<p>Pixie, I don’t blame you for your decision regarding Reed. </p>
<p>Only thing that is bad about Reed is the perception people have about drug usage. This is mainly because of what goes on during year end college wide celebration called Renn Fayre. Drug and alcohol abuse takes place in almost every campus and I am sure you have read about recent arrests at Columbia. I do know that students at Reed are politically very active and they are very vocal about legalizing marijuana use. (To be honest, the conservative crowd at some of the Ivys scare me more than the liberals at Reed). This doesn’t mean that they all smoke pot or do drugs. Far from it. There are plenty of teetotalers at Reed. (Here is a news article about drug usage at Reed: [News:</a> An Intervention at Reed - Inside Higher Ed](<a href=“http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/04/26/reed]News:”>http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/04/26/reed))</p>
<p>The word liberal means different things to different people and in my books it is a good word. You can never have too much of a good thing. You will never find thugs like Larry Summers at Reed. Progressive is another word that comes to my mind when I think of Reed and Portland in general. Portland is a very classy city and I wish we never left that place.</p>
<p>Renn Fayre is the only time when extensive drug/alcohol abuse takes place then?
I had been contemplating Reed for some time and advice from parents here on CC convinced me not to apply. Here is one PM:
My negative impression of Reed originated from some weird video I saw on youtube [YouTube</a> - Big Reed Movie - Trailer 1](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLj4_6xqPKo]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLj4_6xqPKo)
While I’m okay with protests and liberal minds, it gave off an impression of being to extreme in everything. I mean, one Reedie said you have to give up some of your privacy or whatever. Anyway, it doesn’t meet full aid, so it’s off.
However, I’m sure that there are many reasons to love the place if one can stand being in such a culture (for me it would just be too much of a culture shock, that’s all). Its academic rigor and that a love for learning is almost a pre-requisite for surviving there was very very attractive. Plus the quirky students are bound to make interesting conversation.
I think I’d actually look more favourably at schools more conservative tbh. (bdw, why don’t you like them?) I like that Wellesley has strict rules about alcohol on campus, that there are Friday night formal dinners, that Smith has tea parties. Overall it seems like I’m more suited for the West coast, personality wise.
Oh, I decided against Columbia. Too much focus on Grads and v. little school spirit.
My top choices currently are Swat, Pomona, Chicago, Wellesley and Princeton (yes! finally I find an HYP I can connect with! It’s funny I only recently started considering P for myself seriously…and it didn’t take much to fall in love with it. Unlike the other two which I’m not very keen on. I’m such a fool for not looking at it before).</p>
<p>^Agreed with Tippu. And you ruled out Columbia! Wow. I recall you saying their supplement was pretty easy (It’s only lists right?). What about Brown?
That Reed trailer was slightly freaky. I’m all for liberalism and everything, but that was just a bit OTT. Then again, trailers do tend to exaggerate and present things out of context.</p>
<p>^^Yes, I know. Thing is, I was never passionate about it in the first place.
If you really want to know why I applied early, then here goes. One of my friends (now at UPenn) who’s been very helpful throughout told me about his own experience while applying. He applied early to yale and was rejected. What struck me was that he said he learnt so much from that one application, what all mistakes he made and how to correct them that his subsequent applications were loads better.
This made me firm in my decision to apply early (ended up deciding on Yale). Seeing that I came into this process pretty late (compared to my peers who generally prepare since junior year), I wanted to be well versed with the intricacies. Yale seemed to be a suitable option then. I didn’t think very much about ‘fit’ or which kind of env I’d be more comfortable in. The name and from what I heard great academics, drew me. I wanted that ‘experience’ that he described. That’s all.</p>
<p>As you can see, I’m now looking a lot more than just name. I don’t like the sound of very large classes filling my schedule (although a mixture would be okay). I don’t want to go to a place where one has to struggle getting internships and research opportunities as would probably be inevitable at a place like H or Y. Princeton in that aspect seems to be better-- an undergrad focused school, smaller size, although the place is no less competitive, it’s smaller. I want my undergrad experience to be fulfilling, in a close knit env. (although academics are the highest priority).</p>
<p>Would I still go to Yale if given the opportunity come April? Maybe. After applying, I did find more appealing aspects in the place than before. (My Why Yale answer itself should be enough to keep me out though. It’s obv that it was written at 23:00 hrs EST, 1 Nov. by a tired, frazzled uninterested girl whose only wish was to switch off the comp and never look at the screen again.)
Would I go to Yale/Harvard should I get into Swat? Maybe not.
Would I choose H over Y? Almost definitely. I feel like Yale wouldn’t be ‘mine’ if you get what I mean. I know quite a few people there and seeing all their updates on the school makes me feel like I won’t be the one ‘discovering’ my new home. I feel like I already know what’s good, what’s bad, what Indian festivals are celebrated and how, what Indian dance groups my friends created, what places are the good ones to spend time in…
(This is all assuming the next to impossible reality that I have the choice in the first place of course!)</p>
<p>But I am still not fully sure of what I want. Primarily the reason why I didn’t ED 2 at swat/pomona. What if my views drastically change over the coming time? But anyway, although Yale is now a great school imo, it was not my first choice when I applied (Brown was, but I didn’t want to do ED), and still isn’t. If it had been, then you’d not be seeing me typing this post here. I wish you guys would stop trying to console me when it’s really not needed. Save it for March/April when it’s about my top choices. Believe me, when I’m actually disappointed, you’ll know.</p>
<p>Believe me, it’s the truth. Just like why I joined IIT coaching.</p>
<p>^ ^Well, that’s good reasoning. I think that was a great strategy-working on one application early to get a hang of the entire process. Though your last-minute answers must’ve been pretty freaking good if you got a deferral. I’m sure you’ll get into several great schools, they’d be stupid not to take you <em>knocks on wood</em>.</p>
<p>That’s exactly why I applied ED to cornell!
My app was not that well put tbh… Hmm and I’ve learned so much from my cornell app that the 2 colleges I’ve applied to are pretty well organized</p>
<p>And… I applied to all my matches early so that I wouldn’t have to waste money on safeties lol but I still applied to my safeties for the heck of it :(</p>
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<p>How can you discern ‘fit’ without visiting campus?
Trust me we’ll be really happy wherever we are…</p>
<p>I think pixie has done a fantastic job in this regard. It is very easy to get emotional about a particular school and obsess about it to no end. Keeping an open and mind , getting info from multiple sources is the best thing you can do without actually visiting campuses. </p>
<p>I have visited many campuses and I felt that I didn’t learn a lot from official tours.</p>
<p>Tippu- I’m applying to 8 colleges-Carleton, Colgate, Ithaca C, Middlebury, Northeastern, UChicago, Wellesley, and Yale. Yale’s in the list only for closure, so I don’t regret not sending an application. I’m almost absolutely certain I will not get in, and in all honesty a rejection letter is much more comforting than dwelling on the possible outcomes. It was the Ivy I liked the best, so I decided to give it a shot and I’m expecting the worst.
I hope. I’m definitely visiting during Spring Break after I get my acceptances (Plural, is that too much to ask?). Pixie, you could too since your boards will be out of the way then (Grr. Envious much).</p>
<p>In other news, Aarushi Talwar’s case has been closed by the CBI. It still remains unsolved.
What a joke.</p>
<p>^^I don’t think I’ll be visiting before I join.
Summer is going to be simply doing nothing much.
A well reputed sports complex is near my house, and I plan to join for swimming, dance aerobics and squash (for college, lets see how I like it).
Apart from that I plan to go down to Bangalore and shop (funnily enough, I always liked Bangalore shops more than Delhi ones), hopefully for a wardrobe consisting of shorts, shorts and more summer stuff but that seems unlikely.
I’m filling law forms too; I think I’ll join coaching for it. Even though I’ll have gotten my acceptances/rejections, shall be knowing where I’ll be going, I think it should be fun studying for the test. (This depends on my mood then though)
I know! It was such a huge thing when we were in 10th right? It’s really aweful. Talwar was my mom’s dentist (only few visits) before the thing happened. :eek:</p>
<p>Pton-- I thought nobody saw that post before I deleted it! Please don’t talk about it.
I’m sorry to hear that. You worked hard for it.</p>
<p>And it’s not about learning stuff on the campus tour; I think visiting is more about the vibes you get from that place and stuff…</p>
<p>SR, ive sent my ladder essay to you for review… Pleasseee go through it by today/tomorrow… Sorry for the trouble!</p>
<p>In my summer vacation I’m going to all my relatives’ places and chilling there lol </p>
<p>My friends and I have planned this trip to Dubai… Friend has a house there and stuff but I doubt it’ll work out we had similar plans after the 10th grade also… And I don’t think that all 13 would be able to come anyway… :[</p>
<p>And nemo, congrats on the 30! How much is that when you convert it to the sat?</p>
Brown too, is still high on my list. I love it very much and would probably take it over many schools including LACs because it’s a smaller school (LAC like) and has name recog.
Friday night formal dinners are tradition at Wellesley. It’s a place with very strict codes of living. Wellesley is a dry town, no alcohol on campus generally. It’s my ideal school. Boys may come, and boys may go… but it’s a great place to develop and grow as an individual. I think I’m quite soppy about the place.</p>
<p>PD/SR’s talking about the show he tried out for I presume. I’m sorry to hear that P’ton.</p>
<p>Pixie-No way! Seriously?
But it’s the heights of ridiculousness. 2 years ago, they were all tooting their horn about how this case ‘will definitely be solved’. Now they’ve let ALL the accused go. The police investigators involved are a laughing stock. They couldn’t even handle the evidence (it was declared tampered when it reached the lab)! This is such an embarrassment.
I feel sorry for her parents. No one should have to go through all of that.
R-I wasn’t asking for your CA essay, I meant your Why Penn one. But it’s ok, I don’t need it now. Thanks anyway.
Took me a while to understand-that sucks, I’m sorry! Don’t fret, there will be plenty of opportunities later in Stanford and elsewhere. Keep looking and don’t lose heart!</p>
<p>^^ Yeah, he’s pretty well reputed as a dentist here still. Slightly exorbitant though.</p>
<p>^Yeah, it is. I prefer places where there’s more to do other than partying to pass Saturday night. There should be other options. Friday night dinners aren’t every friday night, and I suppose they’re less formal than they were before.</p>
