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College Educations, Part II; Now with less sketchiness
Topic Started: Jun 2 2010, 11:24 PM (5,442 Views)
Telosan
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The Foremost Intellectual Badass
New Harumf
Apr 3 2012, 11:01 AM
Te advise coming at you in this thread is all very, very good, and I really have nothing to add except - good luck. Oh, and you are now my hero because there is absolutely NO WAY I could act as cool and levelheaded as you have if a bunch of so-called "educators" had screwed up as much as your lot. Fight the noble fight, and, quite honestly, if you don't get excepted at EVERY SINGLE COLLEGE you applied to I would hire the crookedist, slimeist schyster lawyer I could dig up in New Jersey and sue the pants off of everybody!
Do you suppose RD could cut me a discount on legal fees? :P
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Telosan
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The Foremost Intellectual Badass
Update.

Yesterday, my guidance counselor was too busy to be of any help, so after school I attempted to work on it myself, but all the schools I called requested information only my counselor could give me. The temptation to get the information myself was quite strong, but thankfully I didn't, since the questionable legality of that wouldn't have helped my cause.

So today, I went straight to the counselor and we played the usual game of running down there only to be sent back to class. At around 10:30, I was tired of the bullshit and went to her office, refusing to leave until my issue was dealt with. The first one we tried was also the one I wanted the most, aside from the more prominently named schools. Steven's admission's office then said they needed to talk to the student, so I took the phone. After a good 30 minutes of debate, they relented and said they wouldn't review my case even if I could supply the necessary information.

So I hung up and called a different department for information on how I could speak with an admissions counselor directly. They claimed that they were all busy all day, except for small, 15 minute windows between meetings. Perfect; that's all I need.

And then they refused to just give me the admission counselor's extension.

My counselor decided that was all we could do and was about to send me back to class when I requested she print out my transcript for me, along with my updated grades. I hate getting my transcript. I filled out the necessary request form and she took it over to the head of the guidance department for approval. Having done this before, I knew that she was going to have to get approval from the guidance head, the principal, and my vice principal. This could take hours and it was getting late in the school day. So while she was out, I jumped behind her computer and hit the simple little print-button and directed the paper to the library printer. When she returned, I told her I'd let her do that and return to class.

On the way to "class" I stopped at the library and picked up my transcript that the nice librarian had held for me because she recognized the name. From there, I went to the office and signed myself out of school, jumped in my car, and made the hour and a half drive straight to Steven's campus. I walked right into the administration building and, in the lobby, asked the guard for directions. I told him I was there to speak with an admissions counselor and to let them know I was coming. In the admission's lobby, I used my phone to check the name of a counselor most likely to be associated with my case and found a picture of them. When this counselor walked out of her office, I went up to her and requested a few moments of her time.

About 15 minutes later, perfectly within the slot between her meetings, she reviewed the transcript I had brought with me and looked over the information in the computer and told me she'd send me an email when she had something to report.

I had the email on my phone before I had even arrived back at my high school. I have been waitlisted for admission to Stevens Institute and the admissions counselor says this is the best she can do until they hear back from other, already accepted students.

And I'm perfectly fine with that. The look on my counselor's face when I walked into her office just before 2:00 to show her the email was priceless. She says I'm the "most efficient and ambitious student" she's ever met.
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New Harumf
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Bloodthirsty Unicorn
Telosan
Apr 4 2012, 06:24 PM
Update.

Yesterday, my guidance counselor was too busy to be of any help, so after school I attempted to work on it myself, but all the schools I called requested information only my counselor could give me. The temptation to get the information myself was quite strong, but thankfully I didn't, since the questionable legality of that wouldn't have helped my cause.

So today, I went straight to the counselor and we played the usual game of running down there only to be sent back to class. At around 10:30, I was tired of the bullshit and went to her office, refusing to leave until my issue was dealt with. The first one we tried was also the one I wanted the most, aside from the more prominently named schools. Steven's admission's office then said they needed to talk to the student, so I took the phone. After a good 30 minutes of debate, they relented and said they wouldn't review my case even if I could supply the necessary information.

So I hung up and called a different department for information on how I could speak with an admissions counselor directly. They claimed that they were all busy all day, except for small, 15 minute windows between meetings. Perfect; that's all I need.

And then they refused to just give me the admission counselor's extension.

My counselor decided that was all we could do and was about to send me back to class when I requested she print out my transcript for me, along with my updated grades. I hate getting my transcript. I filled out the necessary request form and she took it over to the head of the guidance department for approval. Having done this before, I knew that she was going to have to get approval from the guidance head, the principal, and my vice principal. This could take hours and it was getting late in the school day. So while she was out, I jumped behind her computer and hit the simple little print-button and directed the paper to the library printer. When she returned, I told her I'd let her do that and return to class.

On the way to "class" I stopped at the library and picked up my transcript that the nice librarian had held for me because she recognized the name. From there, I went to the office and signed myself out of school, jumped in my car, and made the hour and a half drive straight to Steven's campus. I walked right into the administration building and, in the lobby, asked the guard for directions. I told him I was there to speak with an admissions counselor and to let them know I was coming. In the admission's lobby, I used my phone to check the name of a counselor most likely to be associated with my case and found a picture of them. When this counselor walked out of her office, I went up to her and requested a few moments of her time.

About 15 minutes later, perfectly within the slot between her meetings, she reviewed the transcript I had brought with me and looked over the information in the computer and told me she'd send me an email when she had something to report.

I had the email on my phone before I had even arrived back at my high school. I have been waitlisted for admission to Stevens Institute and the admissions counselor says this is the best she can do until they hear back from other, already accepted students.

And I'm perfectly fine with that. The look on my counselor's face when I walked into her office just before 2:00 to show her the email was priceless. She says I'm the "most efficient and ambitious student" she's ever met.
I admire you, Telo!
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Rhadamanthus
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Legitimist

That is amazing Telo! I wouldn't have that relentless drive at your age - probably not even today. Like Harumf, I admire you too.
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Aelius
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Norman Warlord
Well done, Telo. Do you know how far down the list you are?
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Telosan
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The Foremost Intellectual Badass
Aelius
Apr 4 2012, 08:19 PM
Well done, Telo. Do you know how far down the list you are?
I asked, but she said she didn't know. Are they even allowed to release that detail?

Thanks guys. :)
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Tristan da Cunha
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Science and Industry
That is a truly epic sojourn. Speaking as someone who despises overusing the word "epic".

I think it may be fair to inquire about your position again if you don't hear back in a couple weeks. They have a canned "no comment" response to save time and not give false hope to people, but you are a special situation because you have a personal impression on them, and because of the whole transcript debacle that happened.
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Rhadamanthus
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I think that, after their experience of Telosan's indomitable will, they will be loathe to deny him.
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Al Araam
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Demigod of Death & Inactivity

Rhadamanthus
Apr 4 2012, 09:24 PM
I think that, after their experience of Telosan's indomitable will, they will be loathe to deny him.
And may God have mercy on their souls if they do.
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Sedulius
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You're playing a dangerous game by cutting so many corners, Telo. I despise the inefficiency of modern administration as much as anyone, and for now I must say well played. But you shouldn't make a habit of it. Keep up the drive until you are accepted into a college, but after that, err on the side of caution. You wouldn't want to have done all that work just to lose everything.

Get into college, do your work, keep your cool, stick with it and get a degree. After that, life is a pretty open field.

-----

I'm probably going to move out of the country myself and use my degree to get a job elsewhere, with the ultimate goal of getting a PhD at a European university. And in that case, unless I get completely proficient in Russian or German, I'll be limited to the United Kingdom or Ireland.

And the UK sucks. :P

That said, the best prospective future is probably in Germany. Germany's economy is an example of capitalism done right.
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Rhadamanthus
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I like the German education system.
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Sedulius
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Rhadamanthus
Apr 5 2012, 07:16 AM
I like the German education system.
Oh yeah. I'd already know six languages by the time I was out of Gymnasium, and I would have been done with University at 20. I'd already done with my military or other state service and be in a meaningful career.

And if someone isn't smart enough for Gymnasium, they stick the person in a trade school so they're useful for something. Everybody gets a job, basically. That's not to say there isn't unemployment, but it is to say that everyone, more or less, has the skills to get a job.

I'm not sure about all of the lower level schools, but University is paid for by the State.

EDIT: That said, if I were to get fluency in German plus my degree, I think I could quite easily get a job in Germany. They're looking for skilled workers (one's with college degrees) from abroad lately.
Edited by Sedulius, Apr 5 2012, 06:30 PM.
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Quaon
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A Prince Amoung Men-Shoot First and Ask Questions Later
Telosan
Apr 4 2012, 08:33 PM
Aelius
Apr 4 2012, 08:19 PM
Well done, Telo. Do you know how far down the list you are?
I asked, but she said she didn't know. Are they even allowed to release that detail?

Thanks guys. :)
In my understanding most private universities do not "rank" as such. They replace people they've lost with people who are similar - a violinist for a violinist, a varsity athlete for a varsity athlete, etc.
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flumes
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CLEVELAND ROCKS!
That is truly epic. Only a few times in my life have I succeeded in the face of adversity like you just did. Honestly, the feeling I got knowing I pulled through was better than the actual reward I was striving for.
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Telosan
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The Foremost Intellectual Badass
flumes
Apr 7 2012, 10:36 PM
That is truly epic. Only a few times in my life have I succeeded in the face of adversity like you just did. Honestly, the feeling I got knowing I pulled through was better than the actual reward I was striving for.
Yes, the feeling of near-maniacally laughing in the guidance lobby was quite liberating. :lol:
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Tristan da Cunha
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Is this correct?

http://postimage.org/image/g2tol9qv3/
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Rhadamanthus
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Tristan da Cunha
Apr 9 2012, 03:46 PM
Certainly seems to have some truth to it.

For example, you know what my town is and can probably estimate the accuracy of its classification. You also know where we met up the other day, and I think that map's classification answers some questions about the end of the night.
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Aelius
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Norman Warlord
Rhadamanthus
Apr 9 2012, 04:44 PM
Tristan da Cunha
Apr 9 2012, 03:46 PM
Certainly seems to have some truth to it.

For example, you know what my town is and can probably estimate the accuracy of its classification. You also know where we met up the other day, and I think that map's classification answers some questions about the end of the night.
I actually lived in NJ for a brief period from kindergarten to third grade. I lived in Lawrenceville, and from what I could tell of that area and inside Trenton itself, where my dad worked, that seems accurate to me.
Edited by Aelius, Apr 9 2012, 05:50 PM.
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Telosan
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The Foremost Intellectual Badass
I managed to secure a guaranteed transfer from Stevens. The Dean of Admissions himself signed a handwritten letter for me. This year, I'll be going to my community college, which I really, REALLY didn't want to end up in, but a single year is survivable. The Dean has to approve my courses once I pick them; those courses being 2 Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, 2 Humanities, and, since I want to do CS, a Java Programming and C++ Programming course. Not too bad.

I intend to make two course schedules, one with AP credits assumed as accepted and one without. Assuming my AP scores are high enough to be accepted (results in a week), I can possibly be exempted from Java and the two Humanities (even if those are the fun classes). That cuts the course load to 5 and if I try starting in the summer session, I could conceivably transfer in by Spring, which is my best case scenario.

If my AP credits aren't accepted, then I plan to do 1 Calculus, 1 of the sciences, and a programming over the summer. Then in the fall session, I can take the other math and science and other programming, leaving just the humanities. Then for the spring semester, I can then study abroad in Italy (I've taken 4 years of Italian through high school) to fill their requirements and have fun. That's a relaxed plan, as its still possible that I can cram all the courses into a summer and fall semester and transfer in the spring as previously intended.

Basically, I'm going to end up at Stevens by next year, almost regardless of what happens at this point.
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Rhadamanthus
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Awesome, Telo - I'm glad it worked out for you. Your tenacity has really paid off. I'm sure you'll ace those community college classes. Please keep us updated on your progress.
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New Harumf
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Bloodthirsty Unicorn
Good to hear! Would LOVE to have you in my JC class!!
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NRE
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Map Tsar and Southern Gentleman

Way to go Telo and community college isn't too bad, I survived two years. I find community colleges (or at least the one I went to) are these weird hybrids of High School and College. Eh, it worked for me and its is indeed easily survivable. Just keep up that determination!
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Tristan da Cunha
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Science and Industry
Congratulations! Your effort and determination have paid off.

Now, we will need to hold a meet-up of NYC-area NSWRers.
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Sedulius
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I think those of us not up there should pitch in together to form the ultimate road trip for Fall or Spring Break.

Though for me, every week will pretty much be a break. I only have class on Fridays in the Fall and no sit down classes in the Spring, so I'm free anytime of the year. It'd just be a matter getting enough people to pitch in.
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Porcu
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."

Tristan da Cunha
Jun 17 2012, 04:16 AM
Congratulations! Your effort and determination have paid off.

Now, we will need to hold a meet-up of NYC-area NSWRers.
I'm down for a meet-up later this summer.
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