Comments on: Lessons from RPI http://www.richardmondello.com/2007/08/15/lessons-from-rpi/ Life of a Student at Tufts University Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:34:45 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ricky http://www.richardmondello.com/2007/08/15/lessons-from-rpi/#comment-113 Ricky Fri, 17 Aug 2007 20:30:06 +0000 http://exposay.net/2007/08/15/lessons-from-rpi/#comment-113 That's a story for the books, and I agree with what you did - trying to find a solution rather than being content with a less-than-great situation. Good for you, Christine! Crazy thing, yes. Very very crazy. That’s a story for the books, and I agree with what you did – trying to find a solution rather than being content with a less-than-great situation. Good for you, Christine!

Crazy thing, yes. Very very crazy.

]]> By: Christine http://www.richardmondello.com/2007/08/15/lessons-from-rpi/#comment-112 Christine Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:54:33 +0000 http://exposay.net/2007/08/15/lessons-from-rpi/#comment-112 Thanks, Ricky! And yes, I agree, I definately recieved some serious divine intervention there. I think the help we speak of really played a role in Messiah's usage of rolling admissions. Because there wasn't an exact application deadline, I still had a chance of getting in, however slim that chance was. Okay, last summer I became interested in SUNY Plattsburgh, an interest that was not well thought out and only increasingly provoked by an appealing offer: honors program and a scholarship yielding my college tuition bill to be $800 every year. I could also receive my master's degree after 5 years there in Plattsburgh's BA/MST program for teaching. So I figured that took care of grad school and is an overall simple way to get through college on a path to a set career. What I hadn't known for a long, long time was that Plattsburgh had quite a reputation. Now I realize that all schools have reps and whatnot, but the partying there is, well, often, this fact solidified by an 83 average allotting for definate admission in most cases. Many may disagree with me and I don't blame them, but honestly, I think that average stinks, especially for high school.:( in a matter of weeks after months of an established plan, I began to look around with a thought of transferring after a year. I then discovered Messiah, which had a great reputation for academic rigor and seemed to have a more focused student body. After contact with two professors there, they encouraged me to apply, and I was in very quickly after that, and much, much more content with my college choice. I never before paid mind to school rankings, but now I find them very important. It really isn't about bragging rights or a nice college sweatshirt, it's about finding a quality school that's a good match socially, spiritually, and of course, intellectually. I also discovered that talking to Dr. Hundersmarck not about the honors program can be a good thing. He told me that schools like to make enticing offers to 'hook students in' (complete with hook hand motion), although later on students find themselves unhappy. So again, you never know. Admissions is a crazy thing! Thanks, Ricky! And yes, I agree, I definately recieved some serious divine intervention there. I think the help we speak of really played a role in Messiah’s usage of rolling admissions. Because there wasn’t an exact application deadline, I still had a chance of getting in, however slim that chance was.

Okay, last summer I became interested in SUNY Plattsburgh, an interest that was not well thought out and only increasingly provoked by an appealing offer: honors program and a scholarship yielding my college tuition bill to be $800 every year. I could also receive my master’s degree after 5 years there in Plattsburgh’s BA/MST program for teaching. So I figured that took care of grad school and is an overall simple way to get through college on a path to a set career.

What I hadn’t known for a long, long time was that Plattsburgh had quite a reputation. Now I realize that all schools have reps and whatnot, but the partying there is, well, often, this fact solidified by an 83 average allotting for definate admission in most cases. Many may disagree with me and I don’t blame them, but honestly, I think that average stinks, especially for high school.:( in a matter of weeks after months of an established plan, I began to look around with a thought of transferring after a year. I then discovered Messiah, which had a great reputation for academic rigor and seemed to have a more focused student body. After contact with two professors there, they encouraged me to apply, and I was in very quickly after that, and much, much more content with my college choice.

I never before paid mind to school rankings, but now I find them very important. It really isn’t about bragging rights or a nice college sweatshirt, it’s about finding a quality school that’s a good match socially, spiritually, and of course, intellectually.

I also discovered that talking to Dr. Hundersmarck not about the honors program can be a good thing. He told me that schools like to make enticing offers to ‘hook students in’ (complete with hook hand motion), although later on students find themselves unhappy.

So again, you never know. Admissions is a crazy thing!

]]> By: Ricky http://www.richardmondello.com/2007/08/15/lessons-from-rpi/#comment-111 Ricky Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:23:00 +0000 http://exposay.net/2007/08/15/lessons-from-rpi/#comment-111 Well Christine, that's *exactly* what I look for on this blog. Exactly. Bravo, and thank you. Wow, that's an amazing story. What's the "Plattsburgh deal" you speak of? I'm shocked that you received a response that quickly; most likely though, they simply didn't have enough students and you lucked out. Seriously lucked out. That assumption doesn't belittle your accomplishment, I'm just saying that you had help from above with luck. :) Well Christine, that’s *exactly* what I look for on this blog. Exactly. Bravo, and thank you.

Wow, that’s an amazing story. What’s the “Plattsburgh deal” you speak of? I’m shocked that you received a response that quickly; most likely though, they simply didn’t have enough students and you lucked out. Seriously lucked out. That assumption doesn’t belittle your accomplishment, I’m just saying that you had help from above with luck. :)

]]> By: Christine http://www.richardmondello.com/2007/08/15/lessons-from-rpi/#comment-109 Christine Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:20:27 +0000 http://exposay.net/2007/08/15/lessons-from-rpi/#comment-109 This is great, very comprehensive. Although I've found that colleges just may be (of course this doesn't by ANY means apply to all colleges, don't get me wrong) easier than you might think to get in to. When I applied to my college in April, (last minute, I know :/) I literally completed the enitre admissions application in one day. A long day, yes, but the essay, resume, everything had to get out, and fast if I had a prayer at getting in considering how late I was. No interview, not even a campus visit. It all boiled down to serously wanting out of the Plattsburgh deal. ...And a week later, an admissions letter arrived even with some cash, all a great surprise to an April applicant. Messiah is pretty competitive, too. So you just never know. I was always terrified of the admissions process and skinny letters that determined my destiny, but sometimes colleges are picky and ridiculous, and sometimes they're alright. So there's a rather lengthy, perhaps to excess, contribution to the thread on admissions. This is great, very comprehensive. Although I’ve found that colleges just may be (of course this doesn’t by ANY means apply to all colleges, don’t get me wrong) easier than you might think to get in to. When I applied to my college in April, (last minute, I know :/) I literally completed the enitre admissions application in one day. A long day, yes, but the essay, resume, everything had to get out, and fast if I had a prayer at getting in considering how late I was. No interview, not even a campus visit. It all boiled down to serously wanting out of the Plattsburgh deal. …And a week later, an admissions letter arrived even with some cash, all a great surprise to an April applicant. Messiah is pretty competitive, too. So you just never know. I was always terrified of the admissions process and skinny letters that determined my destiny, but sometimes colleges are picky and ridiculous, and sometimes they’re alright. So there’s a rather lengthy, perhaps to excess, contribution to the thread on admissions.

]]> By: Kim http://www.richardmondello.com/2007/08/15/lessons-from-rpi/#comment-102 Kim Thu, 16 Aug 2007 02:39:29 +0000 http://exposay.net/2007/08/15/lessons-from-rpi/#comment-102 We wouldn't starve, we'd cry and then write a poem about it. We wouldn’t starve, we’d cry and then write a poem about it.

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