Archive for January, 2011
Written on January 7, 2011 by Kaila Cauthorn
Filed Under: General Talk
This post wasn’t written by me, but by another member. It’s a little outdated but I’ll post it anyway because it’s still pretty useful insight.
About a month or so ago, I heard something that mad me quite angry as well as disturbed. A Christian pastor in Florida said that he was going to have a Qu’ran book burning. For those of you who don’t know what the Qu’ran is, it is the holy book for Muslims. In this pastor’s opinion, Islam is a violent religion. Even though I am a hardcore Atheist, I believe that what this pastor wanted to do was so hateful and embarrassing that I didn’t know what to say at first. Not only was it an insensitive decision but it is also completely impractical. For one thing, it would incite rage and hatred in the Middle East and endanger American military troops in that area. Why he would do something like this is beyond my comprehension.
How could somebody be so insensitive toward another religion like that? It really boggles my mind; isn’t this country supposed to have freedom of religion, a right that is supposed to be protected under the Constitution? It’s infuriating that people hate Islam when the majority of them hardly know anything about the religion in the first place. There is this mindset that Islam is anti-American, but in fact it is just our ignorance that makes us think this way. Most likely, the September 11th attack on America has skewed many people’s view of the Islamic religion and those who follow it. Islam, however, is no more violent than any other religion out there. Even this pastor’s own religion, Christianity, has a past tarnished by the violent Crusades and every instance thereafter of Christians trying to force their beliefs on “heathens.” Moreover, both of these religions only became as violent as they did because people interpreted and practiced them in ways that they were most likely not originally intended to be, so that those people might reap the benefit themselves.
Written on January 7, 2011 by theboneshavespoken
Filed Under: General Talk
You know it. I know it. We all know it. Classics dominate English classes. Thoroughout all of high school, you’re bombarded with almost nothing but classics. The Catcher in the Rye. To Kill a Mockingbird. Three Sisters. Candide. The Dubliners. Fahrenheit 451. You name it, you read it. And if they’re not shoving some antique book down your throat, they’re making you decipher The Road Not Taken for the fifth year in a row.
This is not to say that all classics are bad. But neither are all classics good. Let’s try on Waiting for Godot for size. After the second day of reading this book, I went up to our teacher and asked, half-jokingly, “Is there any plot in this?!” – to which he replied, “No.” He was grinning, but serious. And he was right. Insomniacs, this is the book for you! It sure helped me sleep, anyway.
There are some really good, thought-provoking classics out there. Fahrenheit 451 is the best book I ever had to read for school. The writing style isn’t difficult to understand, and the story flows well. The plot is, well, existent for starters, and it goes a step further by being interesting. F 451 is all about censorship – the word that every teen’s ear catches, because you know that if something’s censored, you’re not supposed to know about it, and that just goes against teenage dignity. If you ever have a chance, take a gander at the list of Banned Books. Most of what you’ve read in school is probably on there. http://www.banned-books.com/bblist.html
There are always going to be classics you just can’t stand. Look at me – I never finished Waiting for Godot, and I was one fancy side-step away from tossing The Great Gatsby into the shredder! (Please note that I am not advocating the destruction of books. If I had self-restraint, too can have it too.) My suggestion is not to shun all classics altogether just because the books you read in school are classics, and you didn’t like them. There are two reasons for this: for one, I’m pretty sure it’s a law that there has to be at least one book each year that someone hates. For the second, if you cut yourself off from things you might not like, you’re losing the chance to find something you love. I used to think all classics would be dry, wordy and difficult to understand without a teacher’s guidance. After buying The Jungle Books on a whim, I discovered how wrong I was. (Best $6 I ever spent.)
I’m not trying to encourage you to go to the nearest Barnes and Noble to buy a random classic, but I think that if you give a classic a shot, you might like it. And classics are more diverse than you might imagine. Dracula is a vampire story, and who in this age doesn’t like vampires?
Written on January 7, 2011 by nanamecedo
Filed Under: General Talk
You’ve either been there, or you’re there. And to those of you who have been there, I’m sorry if this article seems a year or two too late. 
But to those of you who are there, if you’re anything like me, you’ve been everywhere looking for tips and tricks to help you get into college — but some things seem just too good to be true, right? It’s OK if I get a C? What? So sometimes we’re reluctant to believe what those college recruiters or application advisors have to say, because there’s NO WAY they could be telling the truth. Obviously, they’ve got some kind of baseless vendetta against YOU and YOU alone, and they’re trying to screw you over while they give your peers all the hack codes to get automatic acceptance into the college of their choice.
Well this article is giving a point to the recruiters — they’re right!! And some of the things I mention might seem similar to (if not exactly the same as) what you’ve probably heard millions of times — but believe me, it’s much more convincing getting it from someone who actually used these methods to get into college than from someone who is just trying to get you into their college.
Misconception #1: Universities don’t look at grades from before your junior year.
WRONG. Universities look at the entirety of your high school transcript — why? When you send in your application to most universities, you haven’t even finished your first semester of your senior year! Universities need to look at your entire academic resume to see what kind of a student you are — are you consistent? Are your classes challenging?
Yes, it’s true that your freshman grades and maybe your sophomore grades probably won’t be as significant as your junior or senior year grades — but do not fool yourself into believing that universities will completely ignore this half of your transcript!
But don’t let that discourage you…
Misconception #2: I need straight A’s and nothing less than a 4.0 to get into college
Wrong again! In fact, I know many people who DID have straight A’s and 4.5’s who were actually rejected from their top choice universities. Universities recognize that you don’t have to be intelligent to get an A and you don’t have to get an A to be intelligent. It definitely helps to have good grades and a high GPA, but don’t assume that alone will get you into whatever university you want!!
Misconception #3: I’m not going to get in because I’m white/I’m a shoe-in because I’m a minority
Sorry to burst your bubbles, kids, but Affirmative Action is no longer in effect. My research tells me that yes, universities can still look at your ethnic/racial background as a criteria for admittance — but it is not a determining factor!! Universities are interested in your race so that they can look at you in context. But I’ll get into that later.
Misconception #4: The only thing that matters is what’s on my transcript
Actually, kids, it’s not the end of the world if you slip up here and there. Speaking from experience, I had a C and a couple of B’s on my transcript. Don’t get discouraged if some of your classes are harder than you anticipated, or if you just didn’t take that history class seriously enough. By no means am I saying that you should slack off and not feel guilty about it — do you best!! But don’t think it’s the end of the world if you don’t get straight A’s.
While it’s true that universities take your high school academic performance largely into consideration, they tend to be forgiving so long as it’s within reason. Below average grades in school are probably most definitely hurting your chances of getting into a university, but less-than-perfect scores are jeopardizing your chances too much.
Misconception #5: CLUBSCLUBSCLUBSCLUBSCLUBS
We’re all told at some point or another that colleges look for “well-rounded” students. But to clear the air, I think you should all be told that a “well-rounded” student is not someone who joins every club in existence. Quite the opposite, you can be well-rounded even if you’re only in one club!
Misconception #6: I’m from __________ so I won’t get accepted
The fact that you’re from a poor school, a small town, or a city with a bad reputation does not hurt your chances when it comes to colleges! In fact, this factor could actually be an advantage for you!
Written on January 3, 2011 by moe2love
Filed Under: General Talk
This information is NOT just for Seniors!
By the time a high school student graduates, he or she has probably put more than 17,640 hours of effort into school (including time spent in school, homework, extracurriculars, etc). That’s 735 days, or a little over 2 years. You will have spent a full 2 years devoted to school, and probably more depending on how active you are. But what was all this for? What is the purpose of all your effort?
Well, most likely you went through all this trouble so you can go to college. High school is the transition to college; the skills you’ve learned in high school will be very important in high education institutes. Many high school students want to go to college; some have no worries about whether or not they will go, but most have some obstacles they must overcome before they can go to college.
One of these obstacles is money. The cost for colleges are ENORMOUS, especially with some of the colleges increasing tuition. And it’s not just tuition; books, housing, clothes, and everyday expenses can take its toll on your parents’ bank account as well. Some colleges may even have you pay up to $35,000 and higher for yearly tuition or fees! But don’t let these daunting numbers scare you. Money should not be an obstacle to getting the college education you want.
The best way to overcome these obstacles are to get scholarships. Scholarships are, well, FREE money. You don’t have to pay ANY of it back. There are many organizations out there who are offering aid to students that fit their criteria requirements. Look for and apply to as many scholarships as you can; you’ll be surprised at how many you get.
Start Looking For Scholarships Early
The more scholarships you apply to, the more you will get. Don’t make the mistake I did and start at the end of your first semester during senior year. Start as early as FRESHMAN year if possible, and look around for scholarships that you can apply for. Most likely your skill level won’t be high enough to rake in scholarships during freshman year, but the experience you get from applying will help you to understand what scholarship organizations are looking for, and by the time you are a senior, you’ll be raking in scholarships. You may even be one of those geniuses who get enough scholarships to pay off all the tuition costs.
Looking for Scholarships
The most important part is knowing where to find scholarships. There are many good sites like FastWeb that will find scholarships for you and tell you which ones you are eligible for. However, the important thing to remember is that these online scholarships have the most competition. The internet is the largest network ever created, and so reaches out to the most amount of people. That’s not saying that you shouldn’t apply to scholarships you ARE eligible for – just be smart about which ones you apply to. If you do apply for a scholarship, put your all into it – don’t worry about winning or losing it, because even if you lose you will definitely learn something that you can use in the next scholarship you apply for.
Why Shouldn’t I Just Take Out Loans?
Loans are great and useful, but paying off the loans after you graduate can be a huge pain in the butt. Some students even spend the first two years of their working lives paying off all the college loans before they’re free of that burden.
