fandomhigh | How to get into college - Class 2

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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!]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Doing something extracurricular!

Listen and eat your pancakes.

Pick an essay but don’t actually write it out. Marshall ain’t gonna read it. Just list out the points you would make.

1. Name on reality TV Show that has changed your life and how it did so.
2. Write an essay on how you are awesome and why others are less awesome than you.
3. You’re camping with friends and Sasquatch attacks your tent. What do you do?

Once he pings in.

He’s eating a pancake.

I vowed never to make RP pancakes again. I lied. At least these ones taste like crap.

Ned

Ned was surprised that Marshall had actually cooked pancakes so he dished himself up a few and sat down.

And took a bite.

...well, it was the thought that counted. And Ned could always hold his nose and not taste the taste.

Ned picked the third essay. His points were short and simple: run, run fast, scream, hide, and keep running.

Chris Halliwell

Chris was excited about the pancakes... until he tried them.

He managed to swallow a couple of mouthfuls, washing them down with copious amounts of coffee.

Chris had a hard time picking his essay topic. He wasn't into reality TV (that was Wyatt) and he didn't really have a huge ego (that was also Wyatt). But the points he would make on the third one involved magic and he wasn't sure how well that would go over with college applications committies.

Chris was there, being all TAly and stuff.

"I have a question about transcripts," Chris said.

"Go ahead, lay it on me," Marshall said, putting down his knife and fork.

"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?"

"If you got good grades in the unusual classes then I'm not going to say that having them on your transcript is harmful. But I'm going to be honest, you might have a little bit of trouble if the school doesn't believe you really took a class on alien wrangling or whatever," Marshall said, waving his hand in the air. "I don't think it'll be too much of a problem if you do well on the SATs or ACTs. That's the same no matter what school you go to."

Chris nodded. "That makes sense."

Amber Atkins

Oooh! Pancakes!

Amber fixed herself a stack and then sat down to eat and listen to the lecture. Just... after the first bite, she had to cover her plate with a napkin and push it aside. It was a nice thought, but they were the ickiest pancakes she's ever eaten.

Sam Winchester

Unfortunately Amber didn't watch much reality TV. She also didn't consider herself awesome. Which left the third essay and her points were easy because she would run and encourage her friends to do the same. If she had her camera, she would get a quick picture first. Her ma would never believe she saw Sasquatch if she didn't have a picture to prove it.

Lucas Scott

Romeo Montague

Romeo was panicking a little as he listened. Somehow, he doubted playing pool and hanging out on the beach were the kinds of extracurriculars Marshall meant.

The pancakes might have made him feel better, except they were awful.

Edited 2008-05-19 15:52 (UTC)

Romeo picked essay #2, since he didn't watch much reality TV and the Sasquatch one seemed goofy. His points were that he was awesome because he was a good writer, he knew how to handle a weapon, and he was loyal to his friends and loves.

Ami Mizuno

Summer Roberts

Too bad Summer hadn't seen the reactions of her classmates as they ate the pancakes because she ended up taking a bite. Immediately, she regretted that decision.

Summer liked some reality tv if it involved fashion, however, she did not feel any of them changed her life. She also thought she was awesome, but even she knew there were probably others out there who were more so. So she went with the third option. Her points consisted of getting someone to teleport her away or finding something like a stiletto to use as a weapon.

After spending two years eating with Dawn, the pancakes weren't the worst thing Sam had ever eaten, but they were still pretty bad.

Friday Next

Friday piled up his plate with pancakes. He managed to shovel a big forkful into his mouth and was chewing it when the taste hit. He struggled to finish the mouthful, then pushed his plate aside.

Friday picked the reality TV one. His main points were focused on how reality TV was usually linked to temporal tampering and how that created a society of people with short attention spans, which negatively affected him until he had to save the day by sleeping in. It was interesting, if not particularly plausible in a normal world.

It only took a minute for Sam to decide to pick the third topic. His points would include trying to talk sense into the Sasquatch or be physically intimidating. If nothing else, he might be able to make the people reading his essay laugh.

Oh, a little brother. Romeo would be remiss in his brotherly duties duties not to at least check in.

Waiting for Marshall to pause in his lecture, he leaned over and asked Friday, "How are you settling in?"

Friday shrugged. "Good. Can sleep a whole lot more here when you don't have parents bothering you to get up and do your chores. It's fantastic."

Romeo gave a smile. "There is more freedom without parents, aye. Though the cabins are not so private as the dorm rooms."

"Yeah, but I haven't had any problems with the other guys and the other half is all girls. Can't really complain," he grinned.

"Nothing to complain about there at all," Romeo had to agree. "The girls in Little Dipper with me are none too hard on the eyes."

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

How to get into college - Class 2 - Period 3

Sign In

During Lecture

Assignment

Talk to the TA

Talk To Marshall

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