<p>I also liked the tales from the admissions director about applicants who forgot to change school names from one application to the next.</p>
<p>Interesting. How is the sound quality of your radio? </p>
<p>For those not wanting to buy devices, you can get a free FM radio app like TuneIn for iPhone/iPad/Android. I use that to listen to the stream from our high school radio station when my son is on. My old phone (HTC) had an FM receiver, but the current one does not, so I use the app and streaming if I am out and about.</p>
<p>For podcasts, I am a Stitcher addict as I mentioned before.</p>
<p>The sound quality of the internet radio is lot better than the built in speakers of my laptop. Also, it keeps playing whether or not I am using the computer – so for example I can be listening while cooking dinner. </p>
<p>It also has the capability to be plugged into external speakers (but not bluetooth). </p>
<p>I can’t really tell you beyond that – if you are a true audiophile you probably wouldn’t want the unit I have, but it’s fine for my needs. But my hearing isn’t what it once was-- I think my hearing is slightly better than average for my age, but at age 59 “average” hearing isn’t all that great. But when my kids have been visiting, they haven’t complained. </p>
<p>The unit does have a built in equalizer function, so you can adjust sound quality somewhat.</p>
<p>I LOVE This American Life! Thanks for posting this.</p>
<p>Emir’s story was funny and interesting! Ah, memory!</p>
<p>I also liked Emir’s story, but is the teacher’s story necessarily more accurate than his? Either way, it was a great story.</p>
<p>Transcript if you prefer to read:</p>
<p>[Transcript</a> | This American Life](<a href=“http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/504/transcript]Transcript”>http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/504/transcript)</p>
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<p>great analogy, calmom – I remember hearing one mom saying about her daughter at Barnard “I’m so glad she’s getting an Ivy League education.” </p>
<p>I’ll have to check out this program. Is it available on podcast?</p>
<p>^ Barnard students can and do take all the same classes Columbia students do, with only 1-2 exceptions. So saying she is getting an Ivy League education is pretty accurate.</p>
<p>Actually, my comment about the analogy Chicago Public Media :: National Public Radio and Barnard :: Columbia was meant as something of an “inside” joke. ;)</p>
<p>And the current TAL program is available on Podcast for free, at least through the end of this week (I don’t know how much longer) – at some point there will be a nominal charge for the download. Less than a cup of Starbucks coffee.</p>
<p>To Class of 2015: The term “Ivy League” refers to an athletic conference consisting of 8 member schools. One of those 8 members is the the Columbia-Barnard Athletic Consortium (est. 1983).</p>
<p>Unless they have changed the TAL website, you can always stream the podcast for free after the download period has passed. You just can’t download it. But you can click on it and listen on the spot.</p>
<p>the overplayed essay about going to help poor people in south america, and the writer was the one who changed , that was funny because that essay is like the admissions officer said just played out and predictable. and the kids who write actually think they are the first and they have an awesome creative twist and have shown they are humble and tolerant.</p>
<p>I wonder how many parents reviewing their kid’s essay think that is a great essay as well… I suspect quite a few do!</p>
<p>[10</a> topics to avoid in a college admission essay - CBS News](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-57589271/10-topics-to-avoid-in-a-college-admission-essay/]10”>http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-57589271/10-topics-to-avoid-in-a-college-admission-essay/)</p>
<p>If a kid followed all ten of those “tips” to the letter, there would be nothing left to write about. ;)</p>
<p>I’ve got a different take, also from a This American Life perspective: tell a good story. You can pull out a good story from the most mundane or overused of subjects if you have a somewhat different take.</p>
<p>I am surprised they didn’t mention “death of GM or GF”. My son wrote about GM, before I found CC, and I cried when I read it. Later I learned this was an overdone topic.</p>
<p>Follow up – letter from a parent to admissions director:
</p>
<p>More at: [A</a> Prank Admissions Essay To Rick Clark | This American Life](<a href=“http://www.thisamericanlife.org/blog/2013/09/a-prank-admissions-essay-to-rick-clark]A”>http://www.thisamericanlife.org/blog/2013/09/a-prank-admissions-essay-to-rick-clark)</p>
<p>calmom-agree, what is left?</p>
<p>That is absolutely hilarious. Wonder if he is the cousin of the second grader who was interested in MIT?</p>