Winter Quarter: Week 5

It's kind of weird how it's already halfway through Winter Quarter.  In one way I'm relieved, but in another way I am getting anxious.  Transfer application deadlines are approaching very quickly, yet I still haven't really gotten anything done.  I still have yet to order transcripts from the college, request that my high school send out transcripts to all the places that require high school transcripts, and just finish essays and such for the applications that require them.

Filling out the applications, I've noticed that I have not done anything outside of school--far less than what I've accomplished during high school.  It's unfortunate that I'm not able to list everything that I did during high school on my applications now because it doesn't really fully show what kind of person I am.  This makes writing essays that much harder because I will have to try and convince the admissions office that I am much more than what my activities the past two years have shown.

As of now, I've broken up the schools that I am applying to into 3 different tiers - Tier 1 for schools I really want to go to but may not get into, Tier 2 for schools I would rather not go to, but I didn't get into any schools from Tier 1, and Tier 3 for backup schools that I'm pretty sure I would get into but I don't want to go to.

Tier 1:

Georgia Tech
University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Case Western

University of Texas - Austin

Tier 2:

University of Maryland - College Park

Purdue University

University of Washington - Seattle

Washington State University - Pullman

Tier 3:

Western Washington University

University of Portland

Seattle University

So as you can see, I've got a lot of schools to apply to.  The only reason why I'm applying to so many is because I know that I am not a very convincing candidate for transfer and would be close to the bottom in terms of borderline considerations.  So by expanding a lot of possibilities, then I will hopefully increase my chances of getting into somewhere outside of Tier 3.

I think I will make an effort to try and finish a song during this week.  The only thing that I am struggling with right now is getting started with lyrics.  Nothing seems to be coming to me mainly because I haven't really done anything different for this whole year.  There has been no new experience for me to write about.  I guess I'll spend some time thinking about old experiences over the course of the week and hopefully that'll get me started on some lyrics.

Now, time for me to take a nap.

Winter Quarter: Week 4

I would say that I did a decent job of recovering from week 3.  However, I probably could have done better.  I missed a couple days of Chemistry lecture, but I was fortunate enough that it was on stuff that I already knew.  Next week should definitely be interesting though as I will have my first Linear Algebra midterm.

I've noticed that I have been getting less and less opinionated and more apathetic towards a lot of issues.  Occasionally, I would read old Xanga entries that I wrote one year ago or two years ago etc.  I always find it interesting as to what I was thinking about at this specific point in the year in years past.  A couple of years ago, I was ranting about the WASL graduation requirement and the state's lack of balls to enforce it.  Sure, if I had an opportunity to make a decision about it, I would still go along with what I believed back then.  However, had this issue been brought up just now, I don't think I would have cared enough to write about it.  There's no real point to say anything about it.  The government was already set on backing off from enforcing a good educational standard.

Anyhow, I've submitted my transfer applications for Washington State University and Georgia Tech.  Next on the list is the University of Washington application--though I still have some questions about it that I might need to call them up and ask.  Due by March is University of Michigan and University of Maryland.  Should be another interesting month of February.

I am really in a musical block right now in terms of coming up with lyrics and or music.  I have been working on a song called 'Welcome November' since the beginning of October.  It is still incomplete.  Hopefully I will have it recorded by November 2009.  The weather is starting to turn for the better.  This usually means that I have more opportunities to get some good photos of the skies and other random things outdoors.  I think some people from church might play some football because it's Super Bowl weekend.  I will try to get some good action shots of that.  Photography has been my creativity outlet ever since I can't think of anything to write about musically.  I guess I am fortunate to have more than one creativity outlet.

Well, it is currently 2:10AM.  Therefore, I must be getting some sleep and hopefully have enough energy to do some homework tomorrow as well as play some football!  Go Cardinals!