<p>^ That’s because TASP kicks all other programs in merriment, excellence, and general awesomeness.</p>
<p>^ Yep. Very true</p>
<p>what is this TRASP program u speak of… Iraq? backpacking?? sounds intriguing</p>
<p>TRASP - TASP Rejects Association Summer Program</p>
<p>fun stuff</p>
<p>We’ll be flying from nyc or boston to amman or dubai, where we may stay for a few days, and then on to iraq (probably Arbil (also spelled Irbil and Erbil, krazy iraqis…)(( (woo parentheses!))) depending on how the Kirkuk **** works out, and how much we want to see Babylon) :D</p>
<p>edit: hah, that makes it the telluride association summer program rejects association summer program…lol</p>
<p>HAHAHA^(the edit)</p>
<p>damn sounds like a hella fun, possibly more so than tasp…hehe is it fully organized by students? also sounds pretty risky, but thats what makes a great adventure</p>
<p>TRASP
:-P</p>
<p>I say TRASP starts its own thread-- I bet with our support we could beat those RSI kids.</p>
<p>TRASP 2007 thread is now up!</p>
<p>We have a TRASP thread? LL Nunn is rolling in his grave.</p>
<p>Sorry LL Nunn but some of us wanted a fun summer after getting rejected from your program. Actually what really happened was someone wanted to make a person feel good about getting rejected from your program. Please don’t be mad at us!</p>
<p>“hey aida, is there a big disparity btwn the types of interviewers?” </p>
<p>Sometimes. :)</p>
<p>“GRACE EFFIN STATWICK… love. Aida+U+Me+Susan?+Phones=Tonight… holla?” - bahahahaha. Didn’t happen. Well, sometime during break it shall!</p>
<p>WHAT?! That is DUMB! 0/300? convulsions ensue.</p>
<p>And guys, if your interviewer didn’t take notes, they either have a really good memory or they’re bad interviewers. TASP reports have to be written eventually, and they need to be VERY, VERY specific, detailing the topics you covered, but most of all, your replies to them, your demeanor, and such. The report is there to provide TASPCOM with a picture of what went on in the room, so specifics are very important. They want to know what particular things make you stand out, how you could contribute to the diversity of the seminar, and how much you could grow from it. It’s not always about being the smartest; it’s about showing potential for growth and change.</p>
<p>The interviewers need to make this a friendly, low-key atmosphere so you can thrive and converse naturally. They don’t want it to be intimidating because that might lead to you not showing your abilities well. Interviewers have to be chill and write good questions, take good notes, and write detailed reports in order to present a complete picture of the applicants. </p>
<p>Also, to those of you that were asked about missing info on your applications, it was for a reason. TASPCOM relies on the interviewers to fill in the blanks and find out info that was missing and why. It’s not a bad thing; it’s just curiosity. They want the FULL PICTURE. </p>
<p>I finally asked how important the interviews were versus the essays. If an applicant has strong essays and a strong interview, they’re probably set. If they have weak e’s and weak i’s, they’re done for. If they’re somewhere in the middle and have:</p>
<ul>
<li>good essays and weak interviews: probably not getting in</li>
<li>okay/weak essays and strong interviews: more likely to get in</li>
</ul>
<p>The interview is VERY IMPORTANT. Like I told the committee chair I interviewed with: “At TASP, they’re not going to be communicating with the others via essays. It’s more important for them to think on their feet and communicate well in person than it is to write brilliant essays.”</p>
<p>The deadline for having finished interviews and reports is April 13th, so I suggest you contact your interviewers if they haven’t contacted you for a time and date. The deadline approaches.</p>
<p>Also, applicants with the same interviewers are graded against each other, sort of. They’re put on a scale depending on how they did in general (the essays being taken into consideration, as well as the interview).</p>
<p>It’s an ABC scale, with + and - signs used as necessary. A is recommended for acceptance, B is worthy of further consideration, and C means that the applicant should just not be considered further.</p>
<p>:) Just so you know.</p>
<p>aida, you better be careful. We don’t want the younglings to know all the inner workings of our precious system.</p>
<p>Thanks, Aida! That was very helpful. :D</p>
<p>I wonder if you could clarify what you meant by missing parts of the application? I don’t remember being asked that…</p>
<p>Also, would you say the interviewers’ reports are viewed more as a very strong recommendation, or a definitive indicator of acceptance/rejection? And do the interviewers go through a rigorous training or something of that nature? I ask this since I figured it’d be kind of odd to have a great interview but a not-too-scintillating report…yikes!</p>
<p>Dae, I meant that if you neglected to mention your dad’s occupation, for example, they might ask about it. Random things like that. If you didn’t mention ethnicity, they could ask about that too.</p>
<p>It would depend on what type of report they write, but in any case, it’s important. TASPcom relies on interviewers to assess the applicant on a one-on-one level, something they themselves cannot do because they obviously can’t fly to meet everyone. Both extremes (as in OMG OMG TAKE THIS APPLICANT and EEWWWW DON’T TAKE THIS ONE) are probably going to weigh in VERY heavily, especially if the essays confirm what the interviewer says (strong + strong = yay, and so on). If the applicant is on the edge, TASPCOM is going to have to thoroughly review everything and see what they’re gonna do.</p>
<p>UM. I don’t think they go through a specific rigorous training, no…but they’re usually college students or beyond, that have been to TASP/TASS, have been members of the branch houses, blah blah, so they are generally very educated, good people. I guess you could get a bad apple every now and then, but it’s certainly not the norm.</p>
<p>Seeing as every statement an interviewer makes has to be backed up by data, it would be a little tricky to “sabotage” you, unless they made up information and blatantly lied about what went down during the chat. Also, they have nothing to lose or gain, so they would be very honest, I think.</p>
<p>Oh, but yes, they are given papers with guidelines, a sample report, things to cover, things to avoid, answers to commonly asked questions, blah blah. So yes, they receive some training in that case.</p>
<p>Daen. Also for interviewers they aren’t going to just send one first time interviewer out to you.</p>
<p>I know personally my interviewers had been doing it for one or two years, and they had done 7 interviews last year.</p>
<p>Aida on the other hand did her first interview this year, BUT she did it with a woman who had done them before.</p>
<p>So as far as getting an incompetent report writer, I wouldn’t worry.</p>
<p>They pick interviewers because those people want to be interviewers. Just as some of us passionately want TASP. They remain passionate about TASP and they won’t just 1/2 ass a report or something.</p>
<p>If you want to worry about anything I wouldn’t worry about the abilities of the interviewers.</p>
<p>hah, my interviewer’s been doing interviews for almost 50 years</p>
<p>mine’s on the 15th, so that’s after the deadline… er, am i the only one with an interview after the 13th?</p>
<p>uhh that must be wrong since my interview date is way past the 13th…</p>
<p>o shiiiit^ my interviewer did say a lot of tasp things are done last last minute</p>
<p>i wish i knew all of the above before my interview. I know i could’ve presented myself better if it wasn’t for me waiting outside and her waiting inside for 15 nerve-fraying minutes before we found each other, but eh… i think i’ve dwelled on that hour of my life enough. Countdown - approx. 28 days until letters come…</p>