Long Time, No See
So, there are two things I can write my college essay about. I don't want to write both and send both into the same school (for the ones that let you send in more than one or want you to) because they're kind of similar.
1) My father's illness, how it's affected our home, my life, etc.
If I write this one, I'll be integrating a quote from Dave Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius that says something like, "It's a kid's best dream and worst nightmare to think about your parents being sick or dying, but every kid thinks about it." (Obviously he words it much better than I did, but that's the jist.) Anyway, hopefully it would make me stand out?
2) Communities defining my life - school, home, and friends.
This one's a little broad in terms of what I could actually say. I know I would talk about school being an escape from the shit going on at home. The wonderful atmosphere at school. How close we are to some of the teachers - how we joke with them and sometimes stay after school to hang out with them. I could talk about how close and healthy I feel that our group of friends is. How we got so excited when Mrs. Hyatt was pregnant. How we sit around and play board games and drink a ton of soda. How we enjoy spending time together dressing up as clowns, scaring little kids. And in terms of home, I could just talk about how some things constantly never change - my dad being ill and my mother taking care of him - but I could talk about how I've discovered that our attitudes at home influence how everyone else's day will go. Too big of a topic? Should I pick just one area and stick with it? I want it to have a point - not just be a tangent about the three places I am. I could switch it up completely and contrast the school community with my work community at Friendly's. Or my friends with Friendly's? Does anyone have any ideas for this?
Anyway, I finalized my college list, gave in all the letters, envelopes, and information for recommendations, transcript sending, and mid-year grade reports. Mrs. Petti and Mrs. Leonard are writing my normal recommendations for all of my schools. For the ones that only require one and are my top choices, I'm sending in Mrs. Petti's. For the more science focused schools that are my safeties, Mrs. Leonard's writing those singularly. Then, Boston University's Accelerated Medical Program wants three specified recommendations, so Mrs. Petti, Mrs. McFarland, and Mrs. Fleck are writing those ones. I really hope that those come out well. If I don't get into the program at BU, I don't get into the college.
So, here's my list, and I organized it by top choices for once. Tomorrow, I'm sure I'll have changed my mind about the choice listing.
1. Boston University (Accelerated Medical Program)
2. MIT
3. Johns Hopkins University
4. Tufts University
5. Harvard College
6. Union College
7. Northeastern University
8. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
And I'm majoring in neuroscience/cognitive science (depends on school) and if available, my double major or minor will be classics.
Basically, there's nothing else I want to say. This week's been full of ups and downs. Tuesday I came home and ate a whole box of DoubleStuf Oreos. Wednesday I went to bed right after school, got up to not eat dinner, and went to bed again until morning. But then Thursday night, I went to work and Dan's family visited me, and I felt so freaking good that I couldn't sleep - I didn't want to! At that point, life was really good for me, I guess. Friday, soccer. Saturday, a shift that was far too long for me, but then Haunted Train Ride! As soon as I get a picture of me as a clown, I'll post it. That was so much fun. We went back to Skye's and had a nice time. Today, I need to:
1. Write my college essay (to hand in for English class)
2. Do my homework
3. Rough draft of AP English essay on The Sun Also Rises
4. Catch up with Return of the Native
5. Read Book I of The Pillar of Iron
6. Study for Religion test???
And I have soccer, Dan coming over at some point, and Regina Spektor later!!!
1) My father's illness, how it's affected our home, my life, etc.
If I write this one, I'll be integrating a quote from Dave Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius that says something like, "It's a kid's best dream and worst nightmare to think about your parents being sick or dying, but every kid thinks about it." (Obviously he words it much better than I did, but that's the jist.) Anyway, hopefully it would make me stand out?
2) Communities defining my life - school, home, and friends.
This one's a little broad in terms of what I could actually say. I know I would talk about school being an escape from the shit going on at home. The wonderful atmosphere at school. How close we are to some of the teachers - how we joke with them and sometimes stay after school to hang out with them. I could talk about how close and healthy I feel that our group of friends is. How we got so excited when Mrs. Hyatt was pregnant. How we sit around and play board games and drink a ton of soda. How we enjoy spending time together dressing up as clowns, scaring little kids. And in terms of home, I could just talk about how some things constantly never change - my dad being ill and my mother taking care of him - but I could talk about how I've discovered that our attitudes at home influence how everyone else's day will go. Too big of a topic? Should I pick just one area and stick with it? I want it to have a point - not just be a tangent about the three places I am. I could switch it up completely and contrast the school community with my work community at Friendly's. Or my friends with Friendly's? Does anyone have any ideas for this?
Anyway, I finalized my college list, gave in all the letters, envelopes, and information for recommendations, transcript sending, and mid-year grade reports. Mrs. Petti and Mrs. Leonard are writing my normal recommendations for all of my schools. For the ones that only require one and are my top choices, I'm sending in Mrs. Petti's. For the more science focused schools that are my safeties, Mrs. Leonard's writing those singularly. Then, Boston University's Accelerated Medical Program wants three specified recommendations, so Mrs. Petti, Mrs. McFarland, and Mrs. Fleck are writing those ones. I really hope that those come out well. If I don't get into the program at BU, I don't get into the college.
So, here's my list, and I organized it by top choices for once. Tomorrow, I'm sure I'll have changed my mind about the choice listing.
1. Boston University (Accelerated Medical Program)
2. MIT
3. Johns Hopkins University
4. Tufts University
5. Harvard College
6. Union College
7. Northeastern University
8. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
And I'm majoring in neuroscience/cognitive science (depends on school) and if available, my double major or minor will be classics.
Basically, there's nothing else I want to say. This week's been full of ups and downs. Tuesday I came home and ate a whole box of DoubleStuf Oreos. Wednesday I went to bed right after school, got up to not eat dinner, and went to bed again until morning. But then Thursday night, I went to work and Dan's family visited me, and I felt so freaking good that I couldn't sleep - I didn't want to! At that point, life was really good for me, I guess. Friday, soccer. Saturday, a shift that was far too long for me, but then Haunted Train Ride! As soon as I get a picture of me as a clown, I'll post it. That was so much fun. We went back to Skye's and had a nice time. Today, I need to:
1. Write my college essay (to hand in for English class)
2. Do my homework
3. Rough draft of AP English essay on The Sun Also Rises
4. Catch up with Return of the Native
5. Read Book I of The Pillar of Iron
6. Study for Religion test???
And I have soccer, Dan coming over at some point, and Regina Spektor later!!!