#senior sem essay

[thelengthyposts]

Senior Year Madness

It all begins in the last month of your JUNIOR year in June...

they make you ALL excited because it was "going to be sooooo much easier than junior year" ..right?

WRONG.

but. u didn't know that then. so... u enter Senior year in Aug/Sept in that mindset.

then you're doing ok... that is until senioritis strikes BECAUSE of the "senior year is easy mentality"

....then your grades go down.

on top of that.. guess what. it's OCTOBER-NOVEMBER season.

....college applications abound!!!

..it all ends in November 30th...if all you apply to are public universities....

if private... that ends somewhere in january. if community college? u don't even have to worry about it till after graduation...i think.

anyhow. so i applied to public universities. and got done with all my applications on the last day of november.

cool right?

kinda. for me, anyhow.

some people.. who need higher SAT scores need to take the December SATs.... and sometimes the January ones too.

but I was lazy so.. I didn't. ..now I know I should have. but. oh well. that's life.

so... life continues. your 1st semester ends in DEATH. ..lol...well, close to it. at least mine did.

and u go on to 2nd semester.

then february comes and CSUs start giving their admission results.

..it seems EVERYONE got their SJSU admissions, but i still have no reply... guess that's how it is if you're financially disabled..yes. disabled. LOL.... [i finally got it in April..geesh, seriously? 2 months late? anyhow.]

so. end of february.... u get admission from one csu... but they request your 1st sem grade... of death.

..scared and confused.... u only send them your transcript without the 1st sem senior grade. and u complete your admission.

...but now u worry WHAT IF in July, when they see that grade of death they withdraw your "conditional admission" ?

...hmmm..oh well. that's life. so...you go and forget it for a while.

then March comes. and UC decisions are about. applied in 3? got in in 1... got in in the one that TOLD YOU they were gonna accept u EITHERWAY when u apply.

so. you're all happy and cool. right?

not really. because then your ENGLISH senior project kicks you in the chin and buries you alive for the next 30 days... until the 17th of April..when it's due.

yay. boo.

so. anyhow. back to the UC. you're happy and cool.

april ROLLS fast. with you digging your grave deeper and deeper EVERYDAY with all the tests [both high school and college].. and essays.. and projects.. and to top it all off... college pressure.

so. anyhow. you FINALLY manage to gather yourself and check your college things because the stress of senior project is done. right?

well. 'tis not done. college stress takes over.

so. u find out u need to update your grade in the UC website. the 1st sem grade. so u do... and u explain why you have the grade of death. and promise you'll do better.

so. FINALLY. cool, right? .....NOT.

coz then you have to decide on which college to say yes or no from...by May 1.

what's bad is you don't know what will happen if you say yes to the one that would reject you.

yet, u know u should start taking care of everything because u need to find the housing and stuff for the university.

TO TOP IT ALL OF.

April 21 -- English writing of some sort. Extra credit really. but you need it BECAUSE you want to cushion your grade JUST IN CASE your senior project will become the death of you in June at the day of the finals. oh. and math tutorial. yeah. takes time out of your sched too.

April 22 -- AP Bio test on ch. 43 AKA the test that would MAINTAIN your grade to a C....or doom it forever to a D... thus getting you rejected in the college. [cross your fingers now and PRAY i maintain the grade of get a higher grade or else....I WILL BREAK YOUR FINGER]

ahem.

anyhow.

April 23 -- Book report. Great.

April 24.. should just DIE. Why? hm..let's see. here are the following reasons: a) Trig/Precal test... aka the test that you should get an A or B on... or you get rejected in all colleges u apply to. end of story. great. how to get an A or B when you've never gotten a C? ...miracles happen i suppose? yes. they will. u will make sure of it. [again. cross your fingers... u know the drill]

b) AP Government Research Paper...that nobody wants to write ANYWAY. you and your classmates simply do not see the point. anyhow. it's supposed to be 6 pages long.. blah blah blah

c) AP Biology PRACTICE AP TEST ...not really a hassle. since it will only be for you and your benefit alone. but the fact remains IT WILL TAKE 5 hours of your time away from doing other work.

...April 25 then: 1) part 1 of your SUPER ASS LONG AP Gov test. it's ok..... won't kill u much.... won't make u bleed either.. but IT WILL TIRE YOUR BRAIN. and from all that activity the previous day? you're already dead anyway. 2) LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG trip to LA for a WEDDING. 6-7 hours. car trip. looooooooong. uncomfortable. looooooooong. 3) ...you'll probably sleep late because it's the 1st time in AGES u and your cousins spoke to each other

April 26... 1) u wake up early. as part of the wedding entourage.. u need to prepare. oh. and the wedding is at lunch time. great. the fact your hair is STRAIGHT and LONG.. and you need to CURL it. great. 2) after the wedding = party. most likely till night when u can no longer lift any part of your body due to your extreme fatigue. or when everyone around u starts puking coz they're drunk. yay. [well... maybe the latter was a BIT exagerated. anyhow]

April 27....sunday 1) u get back to your car in that looooooooooooong trip back to north cali. great. again. 2) u have a gov test the next day. oh great. yay.

..and it seems your suffering is over? ..yeah. to yourknowledge at the moment it seems.

well. until May 1st..anyway. or at least April 30th. wow. 3 days break only? you won't be able to revive yourself in time. and u know it.

so. April 30: you stress all day. thinking which college to say yes or no about. in the meantime, in school. ..panoramic pictures. yay. reminds u more of the impending college decision u have to do by midnight that same night.

May 1: u say yes. and say no. then u pray to god and all the saints to HEAR u. oh. and u get the cap and gown. yay. oh. and u need to sign up for that UC test.. if u said yes to the UC one.

so.

May 6th comes. = AP Gov test. the real one. cool. easy. but stressful nonetheless.

then May 10... 1) u WAKE UP EARLY. drag yourself to Los Altos and take the English writing test for the UC. just in case that it the one u said yes to. 2) the test will be over around 11:45. you'll be home by 12:3ish. 3) at some point. u call your friends. and u make plans. IF YOU DIDN'T ALREADY MAKE THEM. u better have though. so if your friends are reading this, they BETTER NOT PROCRASTINATE and help u more with your impending death. 4) prom. at 8. yay. another reason to make yourself a zombie. tired? very? well. who cares. it's a paaaaaaaaaaaaar-taaaaay. 5) oh. and u go home tired. and prolly late too.

...May 11. mother's day. u don't do anything coz you're a zombie in your deathbed remember?

May 12. AP BIO test. great. hopefully. u slept well last night. or your dead. your future depends on this test too. u better get a fucking five. oh. that rhymes.

then all is over....right? well. no. because u won't get your peace of mind because of the fact that it's international week. and the school will be loud all week. oh. and you're president of the french club. meaning u need to manage those crepes you guys will be selling. wow. good luck on that. just don't die..k? you're a bit young in my opinion.

ok. so. after that.. all stresses are gone. just anticipation really. and....lotsa sleep. u need it. u've been going at it for 3 weeks straight. surprise u haven't died yet.

hn.

so. last week of May. u go to your teachers. ask if you won't get the grade of death-- D-- in the end. if no.. then you're back in CSF. if not. well. fuck that shit. [coz that means you've ruined your future... at least till u think of a solution]

so.

if all went well. you're cool and happy and all. if not... well. u get snappy. then eventually u forget about it..right? well. we hope so. u can get pretty mean.....

anyhow.

1st week of June = finals. GAMBATTE!! <-- do your best

2nd week of June = rehearsals + beach day. ah. beach day. takes your mind off of things. yay. oh. and u graduate.

and pretty much. your stress returns. u fear for the college u said yes to. will they accept u? hopefully. they better. or you'll start packing and cross the ocean.

so. July 15 comes along. your grades are given top the college.

then if it's all good. u have more stress coz everything's changing and u need to arrange stuff. move out. all that.

if no. well. who knows. maybe a plane ticket. yeah.

and so....

if you're still alive by august. good job. you've survived senior year. you'll need the survival skills for college too.

if you've already died...well......... hopefully u come back to life at some point. but then naturally u do..u get over things rather easily after all.

so. the end?

meh.

transmission terminated.

i don't care if you're religious or not. pray to your God and help me.

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This is a backdated post.

The original post my 17-year-old self wrote is on deviantart.

#backdated post #blogging #high school #senior year #life #deviantart

[realtalk-tj]

does applying ea hurt my chances or raise them? my gpa isnt so hot and i think i can raise it by first sem senior year; should i wait?

Response from Penelope:

Depends on the school and your GPA! (Some people will say a 4.3 isn't hot; that's probably still fine.) For some schools, you HAVE HAVE HAVE to apply EA (VT, UMD, and Purdue come to mind quickly). If you hypothetically had a 4.1 but applied EA, you'd be better off than someone with a 4.7 applying RD. UMD RD has a <3% acceptance rate RD iirc.

If you feel quite confident that you can raise your GPA, if a school offers both EA and RD and isn't super picky about when you submit, feel free to wait! That being said, you'll still want to start early with your essays, since if you have 15 schools getting submitted by January 1 and you start during Winter Break, you will not be happy.

[bookmarksandbonfires]

Today it rained and I made a spreadsheet for organisational purposes... And tbh not much else happened. I need to scan some stuff so I can write on it, but I'm too lazy to try to get my printer to do it and my phone camera's too bad to take photos/scan to pdf, so I'll put it off until at least tomorrow.

#studyblr #studyspo #studying #study #books #gone with the wind #senior sem essay #spreadsheet #organisational #rain! #I love it! #also I guess I went to my yoga class today #so not a total loss

[brutal-nemesis]

Helpless

Seeing that Whumpee had finally fallen asleep, Caretaker stroked their head one last time and left as quietly as they could. They finished cleaning up in the kitchen before finally going upstairs to their room and shutting the door. 

And then they finally broke.

Whumpee was getting worse, Caretaker could tell, and it was so hard to watch them struggle and not really be able to do anything to help them. And they couldn’t cry in front of Whumpee, no, they had enough to deal with as it was without feeling guilty for their lack of progress. But it hurt so, so much to see the person they cared about struggling, pained, failing. They felt so powerless, they were doing what they could for Whumpee, but it was never enough to fix things. And they knew that, they knew things would never be the same again, but they wished, just for a moment, that they could have the old Whumpee back. That wasn’t selfish, was it? Whumpee wanted to be like that again, too, didn’t they? Caretaker just wished they wanted it more for Whumpee’s sake than their own.

When the tears dried, that was it. Break over, off to bed, and tomorrow was another day of smiling as they helped Whumpee, their pain hidden beneath the surface.

#i wrote something #whump prompt #vent writing i guess #oh damn vent writing again what happened this time nemi? #well you see my senior sem prof was like ''please write about a time you've cared for someone'' #oh sir do you mean my entire life? #my entire home existence? #it did not help that mom said dad was getting worse the other day #so in conclusion i was like hmmm yes there are emotions i would like to throw them in an on fire garbage can #hnnnnngggggg im...fine. i just need to get my head out of my little bitch hole and write the essay #i dont have time for this bs brain. so take your vent writing and begone we got shit to do #everyone is drowning and i cant do anything to help and i am also drowning this is fine #god shut up and do your damn homework stop wasting time with this

[true-bean]

#someone in senior sem was like #‘my college essay is just gonna say let me in please’ #and suddenly i had to make this #welcome to the shitshow

[iuwon]

HEEELLLOOOOOO, first of all those anon fuckers can leave wtf, theyre so dumb🤨

ANYWAYS I MISSED U HOW ARE YOU??? this week has honestly been really good and im dreading going back to school next week, i have a chemistry test and fyi im really fucking bad at chemistry :)

anyways i got the new enhypen album yesterday and my mom banned me from getting any new albums😢 idc tho im probably just gonna have to save up for them smh

also ahussbsjsb my bday is on sunday aah, its so close😭 it almost doesnt feel real tbh lmfao

also i’ll tell u the requests on sunday if thats okayy???

-scorpio twin :*

BESTIE I MISSED YOU A LOT MORE THAN U CAN IMAGINE 🧎‍♀️ (the top #1 and only reason i had my anons back open bc i missed u and i'm lonely w/o u <//3) ANDFSFD RETWEET 😭😭 the moment i had my anon asks back on i still got some strange asks 🤨 istg when anything bad happens to me i hope they know that i'm blaming it on them and mentally cursing them out.

me too SCREAMS i'm having my finals soon but honestly this week was as bad as it could get 🙄 i just got the results to my biology exam i took a week or so ago and i didn't get the results i wanted 🤡 given that i didn't study for it ,,, i searched up one essay question on the internet bc it was so hard (I'M A DIRTY REBEL) and my teacher gave me 1/4 points because "we didn't even discuss the answer in class" and asked me 'where i got it' PLS I'M DEAD I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. I FEEL SO BAD. she just wanted the bare minimum for the question and not the actual details. and now she thinks i cheated for the whole quiz 🤠✨she made me barely pass the quiz and idk how to break my statistics & biology scores down to my asian parents. and she's going to be my teacher for the whole school year and the next until i graduate senior high 🤩

PLEASE I FEEL YOU i'm bad at science and math. very very bad. like. very bad. not like "oh i'm saying this and i'm kinda bad but i'm exaggerating bc it's funny" but like the "holy shit you're dumb as fuck how is this possible" type. I'M HAVING CHEM AND PHYSICS NEXT SEM SO I'LL BE CRYING ABOUT IT TO YOU IN A FEW WEEKS FROM NOW 😭😭 BUT ALL THE LUCK FOR YOUR CHEM QUIZ BAE. I CAN FEEL THE PAIN AND STRESS AND I'M SUFFERING WITH YOU. ILYILYILY HUG HUG

AHHHHHHHHHH YOU GOT THE ENHA ALBUM i might break in your house to steal it from u so sleep w both eyes open <333 THAT'S SO COOL OMG I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU AMFWNSEDJGS and yes i really feel you my parents will not spend SHIT for me on any kpop shit. they want me out of obsessively fangirling over idols if ever 😻 PLS that's sexy brain behavior we can just save our money 🤩 i'm trying to debate to get either the bts albums or enha albums 😭😭 the struggles of a multi and being a broke bitch with no money

OH IT'S THIS SUNDAY ???????????????????????? OKAY OKAY I'M USUALLY INACTIVE ON WEEKENDS BUT I'M GOING OUTTA MY WAY TO CELEBRATE UR BIRTHDAY EHEHE ,, it's friday night rn and i'm not sure of our time differences BUT REST ASSURED i'm coming on Sunday. BESTIE IS TURNING 15 WOOOOOOO LET'S GO WE'LL BE REALLY TWINNING !! we're really growing older huh �� AND OFC OFC SURE !!! anytime you want it bb !!! i'm so so interested in this request honestly OH 😏 hopefully i can actually deliver. AFKWEJDFJAF i said too much i'm sorry I'll stop now😭

#◛⑅·˚ ༘ ♡ anonymous! #scorpio twin anon #i take so long in answering asks bUT HELP I MADE A REALLY LONG REPLY #very sorry to my twin i'm bowing i'm apologizing i shall try not to get too carried away

[sticksstonesandstars]

Our first sem had already ended a month ago and I have no more assessments or papers due but I still have some readings left. I'm actually half productive finishing them since I have only printed and finished some so there are still a lot. Nevertheless, I wanted to write this with the desire to tap my shoulder and appreciate myself for surviving one hell of a sem.

It was my first for college, for a degree I was not really knowledgeable, aware and sure of before. But, I was glad (idk if I'm 100% sure about this tho) that I let go of my scholarship and the science degree I thought I wanted to pursue. The financial help the scholarship can give me was actually tempting before and tbh, I regretted my decision the moment I made it. But I was reminded by my sister that if I pushed through with it, I would've been suffering more especially that now, I'm actually enjoying my degree despite the amount of essays and papers I had to write. Unbelievable, yes, but I think the essays or papers I had in my first sem equates to the amount of them I did during my senior high school. It was a lot like A LOT. Writing is my first love so my passion was there but it was mentally exhausting and it put so much pressure on me as I have my own standards in writing. There were even times when I wasn't satisfied with what I wrote. Still, I passed them even if they were half-assed, accepting the mental block I had and that was the most I could do at that time. I also came across a video on Twitter which yelled at me to allow myself to fail or mess it up and not be perfect. It was normal after all and I was lucky to have encountered that vid at the right time :)) There's also this one course which required like three to four essays a week and had a lot of readings along with the set module and it was very demanding and draining to finish all of them along with other readings and requirements from other of my courses. But after looking at my scores and reading some of my prof's comments, I knew my hard work was paying/paid off. I'm so happy I didn't give up on that (well maybe I did a little lol). And my grade for that course, I hope they bring happy news.

I also went through org applications and I was accepted and will officially be a member come second sem. I got to interact and be more close with Batch Ragsak yay! Applications were tough and draining since everything were fast-tracked but we made it! Got many sissies and brods now too, some of which are people I know from highschool or were CNHS alumni just like me hehe. I was able to help in relief operations led by my org as well.

It was a tough sem and proof was that it was the first academic related stuff I cried over (I'm sure there's more and it's not the last). Anyways, I'm still happy as I continue to learn and as my horizon continues to widen. I'm really looking forward to more info and knowledge I'll be able to pick up in the next and future sems even if they will also make me kinda give up huhu. I hope I will be able to retain them for long too (as someone who's memory is very dull). For now, I will be waiting for my grades. I will update this when I get to see all of them.

To whoever had the patience to read this, I hope you never give up. Slow progress is still progress. And don't forget that you're valid, you're not a failure and you don't have to always be okay. Take care of yourself, stay hydrated and healthy! Don't forget to take some rest too. Go slay whatever you have your heart set on. Cheers! 🍻

ud: YAYYY I GOT MY GRADES AND IM A UNIV SCHOLAR SO YEPP I HOPE IT STAYS FOR THE SECOND SEM TOO AND THE COMING YEARS. I'LL DO MY BEST, ALWAYS. 🌻

[barnardblr]

hi! i just got into barnard ED and i’m stoked!!! but i’m also really worried about how hard it’s going to be? like, what did i just get myself into?

hey congrats!!! hope to see you next yr :P and o trust me, almost everyone is in the same boat. i’ll share my experience, and hopefully that’ll help ease your worries :-) but fair warning that i’ve only finished my first semester of college, so my perspective is limited:

my background: i’m the first in my family to go to college. i went to a mediocre public high school in one of the most racially diverse school districts in america. only went there bc it had the ib program, but beyond that the school was nothing special. it sent a few kids to top schools every year, but was by no means a feeder school. considering a fair amount of people at barnard come from wealth, privilege, and top private/public schools, tis fair to say i didn’t have as strong an educational background as some of my peers. BUT DESPITE THIS, my first semester was manageable and i survived! and you will too!

first, some fluff advice: trust me when i say it is not as scary as it seems. barnard didn’t just admit you for your academic stats, they admitted you for all the qualities you have as a student and a human being that have allowed you to succeed thus far. so have some faith! if your hard work got you into barnard, then it will get you out of barnard (w a degree haha). stay strong w your work ethic and you will be a-okay.

now some ~concrete reassurance~

there is so much support at this school! whether it be from professors during office hours, peer writing/speaking fellows that help you with essays and speeches, forming study groups with your classmates, teacher assistants, etc., there are always people willing to help or collaborate with you. barnard’s support system is amazing, academically and emotionally.

you can always take it easy your first semester. a big piece of advice i’ve been given by deans, professors, and upperclassmen is DO NOT take more than 15/16 credits each sem, esp not your first sem. obviously there are ppl who do that and manage, but you know yourself best and what you can and cannot handle. i don’t have to worry abt credits too much since i got 16 from receiving the ib diploma, so i took 13.5 credits this first sem: first year writing, yoga (pe req), first year chinese, and intro to envi sci. next sem i’m taking 15. one of my roommates signed up for 19 (which is the max you’re allowed unless you get special permission from the class dean to take more) and it.... was not a good time lol. we talked it thru and she dropped one class, which made things much more manageable.

professors make or break the course. i recommend checking out CULPA. it’s a place where BC/CU students rate and review professors and it’s super helpful when deciding what courses/course section to register for. your peers will tell you which professors are easy graders, which ones are engaging w the course material, etc. super helpful! i didn’t know this existed til i registered for my spring sem classes :( something i wish i knew earlier.

i hope this helps! i’m not sure how much of it you needed to hear. hope i didn’t blab too much. lmk if any of this needs clarifying or if you have specific questions. enjoy your senior year!!!

#rrrosalind #dear nahoko #barnard college

[newbloooom]

So far in my Ateneo Journey

What difference a year makes. this time in 2020, I was still fresh to the quarantine, thinking it would only last for a few weeks and that I’d soon see my friends again. I really thought I would soon enjoy night outs, travel with my fam, and live alone in Katip for college. But a few months later, I slowly lost enthusiasm.

To kill my boredom, I joined group chats with fellow incoming freshies. As a student from Bataan, I don’t know anyone yet. I was stepping on a minefield, just trying to make connections and friends in a relatively new environment. Of course, at first it was difficult for me. I would remember my heart beating so fast just by chatting a message in a group chat. There were times I would get sad that I’d be a loner in college at this pace. I barely joined conversations because I felt my opinion don’t matter and that I don’t look cool enough for Ateneo.

A few months later, I actually made friends. I met a person from the same course and we started talking to each other. Fortunately, we have the same wavelength. I also made some friends from the school of management and tried becoming more close and friendly to people. However, as I gain more confidence in talking, there were people who were just straight up rude. Homegrowns would make us transferees less welcome in this institution, and that we don’t deserve being called Ateneans. I was one of the people bullied, my interests made fun of, and myself just felt more invalidated. A few days before the deadline, I almost dropped my Ateneo admission in favor of UP. UP was definitely the better choice given the free tuition and it having no homegrowns who make fun of me.

To be honest, it dropped my confidence a lot. I would get depressed for 2 months straight and question myself. I cried to my mom saying I want to stop studying. A man who lived his whole life overachieving is breaking down in front of his parents. But I continued. There was no way for me to stop just because of that. By doing it, I just proved the homegrowns were successful and they were right.

Now in a new support group created as a safe space and a course full of diverse people, I started to find my reason for Ateneo again. After all, I dreamt of entering Ateneo for the whole years of my SHS. I would stutter whenever I talk, and I would hesitate in saying something thinking I’d be judged a lot. I was so afraid to talk because I might get ridiculed again. But surprisingly, a lot of arms welcomed me open. 

I found my bestfriend in my block, a really competent guy who has the same interests and humor as I do. I also have a friend from the other block, a girl who swore to be there with me for the whole journey. Then from there, I joined different orgs to meet a lot of new people. I realized Ateneo isn’t really a place for entitled people. There were people who were friendly and understanding. I initially felt alone due to my past experiences, but now it’s all just growing for me. I know I’m not alone. 

There were a lot of surprises for me. First, I became a Sanggu member as a freshman. I have super helpful bosses who guided me and taught me the ropes in the org. I also got accepted as an AMA link and a BA intern. But what surprised me the most was becoming a blueREP member, and being a cast at that. It was one of the most memorable moments I had in Ateneo so far.

As a Party Worth Crashing cast, I would spend most of my time rehearsing and getting ready for the recordings. And to be honest, it was tough. I barely studied my lessons and just completed activities. Time management was difficult for me and I almost quitted the prod. But after all the hard work for the past months, Party Worth Crashing finally aired and it was good to see all of it pay off. I also met some of the most beautiful people in Ateneo and made me feel I have a family. I will forever treasure my newbie production as it was all worth it.

I received second honors, with my QPI just 0.9 away from getting first honors. I think it was impressive given I spent a lot of time in Party Worth Crashing. I also spent time with people in LFS during the break, one of the best events I have attended in AMA. I got to talk to the secretary-general and the president of the org. They were really cool and they inspired me to take a leadership role soon!

But it’s not always an easy way for acads. My energy would soon again drop and make me rethink of my plans. Online class is not easy, and I would get drained a lot from it. I almost took an LoA. But then again, I know I cannot stop here. So I again continued for the second sem.

Now in second sem, I am almost done with the 3rd quarter. It’s been a year of lockdown. Today is a day I think I achieved something from the lessons I’ve learned in Ateneo. I presented a case study today to senior managers in good companies in the Philippines. Thinking I was able to do that, I felt proud of myself. But then, I still have to finish an essay.

Ateneo is definitely a minefield. If I were to go back again to 2020, I think I will go to another path thinking I would have to experience a lot of shaming at the start. But then, I got embraced by a lot of people who do care; people who would appreciate me for who I am. For the people who ridiculed me at the start, just don’t you apply for a company I would be working on. I’m pretty sure you’d automatically be my subordinate, or less, I’ll be your interviewer and fail you. I don’t welcome people who treat me like that. 

Ateneo definitely have entitled kids who don’t know how to feed themselves, or do chores. Some brag about their riches, but it was their parents who worked for it. Or less, they exploited people to get there. They were just lucky enough to be born on a rich family, and to experience the privilege not everyone has. I am quite unfortunate to be competent and to be born in a slightly more privileged family. Definitely not as rich as most Ateneans, but enough to not make myself look like someone to pity. That keeps me on going, seeing that people like that exist. Someday, I will topple them from that hill, and make them realize who they were laughing at before.

It’s been more than a year. I am now happy. Being a competent freshie who cares for people, who reaches out to coursemates who need help, one who extends his help to everyone. It is definitely full of uncertainties, and a lot more left on the journey. I’m genuinely glad I grew so much in just that span. From someone who stutters in speaking, to a new person who can confidently speak in front of people. To thrive in Ateneo, you should have a strong heart and will. That is what I have proven to myself so far.

Bring it on Ateneo. You’ve been challenging me for the past year. Truly, the 100K tuition fee is worth it. I hope though to soon go to Ateneo physically. In that way, I can grow more into the environment. There are still a lot of things to do before I succeed. But knowing that my mother and father are excited to what I can become, I will strive more into growing to the best version I can be. 

[realtalk-princeton]

Can I share examples of my writing (e.g. writing sem essays, parts of independent work) with somebody who isn't in those classes, or is that against the honor code in some way? In other words, just showing somebody examples of writing techniques that have been effective for me rather than actually giving them info that's pertinent to their own classes/assignments.

Response from Luna:

Assuming they aren’t doing the same assignment, I think that is totally fine. In fact, Princeton students are able to read all of the old senior theses online and I have had professors give me copies of JIW to see what they are like. As long as they aren’t either copying your argument or your language, I don’t see how this could be against the honor code. 

[sixpiecechickenmcnobody]

this bitch wrote 300 words over the minimum for her senior sem essay AND finished all my bio work for this week AND completed all the work from other classes i am about to have the most lax week of this school year

#i’m like actually so proud of myself this is the most work i’ve done aince freshman year #an original

[realtalk-tj]

how important are extracurriculars relative to gpa for college?

Response from Aurora: 

It depends on the school. For UVA gpa is the most important thing, for ivies extra-curriculars are basically all that matters. Go to admissions rep visits and research specific schools to figure out what they care about/if they care about one more than the other. 

Response from Bellatrix:

This is a late addendum, but coming from a current senior, I would disagree with the above. MOST, if not all, schools consider GPA and extracurriculars as very important. GPA is probably the most important as it serves as a gauge as to your ability as a student and how you would fare in college. UVa does have a pattern for the GPA range it accepts, but you simply can’t be a robotic workhorse and expect to get in solely on grades.

Extracurriculars add to your holistic profile, in that it isn’t not the only thing that matters. In fact, GPA at the Ivy/Elite level is probably most important when deciding who gets in. ECs act as your differentiating factor--if you are an AO and have two students with a 4.4 (a great GPA), ECs, essays, recs, etc. are going to HELP with the admissions process and decipher who deserves and actually wants to go to the university. So for ECs, do what you actually like doing and it will show during the application process, and for grades, do your best and remember they are still very very important! 

You probably aren’t a senior, so good luck when you get here. Please don’t stress over it now; you will have PLENTY of time during first sem senior year :)

#college #college admissions

[bookmarksandbonfires]

End-of-Semester Productivity (22 days)

Day 19

Wrote/formatted the citations for my senior sem essay

Revised senior sem essay

Submitted senior sem essay!

Ordered my transcript (why do I have to pay for my grades? They're mine, and I already paid for them when I took the class?)

Finalised and submitted my study abroad application

General around the house stuff--laundry, shower, tidying up

Did a little bit of yoga w my siblings

Worked on my reading journal (I need to write my April entries bc I read but I've not written about it yet)

I also created the documents for my other two finals, but I didn't actually write anything. Tomorrow, I need to return my books, work on my last assignments, and start figuring out my honours thesis readings...

#studyblr #studyspo #studying #study #books #productivity #gone with the wind #if I never have to think about this book again it'll be too soon #essay #journal #finals #they're here! #also ! (panicked) #honours thesis #big yikes that one #study abroad #college is a scam #they're MY grades #why do I have to pay for them again???

[mysticwiki]

i never posted this selfie i took the other day while I was procrastinating on my essay for senior sem so here it is now :’) this is like my fave snapchat filter tbh

#my face #i love how it came out???? #god bless #as you can see the book i was using for my essay is kinda just There #im so glad this filter hides how tired i looked lmao

[thewomaninlilywhite]

the best part about my senior sem professor being the business and not ed/performance director is that I can fill up my essay defining terms because he probably doesn’t know them.

and even if he does, this assignment is an exercise in preparation for my thesis, so it just solidifies how kNowlEdgEable I am

#let's chat #what I did for love

[lemonhexagons]

doing better holistically

some time last year i seriously contemplated dropping a hard but advanced level extra-fancy grade !A! college-levelled course. It gave me stress snowballs on the reg and i didn’t seem to enjoy the material, like at all... and it became a strange delicate-yet(or thus)-alienly-strong brain paradox where I was thinking 

a) damn. this course is so damn hard, and so damn unenjoyable that I must be in the beginning stages of the knowledge iceberg and if i Just Try A Little Longer It Will Get Easier and I Will Become Way More Intelligent than i Ever Was Before.

 VS. 

b) i CANNOT handle another night where I sit in front of something I will literally never understand before we do the ol’ “rapidly move onto the next unit and never look back” so typical of this class. 

WHO WILL WIN>?????

So I overflowed with embarrassing, desperate, stressful interrogative fluids to everyone I knew on this subject and Everyone told me to stick with it, except my english and ed sem teacher, my all time fave, who gave me no recommendation but did tell me this: “you are allowed to like your life”

I did not drop the class. I stuck with that shit until the very end where I yolked a final grade of B+. I did not review the cumulative effort of hundreds of hours I dedicated to that class that I never once enjoyed. [[[[until now hehehe

Had I dropped it 1.5 months in, I would have spent those hundreds of hours doing stuff I liked so much that my effort wouldn’t have even appeared to be work. it certainly wouldn’t have been the grudging hours of work of which I’d pushed a fraction of my whole self through. I think I would have spent that time at the library, looking at painting books and painting in a free block(s), or doing an independent study with Nick Brown and/or Ms. Sartanowicz (which I actually did, later) and/or taken another art elective. It’s possible or probable that I would have had a much better time with my senior year and accomplished much more in a field I very much more enjoyed.

I don’t regret taking the class, because I believe effort is not lost (it contributed to this blog post, lols(:0) ). I do regret not trusting my gut, which had a feeble voice relative to the louder voice of my ego and the writ of every outside force in a fancy academic high-achieving high school atmosphere. I’ll take note of that fact; try harder to detect and amplify feeble gut voices in the future.

Now I’m taking a gap year, learning how to enjoy the small things. But first, to be honest, I learned that learning to enjoy the small things is actually a Thing. Then I learned, slowly but surely, that Small Things Enjoyment is actually invaluable and one of* Life’s greatest gifts not just to a previous hardo like myself, but to everyone. Then I, slowly but surely, started noticing them, and looking for them, and finding some of them, and even started dedicating time to them, and to this entire process of noticing-looking-finding-dedicating. 

I’ll update with some Small Things. Maybe even devote more of the blog Purpose to Small Things. That would be nice. 

*Might as well be The Biggest One

An excerpt from my inspiration

“I plan to take the class again next semester. And I plan on CRUSHING it. Because, this semester hasn’t been a waste at all. Aside from being exposed to all of the material, I’ve learned a lot about who I am as a student. About how I can’t put other things to the side to focus on my academics, because everything is interwoven and connected. I need to be able to sit down with a friend and catch up to be able to do a pset. I need to blow off some steam by weight training to take a test. I need to eat a full meal to be able to write an essay. Success isn’t sacrificing a part of yourself to elevate another part. It’s making sure that you can balance and recognize every single part of who you are. It’s being able to really understand and listen to yourself. 

And in the midst of all of this, it’s nice to know that life moves forward in different directions. That there’s more than one synthesis solution. That a “set-back” might not be a set-back at all, but just a different (possibly even more efficient) forward reaction.Since dropping “The Class That Shall Not Be Named,” I’ve found a lot of time for myself again. I’m getting eight hours of sleep. I have an hour to spare in the dining hall every night. I’m able to step away from campus libraries and into city cafes to get work done. My grades have started an upwards climb. Things seem to be falling back into place again.

And perhaps that’s the true beauty of a synthesis question. If you start with the starting materials, it’s strenuous and difficult to get to the final product. But if you begin at the final product and take a look back, the chain of reactions are easily seen.In the moment of making a decision, the future looks really uncertain. But looking back at the decisions we’ve made and the people we’ve become because of it, it all just seems to make sense. Because, my friends, we don’t make the right decisions. We make the decision right. “

https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/a-complicated-synthesis-question/