Erwaman's Personal Journal - March 2008

• Rejected:
• Stanford
• MIT
• Harvard
• Accepted:
• Rutgers
• Cornell
• Columbia
• Princeton
• Yale
• Penn

Well, my college admissions journey started off kind of rough - rejected Stanford early. Rutgers was next to reply, and I was glad to know I was going to college. During this time, I became attached to MIT. I felt I would fit in there nicely. Plus, where else to study EECS? The March 15 (pi day decisions would've been more appropriate) rejection from MIT was hard-felt.

After these couple rejections, I really doubted my application, especially my essays. I felt they were too much accomplishments regurgitation and not enough who I am. I recall joking, "I would be amused if every school rejected me except Rutgers."

Around then, I got interested in financial engineering. And Columbia's a great place to study for that, what with the NYC setting and all the investment banks around. Their likely letter (the only I received) was a tremendous confidence booster as well. (You have to be pretty unlucky to be rejected after a likely letter.)

Well, this afternoon, I went to nap at 4:55 - didn't feel like idling. I was awoken by a call from Andy, reminding me what was happening today. So I got up and checked. I opened my e-mail first and saw Harvard's e-mail notification (the only e-mail decision I received). Rejected. My feeling of massive rejections was coming true. Cornell next. I knew Cornell had a reputation for very odd selections. I was braced. Wow, first real acceptance *fist pump*! And unbelievably, from there it was celebration after celebration after I checked my remaining four schools. The strangest decision was Yale's - after clicking "Login," a bulldog and raucous music was thrown in my face. It took me a few seconds to realize what happened. But then it was a great feeling.

Now remains the tough task of choosing a school...maybe I'll go visit them now ;-P. Good luck and congratulations to everyone else!

Everywhere I see the "I don't care" attitude. Can you believe they held a special assembly just for 9th and 10th graders because the administration felt these classes lacked respect, tolerance, and care?

The music program at WP is also dwindling. At the past two concerts, there was just so little passion and expression in the playing. I can tell the music teachers are still trying, doing all they can to inspire and bring forth musical expression, but it's almost gotten to the point where students are giving nothing back. Rehearsals just aren't that fun anymore. People just don't care and don't try. And it's not just in the music wing. I sense that in many academic classrooms, teachers are dragging their students along like dead weight. I think some teachers are even giving up or have given up. I don't think it's fun to teach at WP anymore.

I remember in my underclass years, I always looked up to the upperclassmen. They were always so mature, fresh, and exciting. They were cool people. There seemed to be more spirit in the school, and people seemed to be more involved and enthusiastic about what they did. Things just are not the same anymore at Whippany Park.

And I wonder, am I part of the problem? Are these just thoughts of senioritis while in reality nothing has changed? Is this just a trend at Whippany Park? Is it happening at the middle school and the elementary schools, too? Is it occurring in other schools as well? Is this a NJ trend? A national trend? Is something different about this whole generation?

Some other goals I have are:

• Qualify for round 2 of the chemistry olympiad