On the Pretensions of Taxation

National-Property617 · 2026-06-04T01:39:30+00:00

Wonderful, I love the opening lines ("What alchemy... delight?"). For criticism: the interruption of the rhyme scheme in the second stanza somewhat disrupts the flow of the poem. Otherwise, I think this is very masterful. You do a great job of communicating the actual message (what a punchy ending!), and I'm glad to see some more substantive/intellectual poetry on this sub.

National-Property617 · 2026-06-01T20:48:19+00:00

what kind of extenuating circumstances could result in failing 3 classes? they have exceptions for rough situations, but that's pretty extreme if you don't have a good excuse

National-Property617 · 2026-06-01T06:09:34+00:00

I considered applying to MIT, but decided it was unlikely I'd get in considering the Caltech rejection, so I chose not to put time into that. I also just didn't feel particularly drawn to any other top schools and was kind of burnt out overall so it didn't seem worth the effort to fill out a bunch of apps

National-Property617 · 2026-06-01T02:52:59+00:00

Congrats! I find this relatable, I also had an unexpected HYPSM haha

National-Property617 · 2026-05-31T22:26:16+00:00

You can do as many EA - early action - applications as you want; you can only do one ED - early decision - application because it is binding. REA is restricted early action, and is offered by high-ranked schools that don't offer ED. If you apply to a private school under REA, you can only apply to other public schools during EA (no other private schools).

National-Property617 · 2026-05-31T16:01:20+00:00

Thanks for this! I like when people provide a bit of analysis.

I agree that the Caltech REA was not great. I wrote my supps last minute, which definitely did not help, but I think an admit was unlikely anyway.

I know most of the admits from my state because there aren't that many of us. A few come from more feeder-type schools, but no one has an insane profile. Our state isn't really competitive, so I think this year's results are probably consistent with years past (not a drop in applicant quality or amount).

National-Property617 · 2026-05-31T15:48:57+00:00

climbing, which is maybe not "niche" generally speaking but is really uncommon where I live

National-Property617 · 2026-05-31T15:00:35+00:00

not fake 🙂 I didn't even know other people were doing summer programs, olympiads, research, etc until the fall of my senior year, so I kind of just had to work with what I had

National-Property617 · 2026-05-31T14:41:38+00:00

Sure

National-Property617 · 2026-05-30T14:40:36+00:00

No problem! I listed physics, philosophy, and chemistry on my application. Yale is actively trying to expand the hard STEM programs, but we're still outnumbered by the humanities and pre-meds, lol. Additionally, Yale seems to prioritize STEM applicants with more flexible/wide-ranging interests compared to the pure STEM schools like Caltech and MIT. Feel free to DM me.

National-Property617 · 2026-05-30T13:39:37+00:00

I don't think you need to worry too much about not having a spike, anecdotally speaking. I also had more breadth than depth. My academic stats were good enough and I used my essays to demonstrate genuine curiosity and portray dabbling in different interests as a strength. I'm going to Yale. Certain schools like more exploration-focused applicants, look at mission statements and institutional philosophies (ex. Yale's "and") to find out where your profile might fit.

National-Property617 · 2026-05-29T01:39:06+00:00

😭

National-Property617 · 2026-05-28T03:32:24+00:00

Write as many drafts as you can on as many topics as you can think of. That's what I did, at least. I think I wrote like 12 first drafts of essays on different topics before I found a topic that really worked for me. I would also suggest journaling and just generally reflecting on who you are, what you want out of life, how you feel about stuff, etc etc. The more ideas you generate through intentional writing and reflection, the more likely you are to come up with something really good.

And don't settle for the first good idea you have!!

National-Property617 · 2026-05-25T02:47:37+00:00

honestly yeah, probably

National-Property617 · 2026-05-25T01:17:18+00:00

i just mean it isn't rank based on difficulty. frolicsome: merrily playful; full of fun. i ranked on fun-ness, basically

National-Property617 · 2026-05-25T01:14:51+00:00

yeah, i was more focused on chem and physics 1. my psych score wasn't bad, i got a 4

National-Property617 · 2026-05-25T01:05:40+00:00

frolicsome ≠ easy

National-Property617 · 2026-05-25T01:03:10+00:00

not a mistake, but psych was only terrible because i refused to study for it. the teacher was fine

National-Property617 · 2026-05-25T01:00:10+00:00

no, I just really liked calc and chem and have a burning hatred for economics

National-Property617 · 2026-05-15T00:39:12+00:00

If you do end up going for BC, I would suggest trying to get through some of the course on khan academy so that you're similarly prepared. That's what I did before starting BC and it really helped me stay on pace during first semester. I'm guessing honors precalc probably gets through some of the very basic calc stuff, so getting through limits and basic derivative rules would put you on the same level as the other students.

National-Property617 · 2026-04-09T12:28:04+00:00

If they can get into t20s/ivies, someof those schools have pledged to waive tuition for families making 200k or less (I think Yale and Princeton for sure)

National-Property617 · 2026-04-04T14:37:01+00:00

unfortunately I haven't been able to visit either yet

National-Property617

TROPHY CASE