<p>I am actually writing a new blue print for my seminar advice, because I admit I was obstinate, and wanted everyone to push their reasoning to the maximum, and the guys here all posted such amazing answers and suggestions, 75 comments (this is only one forum where I posted this question) changed my opinion on things a lot, I will respond to the others who wrote lengthy responses with their own deserving response, again thank you all, I am well, and in process of a more efficient schedule, thanks to your suggestions and recommendations.</p>
<p>@phuriku: That very well may be true, and it’s rather morbid thought too! But I do have preferable views on MIT than say to my local City College which may also be decent education, but that ‘small’ difference does show up in the kind of environment you live in (I know you know all this and don’t need to read this, but I just refresh through it to make sure we’re on same page, and really thank you for the statistics and insights. </p>
<p>@rosinyangster: You had best of intentions when you said to stop being a tool, but what’s wrong with having extraordinary working disciplines? Representative Anthony Weiner (my congressman and favorite congressman) is dedicated to service and non stop work, and it’s something I admire no matter how frustrating things are, he keeps pushing. </p>
<p>also I really appreciate the self esteem boosts, I have gone through rejection many times and grown from it, college is like a game, where you play your hardest to win, but if you don’t win, you just appreciate the game you played. I am very confident, I am deaf, have broken many personal barriers, and also attempted breaking other barriers but didn’t. and that’s absolutely great!! I tried!!! :)</p>
<p>@haavain I really took what and other people with similar comments to highest consideration and glad to say I will be cutting down on the AP’s I take, it might be possible, i may be prestigious to get ap state scholar, but is that true academia? I will be focussing only on the AP’s of my passion, will soon post link to my new goals based on everything everyone aid here, :DD</p>
<p>This has GOT to be a joke. Sometimes I fear I chose the wrong school if it can deeply attract robots like this kid.</p>
<p>don’t worry, no offense taken, some of us are super passionate, and don’t worry we’re a minority and won’t affect your college too much,</p>
<p>I strongly advise that you read Cal Newport’s blog/books. </p>
<p>[Study</a> Hacks](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/]Study”>Study Hacks - Decoding Patterns of Success - Cal Newport)</p>
<p>Thank you Zakuropanda that’s an amazing blog and I bookmarked it!! :D</p>
<p>I have finished my new updated plan, and want your opinions on this!!! I will be closing this forum soon, so please transfer your attention to the new one, with link attached under</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/999819-i-am-dedicated-want-know-if-college-would-agree-not.html#post1065610377[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/999819-i-am-dedicated-want-know-if-college-would-agree-not.html#post1065610377</a></p>
<p>What I mean is, there’s a difference between being “passionate” and being zealous (about college applications). We’re somewhat skeptical that you’re the former, especially when you talk about getting AP State Scholar like it’s the end-all-be-all.</p>
<p>@A-Punk: Grinders are more of the Ivy League type anyhow. Chicago has traditionally focused more on personality (through the essay, the short answer responses) and less on numbers anyways. That’s probably how I was able to get in. You chose the right school. (:</p>
<p>First: Do you actually think it’s possible to learn 5 programming languages in one year AND potentially qualify for USAMO, do well on USAMTS, do anything with westinghouse, etc…</p>
<p>Second: While I see why doing well on all of those contests would help you, I don’t see why learning 5 unrelated programming languages helps you. If I were an admissions officer I’d say “Hmm, he knows 5 different programming languages, I wonder if he knows each of them well enough to do anything creative.”</p>
<p>Third: Do you think you can do all of that and keep an A average?</p>
<p>Think about it, based on your schedule (assuming you need 4 hours of sleep a night), you’d have from 5:30 to 2:30 to do stuff(assuming you shower, eat breakfast, brush your teeth, etc)
So great, 9 hours a day, I guess if you’re a super beast you can do the homework for all of those ap classes in 4 of the hours (assuming your school is difficult in any way).
5 hours a day to learn 5 programming languages, do science projects, and study for math contests; it’s not possible.</p>
<p>If you actually do all of this, I’ll send you a smiley face.</p>
<p>EDIT: also if you did this you should be applying to harvard first choice, with chicago as a back up</p>
<p>Hello fellow CCer’s, just an update on how plans have changed for the better and worse, </p>
<p>AP’s: Dropping Psychology, Art History and CS (I prefer C programming, so maybe next year) as i see that this is simply resume padding and unnecessary, </p>
<p>School wouldn’t register for any of these contests, Physic QuizBowl
F=ma exam
WestingHouse Competition</p>
<p>and I personally dropped USAMTS, i admit it was too ambitious for me, </p>
<p>I am not in Model UN, College Bowl, or MSG Varsity,
Forget about MySQL and C++ as well, </p>
<p>and SAT 2’s and Regents aren’t that important, will take whatever I feel proficient in, but it’s not a big priority, mainly I wish to take 2-3 SAT’s by the time I graduate, hence I have plenty of time to split it up, </p>
<p>On the positive side, I just registered for Olympiad Geometry in addition to WOOT (World Online Olympiad Training), since W.O.O.T. has very little Geometry, hence I took care of that,</p>
<p>Signed up for NYU Math Circle Course and Pushkin Academy (both are olympiad centered math) </p>
<p>I am also going to be home schooled this semester, so am considering taking some courses on CTY some other online courses
and tutoring from Physics Professors I know. Any questions or “See I knew it!!” comments are all welcome, Thank you guys for giving me hope and support, your comments really had deep impact both consciously and subconsciously. Thank you, :)</p>
<p>Never again will I doubt the wisdom of those who treaded in the mud before me ~Been There Done That~</p>
<p>You want innovation? Take a British A-level, or distance-learning university course, for the lulz.</p>
<p>Shushugah:</p>
<p>I appreciate the passionate pursuit of a single goal: something I can truly identify with. But I don’t think you’re approaching colleges with the right mindset. I went on your profile and saw that even today, you posted something about still taking 11 AP tests… This doesn’t look like you’ve let off of your past super-ambitious ways.</p>
<p>I know I’m not in a super-qualified position to be making any gigantic recommendations for life courses, but I want to tell you that you should really really really channel a particular skill and try to forge a path of your own, rather than walk down the path most traveled (AP’s and standardized tests.) While some measure of this testing is necessary, it eventually takes away from an important part of college admissions. There has to be something unique about you. What do I mean? Write a novel, write a killer program (like what you were talking about), start an initiative at your school/community. Look at all the greats I assume you’re trying to imitate. Yes, Bill Gates got into Harvard, but he was also so detached from the notion of graduate school that he tinkered around with computers before dropping out. Look at Mark Zuckerberg. Yes, he went to Harvard, but that was because he wrote an ingenious program (Synapse) and had passion in the classics as a high-schooler. I could be wrong, but I find it very hard to believe that either of them obsessed over AP’s.</p>
<p>If it makes you feel better, I got into UChicago without a billion AP’s. Much more important, in fact, were the essays I wrote… The AP’s had barely any weight in the decision. Please do not squander those two quality years in front of you with your face plastered to a study book that doesn’t interest you. There’s nothing wrong with singular pursuit of academics, but it sounds like are doing so for all the wrong reasons. Whenever you are reading a book, ask yourself if you would be reading it if the notion of a super-selective college did not exist. That said, do not abandon your studies, but do not worship them, either.</p>
<p>The thing I’ve realized over the course of my senior year this year, having been accepted to a couple schools already (UofC included), college acceptances CAN’T be the end of the road for the goals you have. What are doing for yourself to be the individual you want to become? Have you thought about your life WHILE you’re in college, or after that? Not to say that you can plan your entire life in advance, but short-term, end-all goals like getting into that one dream college (especially when, to be honest) you’re not even headed on the right road to get into that particular college—I can guarantee you that USAMO and any other national/international science/math/research things are not prerequisites for admission into UofC, because I didn’t have any of that) will leave you empty. The fact that SAT/AP scores don’t count for anything once you get into college, for instance, shows that they should not be your primary concern or focus. Do what you can, show colleges that you’re capable, and pursue your LIFE. If your LIFE interests them, they have a reason to accept you. If not, take your LIFE somewhere else.</p>
<p>Why reduce high school/college experiences to mere numerical figures or a graduation certificate on the wall? Doing that shows that you do NOT care about the process that will take you to the end. And it will be a sorry end at that.</p>
<p>THIS IS WHAT IT TAKES TO GET INTO THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: Speak genuinely. Everyone knows when you don’t.</p>
<p>Taking advice from all of us does not mean showing us that you’ve changed your plans by taking out this, focusing more on that, etc. It means expressing a new insight in the way of honest words. Note that there’s a difference, too, between “showing” and “expressing.” UofC will want you already to know that if you’re to be a student there.</p>
<p>Dude,</p>
<p>if you want to learn a programming language, learn Haskell. We did it in Honors Intro to CS last quarter; I promise you that you’ll never program the same way again. Pure, functional, monadic . . . not just elegant; beautiful.</p>
<p>I am going to be home schooled, (Unless I’m admitted into Andover, but there’s bigger chance not than yes) and so I will not have the opportunity to show my grades, hence what do you guys recommend for doing so? </p>
<p>I do admit after studying for several of these AP’s that they really strip the topics of their intellectual and intricate beauty. AP Calculus and Chem are so mundanely boring and depressing, compared to their actual almost divinely nature in real life. </p>
<p>When I think about it, it is indeed hypocritical of me to claim AP’s so important, when they are merely standardized tests. Indeed the more I type this, the more I realize AP State Scholar is petty, and a waste of money too… does anyone recommend methods to show my agility? Certain tests? Courses? </p>
<p>I will stick with extracurricular such as Mock Trial, Model Congress and Debate, for Law related and such, math is already taken care off… </p>
<p>My plans in life, actually I personally find college to merely be a median point for fulfilling my potential and passion. I have a deep love for theoretical mathematics, but also to do something better for this world. I have a long term goal to become a Senator, Representative or some other influential policy maker. The lack of sufficiently intelligent AND honest congressmen out there is self evident and pitiful, whether or not I am qualified to be that person or not doesn’t matter. That’s to decide in about 15-25 years, anything can happen by then including efficient universal health care. To get there, I would like to study economics and use my mathematical prowess to better aid the US. I’m thinking of being a “quant” but on the other side of the fiscal spectrum. </p>
<p>Money is imperative, but not the best reason to choose any career or job. I CAN live comfortably renting a house, with 0-1 cars, and a single suit, second hand off course, and I don’t NEED to pay for expensive summer villas for my kids, and my wife will do with the humble but sentimental gifts that don’t contain 500 karat diamonds.</p>
<p>A very likely career is I wish to teach Theoretical mathematics as an adjunct or assistant professor, (I do not have details, but opportunities will arise and go for this).</p>
<p>NSA is another short/long term possibility as well, but we shall see…</p>
<p>It is for this reason that i am going berserk on the college issue, because so many colleges are just phony and all about getting your bachelor’s and degrees and partying life. Cal-Tech is a classic example of a college where the students genuinely enjoy mathematics. I like UoFC for its self selecting students and excellent depts. of International Patent law, and various branches in mathematics. </p>
<p>Funding and F/A is a major issue, and so while I may get accepted to favorable colleges (regardless of what that means) I may not be able to attend…,</p>
<p>@Rny2, I will check it out, you seem really hypersensualized by that (yes I just made up a word) and I am really going to see what is so fantastic about it!! :D</p>
<p>The ambition is admirable. Kinda ridiculous though. But let me try to give my two cents. First of all, no need to take SAT 2 Math I if you’re taking Math 2 and pick between US History and World. The classes you’re planning to take is not impossible. I’ve taken those classes and I think it was good for me. Not saying it was the most enjoyable life but I guess that’s not a top priority? </p>
<p>Listen, enjoy your high school years. I lived them to the fullest I can and have made friends I will cherish forever. I believe UChicago is one of the best schools in terms of considering applicants as a whole human being. They will be looking for academic growth, but also social and emotional maturity (and creativity) as well.</p>
<p>In any case, good luck. I know you’ll work hard for it. =)</p>
<p>Your ambition is as admirable as it is naive. Take a challenging schedule, but not one that is overly demanding. Find ways to challenge yourself beyond your curriculum in a few areas, not every area possible. Seriously.</p>
<p>Hello Folks, this is my new account, I’ve changed quite a bit, and I look with amusement at these previous threads I made with the shushugah account. </p>
<p>A quick update, about what I am doing now, I am enrolled in EPGY Stanford Online HS. I am taking 7 courses, I am taking WOOT (World Online Olympiad Training, from AoPS) a 2nd time, in addition to Olympiad Geometry, and mathematical tapas, which really widened my horizon on set theory and topology. </p>
<p>Despite considering math to be my forte, in retrospect, I realize, I didn’t and I STILL don’t know ANYTHING about mathematics. I was fooled into following the typical math sequence that colleges offer, you know, calculus, Linear Algebra, MVC and then Differential Equation, however I personally found set theory, analysis and dabbles of topology much more abstract and tasty for my personal interest. </p>
<p>I’ce taken many more math courses, read more books, and even wrote several lectures, thanks to a fellow CCer Shrig94 (who was the first person to comment on my original thread…) <a href=“http://onlinemathcircle.com/wp-conte…-induction.pdf%5B/url%5D”>http://onlinemathcircle.com/wp-conte…-induction.pdf</a></p>
<p>I was naive in my fetish for AP’s and contest awards, in fact I’ll be upfront about it…I suck at contests, and did pretty bad in ARML on NYC Math team, and also did mediocre on the AMC…not even making AIME. However, that didn’t deter me, I prefer Olympiad problems, and while I don’t have any official contests to back it up, my lectures and time spent online reflect that interest. </p>
<p>I am intimately involved with scouting still, and am very active on international level. I frequently host Colombian scouts who’ve I’ve met on 3 separate occasions, and now I am making plans for scout conclave in Ghana. </p>
<p>Since I am no longer in my hebrew day school, I am not allowed to participate in the Debate League, ironically I am allowed to serve as an assistant coach, and so I look forward to coaching my team, and improving on areas where we could improve in (such as spotting logical fallacies, and how to call of true but irrelevant premises). </p>
<p>I don’t think I’m much smarter, except perhaps a little in math, but I certainly am a lot more aware of how dumb I am. I will always be available to parents, or students, looking for advice on what NOT to do, EPGY, or Math in general, or anything else you think I may have a voice on. </p>
<p>There are more personal aspects to my life, but I’ve forfeited enough, and you can find my name and all about me on the web, based on the math link I sent you, hopefully you’ll read some of it too, :/</p>