http://baskiceball.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] baskiceball.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2008-05-19 09:22 am
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How to get into college - Class 2 - Period 3

Marshall had told Ned he’d make pancakes and that’s what he did. And since he was the awesomest teacher EVER he was kind enough to make enough for the whole class.

“Hey guys! Grab yourselves a plate and help yourself to some pancakes,” Marshall said when the class filed in. “I made them myself this morning.”



“Today we’re going to be talking about the part of the college experience that is most relevant to you right now—the application process. Some schools have easy applications. You just go online, fill out the same information you would if you were buying clothes online and—boom! You’re in. Other schools aren’t as easy to get into.”

“One thing that all colleges need is your transcript. A transcript, for those of you not in the know, is a piece of paper that lists your grades from high school. All of them. Yes, even that stupid photography class you failed in the 9th grade because you spent most of the semester asleep in the darkroom. And they are also not looking at just your GPA. SAT and ACT scores also play a role but they change the rules so often that I don’t know what the hell is going on with that anymore. Just…they’re important, okay? Eat breakfast the day of the test and um...bring a #2 pencil.”

“A tip from me to you. If you screwed up your junior year or you were hungover when you took the SATs and got a low score there is something that can save you. And that thing is extracurriculars. I’m not joking. They’re a pain in the ass now but they will be the thing saving your ass later. Clubs, student council, sports, community service. Hell, colleges even like it when they see you can keep a steady job,” Marshall said. “And don’t tell me you can’t do any of those things. One of my friends volunteers at a soup kitchen and he’s…well, he’s not the first person you’d think of doing something like that.”

“Okay, finally, the essays. These are important. First off, it proves you can read and write. Most schools like that. Secondly, it shows recruiters how much you actually want to go to their school. If you want to go to a tough school this can either make or break you. Trust me, everyone applying to Harvard and Stanford has a 4.0, high SAT scores and plenty of extracurriculars. The essay separates you from the nerds. You gotta show them you’re a better nerd. I can’t write your essays for you but I can give you some tips. One, don’t lie. Exaggerating is fine, but don’t lie. Two, suck up but don’t suck up too much. And three, don’t be boring. Nobody wants a boring person around. That’s actually a good tip for all situations. Boring people suck.”

“So today I’m going to give you a few examples of these essays. I want you to pick one and while you don’t have to write out an essay, I would like you to list out the points you would make if you were writing it.”


[Please wait for OCD is up!]

Re: Talk To Marshall

[identity profile] neurotic-witch.livejournal.com 2008-05-19 02:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"Some of the classes we take here are... unusual," Chris said. "Do you think that having them on our transcripts is going to be harmful to us getting into college?"

Re: Talk To Marshall

[identity profile] neurotic-witch.livejournal.com 2008-05-19 02:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Chris nodded. "That makes sense."