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Admissions Dept: 'Let's see just how hard we can make the lives of all these miserable little wretches, cackles.'

November 20, 2007 at 4:29 PM

Oh the irony of college applications. They say they want to assess how well you'll do in a university setting by examining your grades, scores, work, etc. etc. etc....so I did my 22 credits required for graduation, volunteered wherever I could, studied my butt off to get good scores on the SAT, and got straight A's in challenging courses at a university. The last article alone should reveal that I work hard and will do well at a college. I've done everything you're supposed to do: the letters of recommendation in SEALED envelopes with the senders signature across the top, the transcripts, the scores, the hundreds of dollars in application fees, the hours and hours and hours of typing social security numbers, phone numbers, CEEB codes, resumes- the whole kit and kaboodle. And now the schools are emailing me: "We're confused...Are you going to graduate from high school?"

First of all, the official transcripts from an accredited private high school that practically spell out THIS PERSON IS A SENIOR IN HIGHSCHOOL along with the intended graduation date should be enough to inform them that, yes, I am planning on graduating. They're just confused because my school has the inconvenient name of Seton Home Study School (it's a correspondance school) and the fact that I'm taking courses at a university. But what really irks me is this: does it really matter? Haven't I proven myself capable of highschool material by doing twenty-two credits of highschool work and another twenty four of university work? Do A's in CHEM211 and MATH151 at a university mean nothing? Why does a little scrap of paper that says NATASHA MARSALLI GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL have more weight than that? I don't get it.

On top of that, because some schools don't accept "dual-enrollment" (i.e. I can't take university courses and have them count for both high school AND college), I decided to use my college credits for this year as just that: college credits. I have the required amount of science, math, english, and theology credits to graduate without them. But NO. There's a minimum of so many credit hours for senior year of high school. Why the heck? If I get all of the credit hours done early, why can't I use my senior year to do other things. I.e. violin and college applications and auditions and stuff. So I have to use my hard earned Intensive Elementary Latin and Calculus I as high school credits. GAH! There go my dreams of having my masters by 21. I knew it was too good to be true.

But on a better note, besides a lost transcript and a lot of minor headaches, the college process is going well. So far, I have official dates set for CIM/Case Western, Vanderbilt, and Carnegie-Mellon. I also auditioned at FGCU and got into the music school, although I have yet to hear back from the university itself (I had to iron out the graduation thing with them...). I had a really good concert with the Naples Philharmonic, my last performance with them as a soloist. Unforunately, I missed a kinda important run and screwed up some minor things, but I'm pleased overall. It won't let me upload the sound file for some reason...but pictures are here:

http://avemaria.facebook.com/album.php?aid=70175&l=b8253&id=853765153.

Okay. My lunch break is over and I need to go work harder so I can...do something...

From Tom Holzman
Posted on November 20, 2007 at 4:49 PM

You will have enough fun in college to make up for all the sh*t they put you through to get in. Trust me.

From Corwin Slack
Posted on November 20, 2007 at 5:20 PM

I am in my mid 50's, I have a good career and am quite happy with the way lufe has treated me. But I must say the part about growing up that still surprises me every day is the amount of mindless disconnect (a euphemism) that I encounter all around me.

My childhood fantasies of the adult world are shattered afresh almost every day.

Welcome to adulthood.

(I have an intimation that I'll be ready for old age when I recognize how much mindless disconnect I have added to other's lives.)

From Linda L
Posted on November 20, 2007 at 7:12 PM

I'll probably end up working in the admissions department one day. ;) *cackles* Muhahaha... xDxD

From Pauline Lerner
Posted on November 20, 2007 at 7:27 PM

The bureaucracy is really terrible, but I'm sure you can overcome it. I'm certainly impressed by your achievements.

From Sydney Menees
Posted on November 21, 2007 at 6:31 PM

It'll all be over soon, Knot! And remember, the hardest thing about college is getting in. (A euphemism from my friend at Harvard)

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