@Kingtape Sorry for wall of text;
I kind of shied away from stating whether I wholeheartedly agreed or disagreed with it; but instead went more with it opening my eyes to the impacts of situational factors. I spoke my very individualistic, moderately privileged American upbringing, and talked about how I realized situational vs. dispositional debate permeates a lot of social and political debate, especially in regards to socioeconomic status and racism. To this point, I wrote “The debate between situational and dispositional is not only seen in psychology. I began to realize it permeates a great many other matters- particularly socioeconomic and racial politics. To what extent is an individual responsible for “bootstrapping” themselves? How limited is an individual by their circumstances- and whose responsibility are those circumstances? Are their circumstances a result of systematic oppression or a victim complex? Should people with a disadvantaged background receive extra assistance, or just work harder? I was realizing that the impacts of situational factors extended far beyond psychology books.”
I ended with
“All of this serves to emphasize two primary points: the “situation” often overpowers the individual, and thus, essentially everyone is susceptible to evil acts. These claims stood in stark contrast to my previous beliefs that an individual’s actions were solely the result of themselves; their personalities and beliefs. Furthermore, the idea that most evildoers are simply misguided, “normal” people is, quite frankly, terrifying. The idea of an inherent difference between “good” and “bad” people is comforting. With that inherent difference gone, it follows that anyone, in the right circumstances, is capable of atrocities.
While I do still believe that an individual’s personality does hold some responsibility for their choices, I now recognize that there are often many components at play than that meets the eye. I believe these factors are often overlooked when evaluating a situation or individual. I also now consciously question those with arbitrary power, and ruminate on whether or not obedience aligns with my personal values, or may cause harm to myself or another.”
I didn’t really go with the hard psychology stuff, just talked about how it changed my view of people’s status being solely because of their own doings (like, I was raised pretty republican, and it was always kinda “poor people are lazy” typa stuff)
@quisquillosa I just looked into that, it seems like a very interesting book!
@perspica it’s amazing! I’m intersex, although i have a different condition than the protagonist, and in my essay I talked about how it brought me a long way towards self-acceptance. It’s also an incredibly well written book, I really recommend it
@quisquillosa I’ll add it to the list. I wrote a bit about gender identity, but only as reasoning for my seminar choices.
Ok so I was just casually scrolling through college confidential, minding my own business, entertaining myself with the enormous levels of toxicity per usual, and then I see this. Y’all need to chill. I went to TASS last year and here’s my 2 cents:
- Stay off of this website. Go outside. Read a book. Run, jump, skip, bike, whatever you need to do to be productive in this world. I promise that would be much better for your mental health than simply making yourself even more nervous online.
- If you don’t get into TASP it’s not a big deal whatsoever. Is it fun and a great opportunity? Of course. But alas there is more:
- You’re not guaranteed to like TASP. Like literally everything anyone has ever done ever, not everyone that went to TASP enjoyed it 100%. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply or go, it just means that y’all need to stop glorifying this experience so much. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows 24/7. It can actually get pretty tough living with 27 people all day every day for six weeks, especially when there’s conflict. The inevitable struggle makes you stronger, but don’t assume that there is no struggle at all during TASP.
- While TASP can change your life, so can a lot of other things if you just go with the flow. We’re teenagers! Summer vacation is our time to do whatever tf we want, get messy, and make some memories! The things that were life-changing at TASS can be done at home as well! Try having a deep conversation at 2AM in the backyard with your friends. Watch a cool documentary about a social issue. Try a new food. Go to a concert. Drive to another state. Learn a new dance move. (I suggest researching the woah challenge) Don’t wait on TASP to change your life for you!
*In terms of college apps, people on here have already articulated how this program isn’t a one-way ticket into the ivy league or wherever. But even if it was, stop obsessing over college. The school you attend for undergrad has no long-term impact on your job prospects once you’re like ten years out of college. What will stick with you forever, however, is the memories you made with friends, the cool professors you had, and the skills that you learned. Therefore, you can get that lit college experience pretty much anywhere regardless of the rank of your institution. Also, nobody wants to be that 50-year-old who still brags about being accepted to Harvard. I know people like that and I really wish I didn’t.
- Finally, for those of you re-reading your essays and overanalyzing stuff, it really isn’t worth your time. I genuinely believe that hundreds of the people who applied would be a wonderful fit for TASP, but they can only admit around 56. So this means that in their admissions process, a lot of people that will end up being rejected weren’t immediately placed into the reject pile the very second that their application was evaluated. Also, realize that their goal is not to keep a majority of applicants from getting into TASP. Instead, their goal is to build a community of people whose interests and personalities could function well together. Admissions are about who is let in, not keeping specific people out. So don’t interpret their rejection as an expression of disgust for you and your essays. Interpret it as a message that millions of other life-changing opportunities this summer are calling your name.
Everyone that reads this should recognize that every single one of us deserves self-care this summer. Moping around because you didn’t get into TASP is counterproductive because you stand in the way of potentially fun, transformative experiences. So if you read this far, I think you should log off of this website and chillax.
here’s the first paragraph from my second essay:
“From Lil Pump’s “Gucci Gang,” to Lil Tay becoming the “Youngest Flexer Of The Century,” and Lil Dicky’s comical songs regarding, well… you know….; the prefix “Lil” is becoming used more than ever. I mean, stage names like Lil Skies and Lil Xan (and yes, the latter derives from the drug, Xanax) are considered normalized, as these are the more popular Lils. Despite their popularity, I was never able to understand why everyone liked them so much. To me, their music seemed forced and unauthentic, rapping about expensive items that they bought and the newest prescription drug that they’ve tried. Typically, I would listen to Macklemore, Logic, and even some Eminem, who I consider to be more meaningful and intentional rappers. However, with over eight-thousand “Lil”s on Spotify, I felt obligated to explore why there were so many tagging on this infamous three-letter word.”
PS pls don’t copy, thanks
If anyone wants to share essays dm me
*In terms of college apps, people on here have already articulated how this program isn’t a one-way ticket into the ivy league or wherever. But even if it was, stop obsessing over college. The school you attend for undergrad has no long-term impact on your job prospects once you’re like ten years out of college. What will stick with you forever, however, is the memories you made with friends, the cool professors you had, and the skills that you learned. Therefore, you can get that lit college experience pretty much anywhere regardless of the rank of your institution. Also, nobody wants to be that 50-year-old who still brags about being accepted to Harvard. I know people like that and I really wish I didn’t.
^^ this, thanks @hitthatwoah
I wonder if it is taking longer because they had more applicants
u ever say youre sending stuff out and then dont to flex on them stressed highschool kids (jk telluride ily pls)
@perspica lol
I emailed their office and they said only TASS emails have gone out and that TASP emails were expected to go out early next week.
@boogy2020 well I mean they had 3000 applicants this year so I guess that makes sense
to correct myself, they had 3000 people who opened an application but I’m not sure how many actually submitted it
@farmerboy20 if ur id number is a count of how many people opened an app. before you, then, according to mine anyway, it’s over 3600, which is ALOT
Thats crazy. Last year there were 1500 applicants, right?
Are you guessing about the 3K+ or did they actually tell you that?
I don’t 3,000 actually applied, but anyone who signed up for the application portal thing got a number, regardless of whether they actually sent in an application. So some people who started their applications later had numbers of like 3,500 to 4,000. The number that applied probably isn’t 3,000+, it’s just that that many people opened the online application.
@Squirrrel I hope “expected early next week” doesn’t mean next Monday or even later… if so, this will be an excruciating wait.
Here is to another day