It's time! Everyone desires to get into the best possible university with full scholarship. Everybody wants to know every single thing about every single university in the world (i.e. UK & USA). Everyone's "researching", getting recommendations, asking for career assistance, deciding on futures, doing social work, getting more extra-curriculars in, smooth-talking (i.e. sucking up) potential good-recommendation-givers, giving their SATs, SAT IIs, TOEFL, this, that - everyone wants everything.
The best part is when you hear stuff like, "Oh my God, he has already applied here and it's only October! Wow, he is so sure about his career!" and "Oh my God, he has been accepted here and there and has got scholarship!", when actually what that person has got is this irrelevant chain mail. However, this then spreads, and everyone goes "oooooh, aaaaaah" and "shit man, screwed!".
Everyone's trying to out do the other, get better recommendations, apply to more colleges and 'show', if not actually prove, their hunger to prepare themselves for the world stage. Everyone tries to show everyone else that they know the most about universities and its application processes. But then there are people who believe that 'life is like a leaf', and don't worry much about their future. Obviously these leafy people have moments of alarm when they realise they have no clue as to where their future lies, but then this 'alarm' subsides more quickly than 'everyone' else's does, and they return back to where they were - examining leaves. Everyone panics, momentarily, and then everyone's back to doing what they want, but at least 'everyone' gets some work done.
My point - nothing at all. I'm not trying to prove anything, just observing. It's fun to see the competitive nature, the worry, the genuine work and the moments of pure fake-ness. The funniest thing is when people get into IIT, or some high-funda college in the U.S. or U.K., but then suddenly, next year, you find them in the American University of Dubai, because, apparently, "IIT is difficult, you know."
I just want to enjoy this rat race, and be an integral part of it too. You know, be hypocritical. I'm learning from certain local educational institutions.
P.S. This 'everyone' refers to all Grade 12 students, yearning to get into universities. And hell, this is somewhat similar to the 'prefect' situation we had in Grade 11!
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19 comments:
maybe people realise what they want, and don't find the need to go around proffessing it. maybe people go through a period of panic, realise, then accept and carry on.
people arnt always fake.
examining the everlasting leaf isnt a bad thing.
my point...nothing at all, just thinking out loud.
hmm, well said - as long as you profess what you say..'moments of pure fake-ness' doesnt come anywhere close to saying that all people are fake. eveyrone has some amount of fakeness,some - some have more some have less - my opinion.
and yeah the leaf is an interesting piece of life..
thanks for the comment..:P..enjoyed it!
its no wonder that when choosing which university to go to, for it is possibly the biggest life altering decision in our tiny insignificant lives, people want to be scrupulous (SAT word ;) lol competition brings around dormant feelings of insecurity ad fear, which results in panic, which is highly contagious too. im loving the post, they're always "du jour" {for the lack of fancy SAT words} good luck to all, get those applications rolling and hope the acceptance letters keep streaming in :)
'Life is like a leaf'. lol ... i thought that was just a mock quote or something. Never thought it had a meaning!! Who made it anyway??
Atleast I haven't seen much of the 'show' and 'fakeness' that you talk about. Its been about finding out more from the others. Nobody's trying to outdo the others. Infact, I think this has all been of benifit to all of us .... discussing goals in life and how to get there.
But yeah ... everyone wants to help themselves in every way possible. It will be fun & hard to watch the moments of panic. At the end, however, we will all end up at some college. What matters more will be what we do once we get there.
Here's wishing all those in the 'rat race' best of luck. If your not already in it, HURRY UP. :D
I'll give it straight to you, it doesn't matter. Nothing does. For everyone who missed Bio today with Mr. Solo (DMHS, 12 B), you've missed something...
ello Anish!! Been a while hasn't it?Not to point fingers or anything but i think another really interesting aspect to the race is how people clearly undeserving in getting the recommendations they psh for, will somehow twist the two and a half things theyve done over the past few years into something remotely meaningful! Personally though, for all the experiences I've had ove rthe past couple years I'm struggling to ut it down as an impressive list on paper. Bit unnerving really. Anyway pointless is the theme so i celebrate it..
Toodles!
Excellent post Anish!
I think the fundamental problem in the ideology many people hold is that they are trying to, as you said, outdo everyone else. To me, applying to university should not be about competing with each other. As Govind rightly points out, eventually what matters is what you do once you get to University. Best of luck everyone!
If all else fails, Butler University opens its doors to you all.
hey!
"the best part " where we oooo and ahh over what others have done actually acts as kick in the ass for us lazy ones.
outdoing each other....i dont think we are doing that, we are simply tryin to get into the best uni we can
strange observation .
pointless blog entry:P...goood to read anyway!
life is leaf:s:S...no comment on that!
seeeya!
- gomezzz
ps - ali is not obese , hez overweight!.cheers!
vow, life is like a leaf. makes me feel light. just worried that at at the advent of fall, or rather in the midst of it in the windy city is equally scary. dont know when it would be my turn to loose the roots and fall.
no point et al, simply observing
I'm not sure how fake, all this is, I mean there's probably few fake people in there, worrying about uni. I haven't begun to worry yet, but I'm pretty sure I will, soon enough. Besides I'm confident I'll get into a decent uni. Something that's good for me. The problem here is people look at rankings- not at how the university will suit them. I mean it's not just rankings, you know, you need to check out the people, the setting, the course content- everything. International students all just dream of going to top universities like Harvard and Princeton. If you've spoken to American teenagers, you'd have seen that they want to go to universities that are good for them and that very few of them actually WANT to go to Harvard. Nice entry though, the IIT stuff is true, I actually know someone from Modern High- Megha Menon's batch, who did that. Haha. Take kare man, and good luck with uni apps.
x
life is like a leaf????
MY FRIEND MADE THAT UP!!!! :@
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92731602@N00/27355854/in/pool-macromadness/
The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat. — Lily Tomlin.
a rat race is a pointless pursuit. make it known if u really consider looking 4 universities a pointless pursuit.
i read ur previous entries. der isn't ne doubt abt ur half-decent writing skills.
hav u considered making a concious effort 2 use better words? if u've tried, try harder. if u don't want 2 lose a reader halfway thru, you shud consider clearer expression. dffrnt things put dffrnt readers off. cliches suk. dnt f**king apologize. just stop using them. take a look at dis "unmukt" chick's grand load of elephant-shit. tht first sentence kills the f**king substance, if ne, tht cud possibly lie ahead. see your own entries as a reader wud. in f**k's name, it makes a dffrnce.
ello anonymous! On behlaf of Anish i'd like to thank you for your advice. When people of your obvious literary skill stoop down to our level to help us grow it means alot. Excellent quote anyway, though i imagine miss Tomlin deserves the credit for that one. Do keep reading.
Ta!
'dis "unmukt" chick's'
hahahaha
thats brilliant man
Dear Anonymous,
I'm rather sorry that all that I said went over your head. You see, most of us who post comments on this blog, really don't believe in falling to the level of the least common denominator. You really ought to revisit the place from where you picked up you rudimentary English skills. Perheps that will help you comprehend the esoteric conversations on these pages. You really should do the TOEFL, it ought to help. Best of luck with whichever race you are running!
whut is she ugli or sumthin????
Dear unmukt,
If you indeed had any of the qualities that can be remotely associated with being head-fart of the press club [wondering how I know?], then you wouldn't use expressions like "falling to the level of the least common denominator". An imbecile like you who tries to sound magniloquent really does deserve the title of "administrator". Shrivats has the natural ability to bloviate. YOU DO NOT. STOP TRYING, FOR YOUR OWN SAKE.
What would be the point of REvisiting the place I picked up my "rudimentary" skills? EXACTLY WHAT? If your logic didn't direct you to direct me to a place associated with better english, then I recommend the TOEFL, though you will need some extra coaching, what with their new standards and all. All this only if you can take time of out of your "I'M NOT ACTUALLY BUSY, I'M JUST LOOKING IT BY WALKING FAST WITH A PAPER/CD/FLASH DRIVE IN MY HAND " act.
I think the conversations on this page are pretty simple. Of course that would have got you all worked up, since simplicity is always the worst enemy of a true bureaucrat.
"Esoteric", that's almost as incongruous as the wrong words ashiq tells me you use.
All said and done, you're still the cutest red-tapist alive, thanks to your smooth [owing to lack of facial hair? maybe, but cute? yes] face, and highly enticing periodic bouts of sniffing with your nose aimed at the sides.
hey anonymous...
keep such extreme opinions to yourself. this is not a blog to attack anyone. and you are doing just that.
You opinion is fine - just leave it at that. Dont make this a verbal war page.
unmukt has a right to opinion and so do you. so lets just leave it at that. dont clash unnecessarily.
everyone else - thanks for you opinion!
blog on, and enjoy!
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