use a citation. My English teacher must be so proud.) I'm going to gloss over the tour, but basically Georgetown is full of really interesting and involved people, though the uber preppy vibe is no joke. 

The town itself looks like Santa's Village, with bright paint colors and brick sidewalks, but overall the town seems a little self-contained. That cool girl I met walking in? When I asked her about this, she said some people would never leave campus if they didn't have to. But there's a large enough contingent of people who DO appreciate the city that there's always something to do.

So those are my first impressions- we'll see if I can get in! Part II coming soon, featuring the other two (well, 1.5) colleges I visited, and some pictures actually taken by yours truly (sorry, but this was pre-Christmas, so I didn't have my new Canon yet.)

Peace, Love, and Happiness in all your college endeavors!

Em