posted
Maybe it's been mentioned elsewhere but I've missed it. I want to know more about you as a person. What were your SAT scores? Do you have a backup plan if Oxford doesn't work out? Are you applying more places than oxford? What US college would you most want to go to for your Hellenistic interests?
Are your parents helping you out with college or are you going to have to deal with student loans and/or scholorships Are they going to help you head to England to check out Oxford before you apply?
What are you doing for your summer? Summer job? or just chilling on the internet?
To return the favor I'll attempt to answer any personal questions you ask me within the rules of the fora.
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He's a rising junior, iirc, so I don't believe he's taken the SATs yet. I'd be interested in hearing the answers to the other questions as well, and am likewise willing to share about myself.
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I have no idea about its usage in high school, I first heard it in college, and mainly see it in regards to internship and contest requirements as a way of clearly distinguishing the eligible.
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While you're answering questions Pel, I'll ask again, have you read "The Sea Wolf"? I think you would really like it. If you haven't and you would be remotely interested, email me your address and I'll send it to you for a birthday present.
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Dr S, no I have not. I may just buy a copy though. (sorry, I don't think e-mailing my address, which is shared, would be a good idea, as it might raise questions from my family.)
"Are you applying more places than oxford?" I am applying to St. John's College (a fail-safe school), Oxford, Durham, King's College London (a teacher's alma mater, his recommendation should work well), Trinity College Dublin, University of Edinburgh and possibly also to Brown, Swathmore and Columbia, but I don't think I can get into any of those.
My parents will doubtless help me in the application process as much as would be proper, i.e. offering moral support and buying plane tickets to interviews.
I expect to pay for college through a series of academic scholarships from independent groups and through some money my grandfather set aside with the express intent that it be used for tuition.
This summer, I am doing school work (six weeks of religion, independent study A.P. Comparative Politics annd Human Geography), learning lines for a play, going to Indiana for the National Latin Convention and to Nova Scotia with my family. Next summer, I plan to intern at the local art museum.
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Hey, cool, I'm going to Nova Scotia in September! I've never been there before. . . have you? Are you touring, or visiting friends/relatives?
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No, I have never been to Nova Scotia and I have no relatives or friends there. I am not quite sure why my family choose to go there specifically, but we are, as a family, very proud of are pseudo-Canadianess (my aunt is a Canadian citizen and my uncle was a resident of Canada at a time when his own country rejected him). Besides which, it should be mercifully colder than South Texas.
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Why are you so sure St. John's will let you in? They look pretty selective to me. Which campus would you want to attend, the Anapolis one or the Santa Fe one?
/Random/ I hated, hated, hated college application essays, was looking over St. John's webpage and very glad I don't have to deal with those anymore.
Also, if they do early admissions at St. John's why not go now? Or plan to go next year, and skip your senior year. From what you've said it doesn't sound like you'll actually need it that much from an adademic standpoint.
You haven't asked me any questions about myself... anything you'd like to know?
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Oh yeah, one other question, have you toured any campuses yet? It isn't too soon, and you really should try to tour one public U and one private liberal arts U for the contrast, so you can make the best decision.
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Yeah, actually visiting the schools made a huge difference for me. I also think you should consider going early. I had the opportunity to go right out of middle school and later was invited to go right after junior year of high school, and I really wish I'd done it.
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BannaOJ, St Johns is prestigious but actually accepts around 80% of applicants (from a very small pool of people who are willing to work that hard in such a specific program for four years.) My guess is that the 20% they turn down are generally those who like the idea of a college without tests or quizzes which does not require SAT scores, without realizing that the curriculum is quite strenuous and that they put a lot of store in that long application essay.
I would probably start out at the Santa Fe campus but spend two years at each.
I have toured Baylor and U.T. and talked to the head of Classics at Trinity (San Antonio, not Dublin) and deans from Columbia and St Johns, and was fairly impressed, especially by U.T. , Columbia and St Johns (A professor at Baylor recommended Princeton.)
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St. John's takes seriously the motto that the best education the best would have for their children is the education that should be offered to everyone.
They make the application tedious, but they pride themselves on letting in the people who complete it. I've have met some fantastic graduates from the St. John's schools, with only one outlier.
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Awesome. I didn't realize you mean Trinity in San Antonio. Things make more sense now. UT is a big state school though, and Baylor is still in the Big 12. I went to a large state school (actually U of Oklahoma), and one thing that is definitely nice about a large University, is that you aren't stuck with the same people all the time. You have the opportunity for variety if you want it.
In a small liberal arts place they are much more close-knit, but it can also lead to social cliques that you are kind of SOL if you don't jive. I take it you want the close knit experience? I mean you can have the close knit experience at a large U, you don't even necessarily have to go looking for it, sometimes it comes to you.
For me it actually did come down to money. I could go to the U of Oklahoma for free, or have my parents put themselves in hock to pay for Stanford. I did major in chemical engineering, but sucessfully masquraded as a history major on several occasions. One history prof told me he would have published my term paper if I had been majoring in any discipline other than engineering.
As I mentioned, I didn't go to high school. I was homeschooled, then I took the SATs in 7th grade and scored high enough that St. John's would have taken me at 13. But my parents didn't want to let their baby girl go, so I went to the local community college from ages 13 to 18, at which point I went to the U of Oklahoma on a National Merit Scholarship. I got a perfect score on the verbal section of the SAT but my dad got mad at me when I didn't get a perfect score on the math section too.
Even though some of my familial relationsihps are rather dysfunctional (my grandmother thinks that all female engineers are sluts and have to sleep with professors in order to pass clases because of course they couldn't actually learn calculus on their own) I did have loads of academic freedom to take classes that actually interested me at the community college.
I've got enough units in music that had they all been at the same school I'd have had a minor in it. I also took chemistry because I wanted to and not because I had to. It made a lot of difference in my enjoyment of it, I think. Although the nicknames like "that Doogie Howser girl" did get to me after a while. I guess that's why I identify so strongly with Ender, because even being a minor genius/prodigy, really sucks at times.
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Yeah, and it was meant as a compliment. The nickname was given to me by Pete, one of the most brilliant guys I've ever had the priveledge of knowing (although Tom Davidson is right up there on that list too) I don't know how to entirely explain it. I mean I was a 14 year old girl, and I was surrounded by 18-22 year olds.
But having everyone point you out as the resident "child genius" does get old after a while. The label blinds people to the person underneath. Although in Pete's defense even though he gave me the nickname he did know the real me as well.
Pete is also responsible for giving me the highest compliment in my life simultaniously with the most embarrasing moment of my life, as only the agony of 16 year old embarrasing moment can be.
Even my latest AJ debacle of accidentally dialing 911 while trying to make a conference call was nowhere near as embarrasing as the way Pete put me on the spot in that calculus classroom a decade ago.
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I may have described this before, but now I feel obligated to explain My Most Embarrasing Moment Ever. I know some of you probably already know it, but oh well.
Thankfully most of you guys are nerds and geeks so you may understand, but the exquisite agony of it all is hard to explain.
So, I'd actually known Pete for a couple years at this point. I'm now 16. I'm in the last semester of Calculus before DiffEq. I'm the only girl. Now I have to explain about this class. You see I grew up in Southern California. For some reason Southern California really does have a higher proportion of Beautiful People than the rest of the world. This particular class still has the highest density of gorgeous geeks I have ever seen. They were all surfers and jocks in addition to being wicked smart.
They were also all in their 20s and knew I was jailbait. So no matter how much I drooled at attractive manflesh, I was the kid sister, because that was the only relationship that made sense for all of us. They did accept me as one of them despite this, which was a good educational experience for learning how guys actually think.
So Pete was actually at the top of the calculus class. It would tick me off because I'd teach him everything he needed to know in our study group the night before and then he'd kick my butt on the tests. I was either 2nd or 3rd in the class but he'd get hundreds.
So our prof is up at the board, and spewing out equations. He was generally a fabulous teacher, but he'd managed to lose everyone that day. Our eyes had glazed over, and he happily turns around to the class (he had this funny little hop he'd use) and goes "So what would you do next?!"
*dead silence*
Into that silent void, Pete mouths off, "Ask A.J.!"
It was one of those moments when you knew every eye was on you (not to mention they were all brilliant gorgeous guys and I'm a scrawny ill dressed 16 year old girl) I sat in the front row about in the middle, and it was just awful.
I turned a shade of beet red that I have thankfully never been since (sunburns and all) I wanted to melt into my chair. I know it was a compliment, and I shouldn't have been so embarrased, but I was. The prof is also looking at me expectantly too, to come up with something brilliant. However he saw the waves of color come up into my face and I think he realized how embarrased I was. I stammered something incoherent out, and he managed to run with it and get back to the lesson.
But that agonizing *moment* was exactly the stuff of nightmares. Even if it was one of the highest compliments I've ever gotten from one of the most brilliant guys I've ever known.
posted
Ok fugu, since I've rambled on about me, you've got to share something a bit personal, so that Pelegius will feel at home, and we'll learn more about him too.
What was your most embarrasing high school age moment?
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This thread was a good idea . There's something very 'old school hatrack' about it...and before I get jumped on for being one of those people that always goes on about 'the good old days' let me just say that I don't mean anything negative by that; just that hatrack has grown so big that I think it's harder to slow down and just chat than it used to be.
In any case, in the interest of fairness I'll say that I'm lurking and will share if there are questions/requests...
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quote:Even my latest AJ debacle of accidentally dialing 911 while trying to make a conference call was nowhere near as embarrasing as the way Pete put me on the spot in that calculus classroom a decade ago.
*strips AJ of 'Doogie Howser' moniker*
Just joking. That wouldn't make the top 10 on the list of stupid things I've done.
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AJ, I had not heard that tale before, but I completely get where you are coming from with it.
I am pretty smart, although not quite that smart, and even I have had a few moments like that. Being that much younger only made it even more embarrassing, I bet.
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It is a good thread, if only for the fact that it brought ladyday out of the woodwork for three seconds. Where have you been the last few years?
That does sound like an tough moment, Banna, but I don't think it would make my list of stupid moments in life. I will open myself up to questions as well, so long as you don't ask my most embarrasing moment because I honestly can't think of the answer.
In the meantime, I'll ask Kwea how his pool skills have been doing lately, because I have always been impressed by those who can shoot some good pool.
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Whatever happened with that stolen que (SP?) Kwea? I think I missed the resolution of that.
quote:*dead silence*
Into that silent void, Pete mouths off, "Ask A.J.!"
Definately been there. Where you know it's a compliment, but you don't have an answer just then... or you do but you didn't want to answer that question. All eyes on you... Not. Fun.
I was in a similar position myself, when I took calculus. Not as bad. I was in AB Calc with a bunch of seniors my sophmore year as a little (as in 5 feet tall) geeky kid. But I had two other sophmores with me at the time, and I was an old sophmore (16). So it wasn't as bad. It was definately us sophmores answering the questions the whole time.
Oh and open to questions in the spirit of the thread and all that jazz.
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I missed the resolution as well....because there hasn't been any.
The DA still hasn't issued a warrent, of all things. I just spoke to a Detective about it, and he is looking into putting some pressue on her for me.
I am shooting pool about once a month, so it is fair. At best.
Thanks for asking though. If you ever make it down here to FL let me know, I will gladly "teach" you a bit. Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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I had a chance to go to college early, but looking back, I'm really glad that I waited until after I graduated HS. I had a blast in college, but if I had been a couple years younger, it would have been a lot less fun. Later before I could have gone to the bars with friends, less mature than my classmates, etc.
Maturity and wisdom are some of the things you can't rush. It doesn't hurt to have a little more before going into a major growth experience.
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That worked for you because you enjoyed high school, MightyCow. For some bright kids, high school is constant torture -- and for them, skipping works well. Especially if they are highly social (sounds like you were social, with the bars w/friends things and all)
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Yeah, my parents convinced me to go to high school because they said it would be better than middle school.
At least in middle school, the administration didn't accuse me of wearing clothing "that will incite violence." Whatever that means. And I still had like, two friends who gave a crap.
I hated high school, and I really wish I hadn't gone.
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I've been thinking about it and even though it had its drawbacks, I was probably better off at the community college than a high school. Not just academically but socially.
In high school, a) I wouldn't have been academically challenged and b) I would have been a social outcast. The social outcast probably wouldn't have been due to my personality though. It would have been due to my clothes.
You see, my parents were fiscally conservative, if not downright cheap. I never got new clothes, always handmedowns from church friends. My mother's family had 7 kids and that was how they lived too, so she didn't see anything wrong with it. I don't think it would have changed had I gone to regular school, considering that she is just generally fashion oblivious, so why should any of her children care?
Fortunately in CA grunge is an acceptable form of dress, but even then I still didn't dress properly. I know it was more overlooked at the community college than it would have been in a high school.
I'm pretty sure I've mentioned the gang shoes before. I was told to pick out a shoe under X$$ so I picked out the most comfortable pair I could in the bargian store. Unbeknownst to me, that particular shoe type identified one as a local gang member. An enlightened soul on my swim team informed me that they were gang shoes and I believed them and went back to my old worn out pair of shoes.
Soon Mom yelled at me cause I'd stopped wearing my "good new shoes". We had a pretty rip-roaring fight, because she didn't believe me that they were actually gang shoes. She didn't even really think there was any such thing as "gang shoes". Dad came home in the middle of the fight and managed to arbitrate somehow to get her to give me the benefit of the doubt that I might be right.
Mom still thought it was utterly preposterous and was in a total snit. Fortunately the next day Dad talked to people at work who had kids in middle and high school, and they backed me up. Dad called in the middle of the day (something he rarely did) to tell Mom I'd been right. I think she did apologize sort of, and I eventually got new non-gang shoes.
She still thinks the concept is preposterous and has actually purchased gang shoes for herself at various times. Thankfully I'm fairly certain that the gangs can figure out that this 50 year old fashion disaster, has no clue that her puke green shoes identify her as a Crip. And she doesn't tie the laces in the custom knots so she's probably safe.
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*waves* hi ladyday! What have you been up to IRL?
I've recently taken up drop-spindle spinning, and now to use up the yarn I've been making I've been teaching myself how to use a knitting loom. We'll see how long this hobby lasts. I got burned out on cross stitch a while back. I'm also still training and showing my Cardigan Corgis, and we recently remodelled our bathroom.
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AR, I'm blushing here! Good to see you too.
I've been around for the past couple years, just finding less and less time for posting. After doing some job hopping with varying levels of internet access and spending my computer time playing online games, I fell very much out of the loop and getting back into it feels like trying to get into double dutch jump roping. I do read when there's time (and lately I have a bit more) but am not so much a part of things, if I ever was . I still like to listen though, and I did miss running mafia games enough to start them up on another, smaller forum.
pH, am I misremembering or was this the same guy that blamed sexual harrassment on the way you dressed? He sounds like a real tool in any case, I just seem to vaguely remember a story there. *grins* I always liked your clothes, I remember when you used to post links to those new fangled bondage pants back when no one knew what they were...
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Oh, people blamed all sorts of things on the way I dressed. The (female) guidance counselor is the one who said that my clothing would incite violence. There is also the time they sent me to the school psychiatrist because I got upset that the dean yelled at me for "wearing blue denim" (a big no-no at our school) when I was, in fact, wearing dark blue, comfy nylon pants. Which I showed him. And although he knew he was wrong, he continued to yell at me because "it looked like denim." Said psychiatrist decided that I was paranoid because I thought the dean was picking on me.
Y'know, I don't think I ever said anything to them about this because it would've gotten me into even more trouble, but...seriously, if anyone really thought I was dangerous and going to bring a gun to school, why would they go out of their way to pick on me and make me feel alienated? I mean, isn't that the stupidest thing you could possibly do, if you honestly believed that someone was a threat? Not that I ever was. That just confused me to no end, though.
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Acually the friend that took Knuckles is considering spinning the dog hair. You can mix it in with wool to get it to spin better. I have another online acquiantance that does with her Cardi too. Knuckles Mom has managed to color-coordinate all of her cats and her dog to a similar shade of orange so she may attempt a mixed dog and cat hair spin.
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True, JT. Except that then it can be hard to kick the laziness routine when you advance into more challenging stuff later in life Posts: 9538 | Registered: Aug 2003
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I’m sorry AJ, I missed your post up there! The spinning sounds interesting – my art project as of late is learning Chinese calligraphy (the kid being interested in all things Chinese). I also recently did some home things, though nothing on the scale of remodeling. I decided to take the summer off working and am enjoying spending it with the kid. We visit a lot of parks and do nature things when we’re not at the library or ‘going calling’ as she likes to call it.
In other news, I’ve sort of done some major lifestyle changes in other ways as well. Cutting the general family stress was just one thing….basically I went from a work – a – holic night owl with a six pack a day diet pepsi habit and a pack and a half a day smoking habit –and- a massive junk food monkey on my back to keep those first two company… to a non smoking stay at home mom who eats her five fruits and veggies a day and only drinks caffeine on special occasions. So it’s been…a little strange. I know old timers at hatrack have heard me claim attempts at quitting smoking before…this time was different and I really believe it’s going to stick.
So, that’s life *smiles*
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Hey, suger, it sounds like you are all grown up. Now it's time for you to brag about your kid. I'm only going to ask once, but I. Will. Have. My. Madison. Story.
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Hey Pelegius, have you considered early admissions to college after your junior year of high school? Would your parents go for it?
What made you choose Pelegius as your screen name? (I confess I have no idea what the word means, but it sounds vagulely greek watergod-ish)
BannaOj is a convolution of my real names and nicknames. My real name is Anna Bonnie Jo, I'm generally called A.J. or Anna Jo. I have at various times been called "Banana" and "O.J." also, and the nicknames plus the screen name led to the further nickname "Juice".
Banana was for the glow in the dark, highlighter yellow swimsuit I wore on the swim team. (a very bad combination with extremely pale skin like I have but good for shock value) and the O.J. was from my little brother when he was ticked at me and percieved me being bossy. O.J. was a pejorative as the O.J. Simpson trial took place in our county. Anyway the guys on the swim team heard my little bro call me that, and thought it was amusing and took it up cause I would beat the crap out of them while playing water polo.
I tried to ignore it but gave in eventually, it was easier to answer, because they wanted to get a rise out of me, and then it just stuck for a while.
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CC is . . . *peers over* looking up from a resting position to see why I moved to look at her . She's getting a lot better at obeying and at not being enticed by enticing things (like people).
I really don't know on embarassing high school moments, I think most of my most embarassing moments were middle school or before. I did some very silly things in pursuit of the crush I had for the first two years of high school, but all the ones I can recall weren't particularly embarassing.
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"Hey Pelegius, have you considered early admissions to college after your junior year of high school?" Not seriously, no.
And the original Pelegius was a 5th century British or Irish monk who was excommunicated for his view that man was not born into sin but free to choose good or evil and thus his salvation.
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quote:Originally posted by fugu13: I really don't know on embarassing high school moments, I think most of my most embarassing moments were middle school or before.
Yeah, I'm the same way. Almost all of my "embarassing moment" come from junior high. There are some things that I did in late high school that, looking back on them, I feel like facepalming myself over, but I didn't find them embarassing at the time.
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Pel, why not? It sounds like an early admission might be a good thing for you and you could benefit from it.
btw, fugu's dog C.C. is a Cardigan Corgi, and I own her parents, bred her and kept her alive after a c-section where she and 7 of her siblings were born as preemies.
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![[Smile]](smile.gif)
. There's something very 'old school hatrack' about it...and before I get jumped on for being one of those people that always goes on about 'the good old days' let me just say that I don't mean anything negative by that; just that hatrack has grown so big that I think it's harder to slow down and just chat than it used to be.![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Being that much younger only made it even more embarrassing, I bet.
