Life Lately

Life has been extremely hectic lately.  In order to provide a comprehensive synthesis of what I've been up to, I am going to divide this post into four different sections, each one occupying a majority of my brain this past month.  (Wow, I've been writing way too much for school. I mean, who says 'comprehensive synthesis'?!)

International Baccalaureate Program (IB)

My Extended Essay

I am currently working toward my IB diploma.  If you don't know what that is, it's basically AP classes but with international standards and many other assessments outside of the tests in May that decide whether or not the student will receive a diploma for their time and energy.  Last year, I took my tests in math and french, this year I have tests in english, philosophy, history, and biology plus my extended essay, Theory of Knowledge (ToK) paper, and various other internal/external assessments.  These tasks have been weighing heavily in my mind for the last month.

Spread over a year, this to-do list would not be so bad, unfortunately my school did everything in the month of February.  I am currently in the home stretch, with only my Philosophy IA and the actual tests ahead of me.  However, I am incredibly burnt out from the last month.  Last month, I wrote my EE while finishing up my Works in Translation paper and my ToK essay.  This equals producing about 30 pages of written work on top of my normal classwork.  Yeah, it felt like hell.  The strangest part was that there was no way to escape this stress.  Everyone I talk to on a normal basis was dealing with the same deadlines so our conversations were also centered on the amount of work we had to do.  This has actually hurt my friendships because I don't want to think about my work with my friends but I'm forced to.

Now the most stressful thought is the tests in May.  I am literally terrified.  I have no idea how I'm going to remember all of the dates in history, all of the tragic plots for english, and all the philosophers for philosophy.  I get overwhelmed just thinking about it and the consist review and cramming that will be crammed into the next two months.  I'm fairly confident that I will earn enough points to merit a diploma come July, but the effort and stress in between now and the tests has me running for the hills. I don't think preparation is my thing, it's a put-up or shut-up mind in here.

Computer Upgrade

I recently received a MacBook Pro from my parents as an early graduation present and I'm thrilled.  I absolutely love it and it is pulling all my hipster qualities up to the surface of my personality.  Literally all I want to do is sit on my nice quilted blanket, in front of a window, and scroll through tumblr.   I've actually noticed an influx in smoothie-drinking, beanie-wearing, classics-reading and netflix-watching in the week I've had it!  Also, since my mac has become a part of my life, I have done absolutely no homework.  This has become my new normal:

Joking aside, I really do love my new computer.  My last computer was bought in 2009 and for the last couple months it has been crashing almost daily.  I would joke that my computer decided when it was time for me to go to bed because it would unfailingly crash if kept working past midnight.  Compared to that, this MacBook is heavenly.  I think the most amazing part is the quality of the image.  Maybe it's because I've been making more of an effort to wear my glasses, but every image looks 10x better on this computer.  While I feel a bit lost due to the changes between a PC and a Mac, so far I'm glad I've made the switch.

Compulsive Summer Disorder

Oh Michigan, take me back

Recently, it has been 60 degrees and storming here in California and while I'm happy for this weather due to the recent drought in CA, I'm craving summertime. Perhaps I'm simply searching for a fantasy away from all my stress but all I want to do is sit on the beach.  I'm craving the warmth, sunlight, and adventures that come with summer.  I have decided to call this problem Compulsive Summer Disorder or CSD.  It is actually becoming a problem as I will literally stop what I'm doing to fantasize about summer activities.  I have attempted to quell this craving by swimming at my local gym and blasting the heater but I think my CSD will remain a constant problem for the next few months.

College

Last, but not least, I have accepted my offer of acceptance to the University of Michigan.  I realized that, regardless of the decisions I have yet to receive, I would choose U of M.  When I visited the campus, I fell in love.  I felt that I would be presented with many challenges but also that I would be able to have a great college experience at U of M.  Plus, it's GORGEOUS!!!!!  I'm still blown away that I managed to get into such an amazing school and I cannot wait to pursue higher education there. However, that is all six months away.  All I have to do now is wait for further information about housing and orientation.  Unfortunately my patience is thin and I've started a large obsession with everything college related.  I've begun to spend hours and hours on youtube watching dorm room tours, Q&A videos, and the Michigan Transportation Musical on repeat.  I need to stop before I become too crazy to hide it.  Hey, at least I can now wear my Michigan sweatpants with pride!

So that's what I've been up to lately.  It's been rough but also extremely rewarding.  I'm proud of what I've accomplished as of today but looking ahead there is still a mess of papers for me to dig my way through.  For now, however, I'm going to go curl up with a big cup of tea and The Grapes of Wrath.

I Got In

It has been almost a week and a half since I received my email notifying me of my acceptance but I didn't believe it until my letter arrived in the mail today.  I can't remember the last time I was so excited.  It was hard to breathe and I just kept dancing!!  I guess I can't pretend I don't want to go now!

I haven't shared this here, but I was actually deferred from Umich back in December.  It was an awful experience that grew into one of the worst days of my life thanks to other mishaps.  Yet I am glad it happened this way.  Being deferred forced me to actually look at my other schools as possible future homes.  I had to reevaluate what I actually wanted now that my first choice was less certain.  Therefore, I am now more certain the Umich is the college I would love to attend.  I just think I would fit in well and have amazing opportunities! I am so lucky to be able to attend my first choice school and I literally cannot wait to get on that plan in August.  Now I just have to apply for ALL the scholarships...

Is it weird that I keep the tab showing what my future dining hall is serving for dinner up and look at it everyday?  Probably.

University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor

After visiting UC Santa Barbara, my family flew up to Michigan for some family time and made time to visit University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. U of M has been on my college list for quite a long time.  I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I was introduced to this school via Starkid aka The Very Potter Musical kids. However, it is a wonderful school and frankly, I would love to attend.

Like every college tour, the 30ish families were funneled into a large meeting room where they told us why we should attend their school.  Then we were split up into groups and given a tour of campus.

Unfortunately, I was no where near as impressed or enthused by U of M's tour guide as I was by the guide at Santa Barbara but he related a lot of cool details about the college.  Plus the architecture more then made up for it. Also, what I saw of Ann Arbor besides the college also looked like a bunch of fun.  There were giant ants painted on the side of our parking building and there were signs everywhere to The Blind Pig, a music venue that looked super cool.  The only downside to the campus at U of M is that it's huge! You have to take a 15 minute bus to get to part of campus! I'm sure that would get annoying.

It's like Hogwarts just exploded everywhere!  The best part was that the archaeology classes (my chosen path) were in the most beautiful building on campus with ivy clinging to the walls and everything.  It was also really interesting to see how the campus was built.  The pavements were heated for snow and a ton of the buildings were made of brick.  Brick adds so much to a building and it was really cool to see styles so rare in California.

If I wasn't set on the college because of anything else, walking onto campus and seeing the sign below just cemented in my mind that I would be lucky to attend this college.  I got the vibe that I could learn a lot here and there seem to be many opportunities.  Plus, I should probably experience snow at least once right?

Important Admission Facts:

Average GPA: 3.83

Average SAT: 1990-2230

Average ACT: 29-33

Population: 41,924

Student to Faculty Ratio: 15:1

Application Available: August 1st (Common App)

Application Due: Nov 1st

My Major Interests: Ancient Civilizations & Biblical Studies, Anthropology, Classical Archaeology

Application Fee: $75

Total Tuition: $53,490