http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/education/01apply.html?_r=2&ref=education
May 2009 be full of multiple acceptances, merit scholarships and personable roommates.
Don't want the admissions people to find out that an adult helped you on your college essay? Here are topics, words and punctutation symbols to avoid:
- Acid Reflux
- Ponzi schemes
- Backslashes/forward slashes
- Chemical peels
- Farmers Markets
- Back trouble
- Pilates
- How your contractor ripped you off on your outdoor firepit
- The words "aforementioned" and "notwithstanding'; in fact, I would think twice about any compound word other than "snowman."
Good luck – you still have over 72 hours. A friend of CJ's reports that he has been holed up for four days in a hotel room in a ski resort trying to finish his apps. Good luck to him and all the aforementioned.
You would think that the Wall Street Journal has enough to report about these days, but the editors there remain obsessed with the college admissions process. The latest piece on the subject tells you what not to do: don't send excessive thank you emails to the everyone your met on your tour, and don't sound robotic in your essay - let your own voice shine through.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=wsj+college+app+be+yourself&aq=f&oq=
Here's how not to sound robotic:
- If your parents are lawyers, don't let them edit your essay. They might use too many semi-colons or words like "heretofore".
- Don't write about your experience living abroad, even if it was life changing. Instead write about changing a tire in the snow in Minnesota or growing up as the only boy in a family of eight.
- Don't have your mom sign your app by mistake.
Those are the main points, but the Neurotic Parent Institute has done some additional research and has a few more pointers.
Unfortunately we are experiencing internet connectivity issues on a ranch in Arizona (during a flash flood, with 38 degree temperatures), and you will have to wait until tomorrow for the valuable last-minute essay advice. That will still give you four whole days to finish your apps, so no worries.
Why did CJ get into his Early Decision dream school? Was it his Math SAT score? His leadership experience? His 10th grade scholar-athlete award?
In fact, it was probably none of the above – It was most likely a divine intervention. Here is the story:
Just before Thanksgiving a friend from graduate school, BL (Brilliant Linguist), stayed with us for several days while he was lecturing at UCLA. BL lives in Darwin, Australia and is considered the world's foremost authority on aboriginal languages. While here BL transferred some data to my computer so he could print out a fascinating doctrine about Indigenous knowledge, digital technologies, and remote community capacity.
The next day BL emailed me from LAX to tell me that he had left his flash drive in my computer. I asked if he wanted me to FedEx it to him, and he answered that snail mail was okay. He had another copy of the file, but he did need the keychain that was attached to it. The keychain, with an image of Mother Mary on one side and Jesús on the other, is a souvenir from the Sanctuario del Milagroso de Buga, Colombia. It is also clearly a powerful good luck object, even for those of us who are as un-Catholic as they come.
Here is our email exchange:
In a message dated 11/26/2008 10:40:41 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, Brilliant Linguist writes:
Did I leave my NS plugged into your computer?
Sent: Friday, 27 November 2008 5:12 PM
To: Brilliant Linguist
Subject: Re: Nuestra senora
Yes – I just found your NS – uh oh! Do you need it?
In a message dated 11/26/2008 2:32:34 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, Brilliant Linguist writes:
Don't really need my NS urgently – I think I have everything covered – but am psycho-emotionally attached to it so if you send it by snail mail I'd be grateful.
Sent: Thursday, 27 November 2008 9:06 AM
To: Brilliant Linguist
Subject: Re: Nuestra senora
Maybe I should hold onto NS until CJ is supposed to hear from X University (12/15), then send it to you for Xmas. How does that sound?
In a message dated 12/18/2008 4:52:46 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, Brilliant Linguist writes:
Okay, how did NS do with her intercessions on behalf of CJ? Did he make it to X University? Sorry you missed our party – it poured with monsoonal rain and has continued to do so all week – in fact there’s a cyclone warning out. Hope you have happy hols. Pls forward NS to me soon as she is of no further use to you.
Sent: Friday, 18 December 2008 5:12 PM
To: Brilliant Linguist
Subject: Re: Nuestra senora
It worked!!! He got into X University…A true miracle. He's over the moon.
Will send her back to you to prevent you from being swept away by the cyclone, but will have to borrow her when we start the college process again.
In a message dated 12/18/2008 7:22:08 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, Brilliant Linguist writes:
Wow congrats to CJ (and to NS)
Meanwhile the cyclone is about to hit.
More if we survive.
Sent: Friday, 19 December 2008 10:45 AM
To: Brilliant Linguist
Subject: Re: Nuestra senora
Whoa – that's really scary. I hope this wasn't my fault for hanging onto NS.
———————————————————————————–
So…it seems as if CJ's college acceptance success can be traced to a spiritual turn of events that eventually caused a storm of biblical proportions. I have sent NS by DHL back to BL, but the Neurotic Parent Institute is still unsure if she arrived in time to prevent major devastation to his city.
Stay tuned for Australian cyclone updates.