<p>I got my medical forms, etc. today. Still looking forward to the factota letters…</p>
<p>Where are you applying, H20Poloer?</p>
<p>Hey everyone. After much soul-searching, I have decided to attend CCIS this summer. It would have been an amazing opportunity to have spent this summer at a TASP, and I know it will be something I will regret. My only disappointment is to not be able to share the life-changing experience that TASP will be for all of you. The past four months have been amazing as I’ve gotten to know the absolutely brilliant group that made up our amazing pro-TASPer family, and I wish you guys all the luck in the world in everything you pursue. Goodness knows you won’t need it though. :] Perhaps one day we can meet up at one of the fabulous institutions we’ll be attending in '07, and you guys can fill me in?</p>
<p>applying? like as in college? right now probably yale, harvard and some others… What about you?</p>
<p>Harvard EA.</p>
<p>For RD:
Georgetown SFS
Penn Huntsman
Columbia College
Princeton University
Johns Hopkins University
University of Chicago
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor</p>
<p>That’s my list so far… definitely want to have access to a major city.</p>
<p>h20poloer, i was sort of wondering the same thing. In my case, my grades are poor but i have okay test scores and other stuff. i know TASP is uber competitive, and i know its respected…but can it be a major deciding factor? </p>
<p>plus, its hard to tell how much of an impact it has: most of the kids who attend are excellent students to begin with. any opinions on this?</p>
<p>i’m unsure myself. i can’t figure out if most TASPers get into good colleges only because they’re the type of people who would have already, or if TASP itself has any sway in the admissions process. didn’t some of the kids from last year saying being in TASP means you’re as good as in at Cornell/UMich?</p>
<p>Well guys, you have to consider that TASP places <em>heavy</em> emphasis on your essays and interview so I don’t think it’s really an accurate model of college admissions, where your test scores and grades are definitely given more weight. However, I think it’s safe to assume that most TASPers are fairly good academic students plus they have good essay-writing ability, clear passions, and definitely somce creativity, all of which selective colleges like Ivies strongly consider once applicants are in their “range” of suitable grades and test scores.</p>
<p>Ultimately, I think it all comes down to the individual and whether it is clear to colleges/universities how he/she would benefit their campus and what to they truly care about and why. For instance, if you’re interested in math/science, you may be better of researching at a lab or going to math camp rather than going to TASP. I thnk summer programs are all about the <em>right fit</em> rather than prestige necessarily. </p>
<p>Chillaxin is a good example of a CC user who IMHO made the right decision by denyying TASP and doing CCIS at Stanford. Although TASP would have been a great experience for her, it is apparent to me that her passion truly lies in service to the community in conjuntion with science since she wants to build a hospital in China. Thus, her summer will probably be better spent doing the Stanford medical research, organizing her charity, and doing her Key Club activities, which in her case, I think, would make her look much more attractive to prospective colleges than TASP ever would(this should be of secondary importance though). Wow, I love speaking in 3rd person lol.:)</p>
<p>Regardless, I hope you guys will make me proud at TASP by having fun and learning a lot…I really wish i culd be in your shoes right now.
Alas, I have to scramble and find backup summer plans.</p>
<p>vegangirl: Selective colleges want to investigate your character, your passion, and your intellect. They want dynamic students who can think for themselves. Unfortunately, evaluating these qualities is very difficult during the admissions process. Essentially, many colleges <em>trust</em> the Telluride Association, since the organization investigates these factors so carefully through the essays and the interview. Of course, stellar academics is a given. But since applicants’ academic records are so competitive, TASP can be a boost.</p>
<p>hey savoirfaire, what is the georgetown sfs and penn huntsman? Are they rolling admissions/nonbinding nonsingle choice EAs and how do they interact witht he Harvard SCEA?</p>
<p>Georgetown SFS is GU’s Walsh School of Foreign Service in Washington, DC. <a href=“http://www.georgetown.edu/sfs/[/url]”>http://www.georgetown.edu/sfs/</a></p>
<p>Penn Huntsman is a joint-degree program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. <a href=“The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business - The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business”>The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business - The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business;
<p>Both are incredibly selective.</p>
<p>SFS is EA, but it’s not SCEA. Huntsman has ED only. However, you cannot apply to Harvard SCEA and SFS/Huntsman simultaneously.</p>
<p>I just got a letter from Telluride that says:</p>
<p>“Please enter your Social Security number below. This information is required so the university can issue you an ID card which gives you access to libraries, computer services, recreational facilities, etc.”</p>
<p>Thank God we have Internet access.</p>
<p>Erm, I don’t really want to study for APs all that much, so if you guys have some questions about TASP (logistics or otherwise), I’ll try to answer them. Do try to read the already-answered questions, I don’t want to talk about PubSpeaks five times. Enjoy your time there; I loved it!</p>
<p>Congratulations to all CC members that have been accepted to TASP. My DD was accepted to the Cornell II program and she is really looking forward to going to Ithaca. Globber, thanks for your offer to answer questions as I have a few (any other TASPers that are reading this thread, please also respond):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I started looking into making flight arrangements for DD to get to Ithaca. Ithaca seems to have very limited airline service and fares are quite high. Do you know if TASP suggests a travel agency to work with? Also, are there alternate airports where she can land and still get to Ithaca (e.g. Syracuse)?</p></li>
<li><p>Can you describe a typical day, if there was such a thing, during TASP? What about weekends? Also, the forms that we received indicate that there are day trips and I would like to know more about day trips (where did you go when you were at TASP?).</p></li>
<li><p>How much stuff (clothing, notebook/laptop computer, etc.) did you take with you? Are there any items that you would recommend that participants bring to TASP?</p></li>
<li><p>We need to have an idea of reasonable expenses for DD during her TASP. If you don’t mind me asking, how much did you spend during a typical week at TASP? </p></li>
<li><p>What are the sleeping/bathroom arrangements (how many to a room? bathrooms? Coed bathrooms?).</p></li>
<li><p>What about the food? Can you comment on food quality and meal schedules?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I thank you in advance for your answers. I realize that some of my questions are specific to the Cornell TASP, but if you attended TASP at another location, please answer these questions based on your experiences as I am sure that there are others who are reading this thread that woud appreciate reading your answers.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>How heavy is the reading/workload?</p></li>
<li><p>How is the seminar portion structured?</p></li>
<li><p>What types of activities are coordinated for the students?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>First off, let me say that I went to the Michigan TASP and so have limited knowledge of any of the others. Though I don’t know specifically how each TASP runs, I know the general house organization is the same.</p>
<p>MSMDad:
- Also, are there alternate airports where she can land and still get to Ithaca (e.g. Syracuse)?</p>
<p>To be honest, I have no idea how getting into Ithaca works, as I realize it is in the middle of nowhere. You’ll have to call or email TA directly (look on their website for contact info) for any suggestions. I drove to Ann Arbor and flew back, using a taxi for transport to the airport. Just call Cornell Branch; they are Telluride central after all, and may be able to hire a shuttle if you want to fly into Syracuse. </p>
<ol>
<li>Can you describe a typical day, if there was such a thing, during TASP? What about weekends? Also, the forms that we received indicate that there are day trips and I would like to know more about day trips (where did you go when you were at TASP?).</li>
</ol>
<p>Typical weekday: wake up, find some cereal in the pantry, seminar early for three hours from 9 to 12, then lunch together, then free time until around 6, when dinner was served. By free I mean really free: some people went out a bunch to explore campus and sundry shops, some read an infinite supply of books, some actually slept (gasp!). The afternoon is also when lots of pickup games of frisbee and soccer happened; always fun. After dinner is more free time, again used in disparate ways: we watched a couple movies, including the entire BBC Pride and Prejudice series, and we played hide-and-seek all over our cryptically-laid-out mansion. So it sounds like you might have a lot of downtime, but I found that it filled up pretty quickly. There’s a fair amount of work if you choose to do it, but you can also always find someone to go slack off with you. Mondays are house meetings, which I will discuss in the following paragraph.</p>
<p>House Meetings: TASP is ostensibly centered around the seminar, but part of its goal is to foster some independence. As such, every TASP has weekly house meetings, where you set up a mini-government to rule over various aspects of TASP life. We ended up with a bunch of committees, including the Fan Club (kept the non-air-conditioned house cool), TASPATVM (made a sweet yearbook and T-shirts), Entertainment (rented movies, etc.), and a few more I don’t remember. Also, the entire house gets a Misc-ops budget to be used on entertainment and trips and postage for pranking other TASPs, etc. House meetings take a good while, but it’s very democratic and you can spend the money on ANYTHING.</p>
<p>Weekends/Day Trips: Activities here are determined by house meetings, so basically you get to choose where to go. We went canoeing (we swamped two or three), bowling (scored my top score ever), swimming (it was sooo hot), and probably some other places I don’t remember. You’re only limited by your budget, so you can splurge on one big concert or spread it out. Our biggest trip was actually with our professors, to the Motown Museum and other musical venues in Detroit. Good times.</p>
<ol>
<li>How much stuff (clothing, notebook/laptop computer, etc.) did you take with you? Are there any items that you would recommend that participants bring to TASP?</li>
</ol>
<p>I brought about a week and a half of clothing, I think, and one fairly dressy outfit (dress shirt, khakis). The girls brought at least one nice dress. I have no rule of thumb for clothing, but just bring light clothing and maybe a hoodie for rainy days. I had a laptop, most people didn’t, but I will say that it’s amazingly convenient to have your own computer. Maybe Cornell has more house computers, but for Michigan at least, a personal computer beats walking across campus to find a computer lab.</p>
<p>As for must-bring items, the list they give you is very comprehensive. If you’re going to Michigan, DO bring the most powerful fan you can find, or bring money to buy a big fan. Even if you can’t bring it back (I couldn’t), the time you have it is a godsend. I also brought some cheap plastic clothes hangers, which I left, and they are nice for drying out towels and such. Bring a dirty-clothing bag, bring favorite movies, bring any sort of amusing toy you’d like to share. Pack fairly light, because you WILL accumulate random cruft that you want to bring back, so allocate some space in your suitcase. I suggest temporarily filling it with food, so you’ll have room to put all your TASP acquisitions, and you’ll be very popular the first few days. Remember, you also get a mailing address, so care packages are always welcome. Also, if you’re really really a pack rat, you can mail stuff back to yourself instead of taking it back on the plane.</p>
<ol>
<li>We need to have an idea of reasonable expenses for DD during her TASP. If you don’t mind me asking, how much did you spend during a typical week at TASP?</li>
</ol>
<p>Erm, food was where I think I spent most of my money. I bought lots of little bakery delicacies and specialty drinks, along with plain groceries, so I would try to put together a good $75-80 dollars just for food. $13/week for food isn’t too unreasonable. The rest of my spending was on used CDs (we were the music TASP, after all) and used books ($2.50 for Shakespeare’s sonnets? Score!). It’s pretty easy to be thrifty in a college town, so try to consider her spending habits. For me, I brought $300 and ended up with $100, even including the taxi to the airport.</p>
<ol>
<li>What are the sleeping/bathroom arrangements (how many to a room? bathrooms? Coed bathrooms?).</li>
</ol>
<p>Again, I don’t know how Cornell is laid out. We had an average of two people to a room, with one or two triples, but space was very comfortable. My roommate and I shared a bunk, and the room was reasonably furnished. Don’t worry about your room; you won’t be in it except when you’re sleeping. We actually stayed in a rented-out sorority (the TASSers got the big TA mansion), so the bathrooms were single-sex communal, and the plumbing was sketchy, to say the least. I never found the bathroom situation a problem; we set up an informal shower schedule, and we got a fair amount of privacy. Don’t bring too much soap, but do get an adequate amount of towels, and you might want flip-flops for shower shoes.</p>
<ol>
<li>What about the food? Can you comment on food quality and meal schedules?</li>
</ol>
<p>Food was a-mazing. We had a professional house chef, who fixed us lunch and dinner every weekday and Saturday brunch. There was always a vegetarian option, and vegan if you asked beforehand. We also had a pantry/kitchen area, with a fridge and a microwave. You’re on your own for breakfast on weekdays: the pantry is stocked with cereal and milk, but if you want some more, you have to cook/buy it yourself. One girl ate ramen everyday, I got some yogurt. Our chef was great, so food items would appear in various places around the house (homemade granola, bagels, ice cream) We had a stupendous smoothie machine, which was extremely popular on the hot days. Ermmm… we always seemed to be running out of drinks, but I don’t know if that was just us. Like I said, bring food money to buy stuff for yourself. If your name’s on it, it’s off limits to everyone else. Use this wisely. And my favorite time of every week was Saturday(?) nights, when TA gave each of us $10-15 to use to buy food wherever we wanted. You can go to a restaurant and spend a bit more than the free $10 you get, or you can get fast food, or you can buy lots of groceries and have a feast. Do spend all of your weekend food money: it’s easier on TA too.</p>
<p>Top food picks: If you’re in Michigan, go to Bubble Island and Stucci’s and the Washentaw Dairy for cold snacks, and Madras Marsala for dinner. Mmmmm…curry. If you’re in Texas, go get Jamba Juice. If you’re at WashU, get some StL Bubble Tea and consider Blueberry Hill or Fitz’s in the Loop for dinner (I live in St. Louis)</p>
<p>I loved TASP food, and because of all the walking we did, I even lost weight!</p>
<p>Savoirfaire:
- How heavy is the reading/workload?</p>
<p>We at Michigan had it really hard, I think. We ended up with up to 100 pages to read per night, which may or may not always have been done. Other programs had it easier, but think about what the seminar is. Medieval Lit will have volumes to read, I’m sure, while Foreign Policy may not. I suggest you do the reading, as it makes seminar much more interesting, but it’s not worth stressing out over if you don’t get to a passage or something. As for work, we had a handful of extended papers, but not as bad as school for me, even, but I definitely tried my hardest on them. Our biggest work was in our final project, which involved a full ethnographic study based on interviews and research. We had to write up a full proposal to the professors, and provide timely updates on our progress. I ended up trekking around in the pouring rain (no joke) to my interview. I dunno what the other TASP’s projects entailed, if they even had one.</p>
<ol>
<li>How is the seminar portion structured?</li>
</ol>
<p>It’s all up to the professors. Our seminar was basically all round-table, lightly mediated discussion.</p>
<ol>
<li>What types of activities are coordinated for the students?</li>
</ol>
<p>You coordinate it all yourself (see above). Seminar, lunch, and dinner are the only regular times you will see everyone in one place.</p>
<hr>
<p>Whew… AP Bio, here I come</p>
<p>Globber, you are my hero.</p>
<p>mine as well :)</p>
<p>that just made me so excited for TASP! oh man.</p>
<p>One more quick question for Globber, what’s the weather like in St. Louis? I’ve never been anywhere near there, and I don’t even really have a sense of the humidity, how much it rains, etc. etc.</p>
<p>Be ready for anything, it usually gets pretty hot in the summer, but it’s st louis, so air conditioning and heating being used on the same day is nothing too unusual</p>
<p>It’s freaking humid, but I think WashU’s TASP actually stay in a dorm, which means air conditioning. Make it a point to ask about this before you go, but I’m pretty sure it’s too hot here for them to make you go without.</p>
<p>Well, to continue the list of where people are going:</p>
<ol>
<li>savoirfaire (Cornell I: Foreign Policy as Subversion)</li>
<li>H20Poloer (University of Michigan: Islam in Pratice)</li>
<li>chariot (Cornell II : Voyages to the Otherworld)</li>
<li>RyanOG88 (UT-Austin: Culture of Writing)</li>
<li>bravos89 (UMich: Islam in Practice)</li>
<li>vegangirl (Wash U: The Ties that Bind)</li>
<li>leezy23 (UMich: Islam in Practice)</li>
<li>turkeylips73 (UT-Austin: Culture of Writing)</li>
<li>Drag0nfly (Cornell II: Voyages to the Otherworld)</li>
<li>bubblytracee (UT-Austin: Culture of Writing)</li>
<li>dragonfield1221 (UT-Austin: culture of writing)</li>
<li>wang (UT-Austin: Culture of Writing)</li>
<li>Mr. E (UMich: Islam in Practice)</li>
<li>chillaxin (WashU: The Ties that Bind)</li>
<li>green<em>day</em>fan (UT Austin: Cultures of Writing)</li>
<li>kiralyno (Cornell I: Foreign Policy as Subversion)</li>
</ol>