Perseverance

“Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.”

The second semester will begin on Monday. I’m nearly done with the homework I had to do for English class. I’m also nearly done with the Extended Essay – I just need to deal with grammatical errors and typos. College apps are a different story, but I still have time. I’m not looking forward to anything academic, but I am looking forward to the extracurricular and social sides of school. Next weekend I’ll be traveling to Singapore for a swimming exchange (its basically a swim meet with a school in Singapore, and a school in KL). It’s gonna be awesome.

And then two weeks later I’ll be heading off to Manila, to participate in the I.A.S.A.,S. swimming tournament – its basically a regional tournament with teams from my school in Jakarta, along with international schools in Singapore, KL, Taipei, Bangkok and of course Manila. This tournament finishes the swimming season, and is viewed by many as the highlight of high school swimming. During my sophomore and junior years, I not picked to participate in the tournament, which, frankly, made me feel bitter. After being rejected for the second time last year, I seriously considered quitting swimming. I’m not a year-round swimmer, but I do dedicate myself to training when I need to. I’m glad I didn’t drop swimming. I don’t know if I’m gonna win any medals, hopefully I do, but we’ll see.

I know a few people who dropped out of swimming, and many other sports at school, mainly because they didn’t make I.A.S.,A.S. I’m glad I persevered. What a great way to end my high school swimming career. All those grueling hours of training have finally paid off.

 

PS yeah i changed the custom image header (the pic at the top). i didn’t have time to steal pictures from the internet, so i’m stuck with “i bumped my head on the wall, now i got a bukol.” i’m trying to be funny here.

Apps

Sleeping late, waking up late, eating brunch, swim practice, and then doing schoolwork/college apps the rest of the day: my routine since last week.

Anyway, earlier today I checked my e-mail, and found that I had been accepted to Acadia University, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. I’m thrilled – at least now the possibility of me not being accepted by any of the schools I applied to will be laid to rest. Acadia was ranked top undergraduate school last year, either by Maclean’s or by Globe and Mail, so it is a serious choice. The only negative is the weather – its freezing in Nova Scotia. Last year I was joking with a few friends of mine, telling them how I’m thinking of applying to janitor school so I can get a Bachelor of Janitorship. Thank God it will remain just a joke. At least I have one definite place to go to if – God forbid – all the other unis reject me.

Speaking of college, my other college apps aren’t doing well – they’re not done. I’ve already applied to all the schools I wanted to apply to, it’s just that four of these schools require “Supplemental Applications” – Canadian euphemisms for “college application essays”. I’m good at writing essays, except for English. The questions looked easy, but when I tried to write… well that was a different story.

Admissions committees look at my grades and letters of recommendation from my teachers. The Supplemental Application/whatever form is the only component of the application that I have complete control over. The essays in them are the only way I can make a connection with the admissions officer considering my application out of hundreds, or thousands that he/she has had to look at. In other words, this is super important. In all honesty, my grades suck and I need to catch their attention with my stunning writing skills. Yeah right.

• “What qualities do you have that would make you successful in the Arts program?” (200 words, UBC)
  • I’m empathetic? But what evidence do I have for empathy? I have to elaborate
  • I’m an adaptable learner? Uh my grades don’t reflect that
  • I’m curious/inquisitive/questioning? – elaborate
  • I like current events?
• “Describe and evaluate one experience that significantly influenced your academic goals.” (200 words, UBC)
  • Watching the news following 9/11? That could work.
  • How I’m following the US elections every day? I don’t know…
• “Please tell us about your educational goals, your interest in your chosen program(s) and your reasons for applying to the University of Waterloo.” (500 words)
  • Well this question is the same as UBC’s, sort of?
• “In 250 words or less, describe how your interests, experiences and capabilities will allow you to participate in and contribute to the Queen’s community.”
  • Service and swimming? in 250 words?
  • Or maybe just talk about swimming? No that wouldn’t work. Swimming laps wouldn’t necessarily contribute to the community
  • Or maybe talk about just service? Maybe .. and then elaborate on my ‘leadership’ skills . lol
  • How about YFC? That might work, but that’s risky. But again, this could link back to ‘leadership’ skills
  • My stunning sex appeal? I wish…

I made “semi-drafts” for these questions already, but they’re kinda crap. Sometimes I blog my problems out in the hope of finding a solution while typing – sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t.

Shit