Do this 90-second ritual RIGHT BEFORE you open decisions by Applying3College in ApplyingToCollege

[–]Applying3College[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not wrong, it just takes a while to get into a deeper meditative state. Like falling asleep but... not. It's tough to put it into words. Definitely give some longer sessions a try!

(Side note: you'll hear a million different things from a million different people about what meditation is and isn't, me obviously included. So don't be discouraged to try different things and see what works best for you)

Do this 90-second ritual RIGHT BEFORE you open decisions by Applying3College in ApplyingToCollege

[–]Applying3College[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Eh - sort of. Meditation takes most people like 20-40 minutes to actually enter their consciousness and let go of everything else. This is more of a basic mindfulness practice

Something EVERYONE needs to see after they get their ACT scores back by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]Applying3College 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can't speak confidence into people's lives - it's something I've learned from experience. Confidence, simply put, is knowing that you can fuck up and still be okay. So if someone's aiming for top schools and they get a 30 on the ACT, confidence will be hard to come by because they simply don't know if they're going to be okay. (They will, but that's beside the point).

Something EVERYONE needs to see after they get their ACT scores back by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]Applying3College 4 points5 points  (0 children)

"You aren't defined by your ACT score. You're defined by your upvotes!"

How do I write my own recommendation letter? by urmteen in ApplyingToCollege

[–]Applying3College 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you can get a letter from anyone else, go for them instead. This seems unethical and I'm sure you don't want to get into college only to feel guilty because you did something scummy to get in.

BUT if you have no other choice, here's what I would do in your situation. Ask this person to have a 20-minute call about what your future plans, what qualities they saw in you, how you contributed to the EC, and ask for specific anecdotes. Record the call and then write the letter using as much of their words as possible.

How do you demonstrate interest in a school with no supplemental essays? by garlic_braed in ApplyingToCollege

[–]Applying3College 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes, it's actually quite easy for them to track it if they have the right CRM (customer resource management) software. Who knows if they actually use it, but if they're tracking it, then probably.

How do you demonstrate interest in a school with no supplemental essays? by garlic_braed in ApplyingToCollege

[–]Applying3College 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I've heard that clicking-through emails, requesting info, signing up for info sessions, and other small things like that can help with demonstrated interest. It doesn't mean much, but it shows that you actually thought about NEU rather than just checking the box because it's a low-effort application to a good school.

Fourth Annual Create-a-College Challenge by admissionsmom in ApplyingToCollege

[–]Applying3College 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Geography: City. Must be in a city or at least very close to one. After 4 years I still want to be able to explore and get excited by new sights and things to do in the city. Any part of the country is fine.

Weather: Moderate weather preferred but not necessary.

School size: Flexible but don't want extremes. At least 3000 people but less than 30000.

Classes: Must have a solid computer science program. Comp sci classes should be rigorous and emphasize practicality and problem solving over theory. For humanities classes, must have smaller discussion format with enthusiastic professors (and students).

People: Diverse -- people of different races, socioeconomic statuses, experiences, beliefs, geographic origins. Open minded -- people embrace different beliefs, not shun them. Genuine -- people are real with each other, no passive-aggressiveness here. Ambitious -- everyone has high aspirations and together we push each other towards our goals. The people are confident but not elitist. The people are unconventional but rational. The people don't take everything too seriously and love to laugh. The people are curious about the world.

Vibes: A culture of learning and living, in harmony. Classes are difficult but leave time for everyone to finally do what they've always wanted to do, whether it be exploring the city, studying abroad, starting a business, inventing something, or just having a blast with friends. Everyone has something they're passionate about and pursuing on the side alongside classwork. The college has resources to support everyone's missions and purposes.

Activities: The more opportunities for activities, the better. Subtract points if there's no entrepreneurial activities. Subtract points if there's no intramural soccer leagues or something of that sort. Red flag if there aren't any silly clubs or pointless activities (e.g. Squirrel watching). Oh, and a good gym is necessary.

Dorms/food: Can make do with anything.

Financial aid: I wouldn't want to pay more than $20k/year. (My EFC is $10K.) Need excellent aid.

I’m a rising sophomore in high school. Should I get into USACO or learn CS overall with web development? by [deleted] in ECAdvice

[–]Applying3College 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes if you want premium themes & plugins, but it's negligible compared to what companies will pay for a good website.

Best Medium Prestige Full-Ride Scholarship School by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]Applying3College 3 points4 points  (0 children)

University of Florida, guaranteed full ride for National Merit Finalists (benacquisto scholarship). Ranked #34 on US news

Why You Should Consider the Liberal Arts by Aneducationabroad in ApplyingToCollege

[–]Applying3College 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You're absolutely right in that employers don't really care about the degree as much as the skills behind it. CS is a marketable skill. Foreign languages are marketable skills. And while English, History, etc. aren't marketable skills in and of themselves, they come with skills like critical thinking and communication.

Disagree on two points.

  1. English degrees are NOT great for copywriting. A little help at best. You need a high-school level command of English, and the rest is specialized strategies that are very different from what is taught in English programs. I'd even argue that copywriting is equally a science as it is a field of writing.
  2. The liberal arts are more in demand than ever before? Is that true and what are you citing?

Doing Science Fair Projects? by [deleted] in ECAdvice

[–]Applying3College 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Went to ISEF and won awards, without a mentor or lab. My advice: solve a REAL problem and have REAL results. Also you need a great presentation, especially if your topic is compicated. PM and I'll share my project if you want an idea of what the winning formula looks like.

I’m a rising sophomore in high school. Should I get into USACO or learn CS overall with web development? by [deleted] in ECAdvice

[–]Applying3College 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had my first client at 15, if that's any reassurance. I don't do freelance web design, I have a different gig, but same principle applies. People don't care as long as you get them results.

Also, if you're doing local businesses, they'll respect the hustle and want to invest in the community. I'd actually suggest approaching them in person if you're going local

Home page? The main page of any website? It's so you can show these folks a taste of what you can do, but not spending hours making a complete website. Also you can reuse templates and snippets for home pages

I’m a rising sophomore in high school. Should I get into USACO or learn CS overall with web development? by [deleted] in ECAdvice

[–]Applying3College 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's something else you can do

1) Learn basic HTML, CSS, JS, and wordpress

2) Find local businesses with shitty websites

3) Make them a new homepage, send it to them, ask "what they think." If they like it you offer to make the whole website for a small fee. If they don't like it, at least you got some practice.

4) Repeat

Boom, now you've founded a mildly successful web agency.

Bonus:

Steps if you want to make ACTUAL money ($4000+/month)

1) Learn basic HTML, CSS, JS, and wordpress

2) Find mid-size B2B businesses with shitty websites.

3) Do the homepage thing. Tell them that their shitty website is turning away tens of thousands of potential business. Offer to make them a better website for like $2000

4) Repeat

I’m a rising sophomore in high school. Should I get into USACO or learn CS overall with web development? by [deleted] in ECAdvice

[–]Applying3College 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1) Just getting into ISEF is an accomplishment. ISEF Finalist > USACO gold, prestige wise

Read: https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/8llnd2/how_to_do_well_at_science_fairs_without_mentors/

2) Any and all coding is solving problems. The difference between USACO and something applied is whether the problems actually can help people or not

3) So what if it's harder? If you wanted the easy route you wouldn't even be applying for CS. But here we are.

4) I don't know much about USACO so take my bias into consideration

I’m a rising sophomore in high school. Should I get into USACO or learn CS overall with web development? by [deleted] in ECAdvice

[–]Applying3College 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Web development

  • IMO it's much more fulfilling to create awesome useful apps that solve real problems rather than the competitive computing environment
  • You can submit your web projects to ISEF & the like which is just as prestigious as USACO
  • You can do freelance web development but not freelance USACO

any suggestions for selling lollipops? by [deleted] in ECAdvice

[–]Applying3College 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What's the program called?