UWC Applicants for the 2013 school year! - Page 10

Stuffzhappenin · 10-03-2012, 11:29 AM

@applesauce21 That sounds about right! I was just going off what I heard from others. YES! exactly I feel the same way, going to Wales would be pretty different than going abroad. I love the feeling you get when you can't understand a language but learn it bit by bit until you can actually express yourself. On the other hand, it's about the UWC experience as a whole though and I would be more than satisfied if I was placed in the one in Wales.

ev2414 · 10-03-2012, 02:34 PM

@fruitloopery The girl who went to UWC Atlantic at fifteen...Had she taken more than the "normal" ninth grade class load prior to applying? Did she just apply as normal and then talk to the headmaster after the national committee accepted her? Did she have...how do I put this...any sort of extracurricular "hook" that would cause UWC to accept her early, like winning some national competition, publishing a book, etc?

Haha, this is giving me hope^ I'm a freshman (though I do technically have sophmore class standing, would be caught up academically) and I'm applying for YES/CBYX and ASSE to go on foreign exchange and was planning to just apply to UWC while on exchange next year...But it may be worth a shot to apply this year (If I got a UWC scholarship instead of YES/CBYX/ASSE, I could always go on exchange as a gap year).

applesauce21 · 10-03-2012, 06:00 PM

Yeah, I mean, I'm taking a pessimistic view just to try and not get my hopes up. It's something like a 0.25% success rate in America (I'm not sure about in the UK), and I know I'm not the ideal candidate, soo...:L
But I also know I want to go so much it hurts, and will carry the lessons learnt there and the messages of a UWC education with me through whatever I end up doing (I have no idea except that I want to be trying to help people and I want to travel), and will enjoy it - Oh My God I'll enjoy it - with all my heart

applesauce21 · 10-03-2012, 06:05 PM

Also, um, a while back, someone asked after an alumni from Adriatic? I know someone! Robin Tyne - he has a blog called Tales from Trieste

YogurtHamster · 10-03-2012, 08:22 PM

Well I'd prefer to go to any of the schools based in a non-english (or predominantly another language) speaking territory e.g. Costa Rica, for the same reasons @Stuffzhappenin cited, but i'll just be happy to get in. Hey, does anyone know if you can get a little pet fish there? I like fish. Time to stop fantasizing, but yes the country or school doesnt matter - it would be the fellow students. What we could learn from others, teach and discover together. But I wouldn't mind living in a castle, just saying.

lindzmm · 10-03-2012, 08:28 PM

Do you all know who you're going to ask for your letters of rec?
Obviously I have to ask my counselor, but I've met my counselor maybe once, it's a big school, and she doesn't know me, so quite honestly I don't know what she'll write. I also know she has to write a bunch of them for seniors so hopefully she'll be ok with it.
As far as my teacher goes, I had the same math teacher two years in a row and is the advisor for the club I'm starting this year. Though I know she likes me, I don't really know her too personally and I haven't talked to her much this year. My math teacher this year though was talking to the class about how he will write anyone who asks him an outstanding letter of rec as long as they get A's and a few other criteria. I'm thinking I might ask him now. I honestly don't know who to ask.
Lastly, my extracurricular advisor... I am going to ask the woman in charge of the service group I am very involved in and have been for a while. I know her really well and I told her about the program and she asked me if I wanted a letter or rec- I didn't even have to ask, haha. But having a letter or rec from the office of the mayor seems tempting (I interned there over the summer)- but I don't feel I know them there as well, so I'm a bit conflicted :P

applesauce21 · 10-04-2012, 01:28 PM

@lindzmm For mine, I have to have an academic and community reference. My academic is easy (my beloved English teacher - a near god in awesomness and pure charity) but for community...I'm not sure. Perhaps my piano teacher? If I were you, I'd go for people you feel closest to, in the toss up between prestige and reliability. But that's just my two cents

Also, I don't know how this will make you feel, (a bit more confident I hope) but you are scaring the life out of me with your amazing community work. I've been trying to get some for 4 and a half years, but couldn't find a single place. I sent out TWELVE applications to do volunteering within the last two months, and got zip back

So, even though the flesh is willing, the trust in teenagers around where I live is weak :L

fruitloopery · 10-04-2012, 01:50 PM

@ev2414 There were definitely lots of extra stuff she did that helped her get in. First of all, she has lived in 5 different countries on 3 different continents, she was a swimmer, went to a sports school and competed at national and international events (and won many medals), she did MUN (which looks really good on your application form, so I've heard), she was in the student council, went to an international school that offers IB, among others.

As for application, she applied directly to UWC Atlantic, not through a national committee.

I think the fact that she is a permanent resident of the UK and she was applying from Africa, where relatively few people apply from, also helped her. I hope this helps!

@lindzmm I've already got one of my letters in, from my bio teacher who is also the IGCSE coordinator at my school. I get to sent in up to three supporting documents, so I've also asked my music teacher and counselor. My school is not very big, so all teachers know their students personally. I choose those teachers because I know that my bio teacher really likes me, and he would write really good things about me (which my counselor told me he has). As for my music teacher, he thinks I'm a really talented musician (even though I don't think so) and I've actually confronted him about making my class (which only has 5 students) perform so often, and the organisers of the events don't even appreciate our help. I was the only one with the guts to stand up and speak out, so it definitely made an impression on him. My counselor actually told me today that one of my teachers told her what they liked best about me was the fact that I was straightforward and said what I thought, but in a respectful way. Hopefully he would mention that in the letter.

lindzmm · 10-04-2012, 09:08 PM

@applesauce21: I'm sorry! That's so frustrating- I know because I've been rejected multiple times too. Luckily for me, there is a program out here that decided to start a program for high school girls because they felt there weren't too many opportunities for us. Since I have been part of the group since the founding year, I've been able to be involved a lot. The good news for you is, I've realized that once you get involved somehow, you tend to meet people that can help you get even more involved. Most of the community stuff I've done is through connections I've made and kept in touch with- including interning in the Mayor's office

I don't know if your school does this, but my school is really big on clubs, so I started a club to bring baked goods to the wounded warriors once a month. Something like that would be a great way to give back. Also, are there any nursing homes near you? They always love to have younger people come by and volunteer, plus it can be fun. I hope you find something because not only will it look good on your resume, but it really changes who you are and your perspective on life... however cheesy that sounds :P

windowpainting16 · 10-04-2012, 09:17 PM

@applesauce21: Also, I don't know if this is something you'd be interested in, but I'm sure you could work with some elementary or middle school students in your area and help them with school work but not for pay.

applesauce21 · 10-05-2012, 11:10 AM

@windowpainting16 and @linzmm thank you guys so much! You're the best

I've never used a forum before, and so got such a shock at the lovely experience of strangers helping each other ^_^ And also, @yoghurthamster - I am doing a similar thing to the tables thing but in my head. I keep reminding myself that I'm really lucky to be going to a good school now, and have great friends, and a family which can afford to go on holiday, and it is really ungrateful to be wanting more.

But then I'm like OMG UWCsssssssssssss!!!!! :OOOOO

And my plan sort of fails

applesauce21 · 10-05-2012, 11:13 AM

And your advice was so helpful!! Thank you <3 Like, I worry that I won't be able to prove my potential without shed loads of ECs, but on the other hand, doing volunteering for the sake of personal gain is perverting the foundations of charity, and so I really want to do stuff that I love. I mean, that's the raison d'etre for volunteering right? You are so passionnate about something, you'll help aide that cause for free

Also, I'm english, so although I sort of know what you guys are talking about with GPAs and APs and stuff...not really haha XD

iBelieveinlove · 10-05-2012, 11:16 AM

I'm from India and I'll be applying for the 2013 session in MUWCI. My form is here and I haven't even started filling it! I really wanna get in there!
Anyone else here from India?

applesauce21 · 10-05-2012, 11:23 AM

I'm not from India, so I'm sorry that I can't help you with your application process, but I would love to hear more about why you chose that UWC :-)
Sent from my ST25i using CC

windowpainting16 · 10-05-2012, 03:46 PM

@applesauce21: Glad I could help! I'm so glad we're all supporting each other.