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Hello From A High School Student.

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Hey dude. I'm in high school too. I know, it's kinda dumb that they changed the SAT. Ah, well, adding trig might help our scores in comparsison with other peoples. What did you score, by the way? It must of been really good if you want to use it. I agree, it's so cool to find other kids my age who are interested in Objectivism. I just had a debate with my world history teacher who thinks Ayn Rand is a little worse than the devil. It was my first encounter with someone who seemed to be deliberatly denying logic and reason. :P It was scary and eye opening. Welcome. You've read much more about Objectivism than I have, so it should spark some pretty interesting discussion. I look forward to it. What grade are you in by the way? I gotta do my world history homework. :lol:

Both my kids are in high school and like "Hot Topic".  ;)

Hey man, Hot Topic has good band shirts if you can stand all the wacked out people in there. Just get in and out as quick as possible. :yarr:

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I have to add that reading this makes me feel really old. When I was in high school the internet did not yet exist.

Speaking of evolving technologies, during my freshman year of high school, I learned Pascal on a tape-drive system that was older than me. For my senior year, I took the first-ever web design class in our district on a shiny new 400 MHz Pentium. (I was blown away by the speed.) I now use a new 3 GHz Dell laptop - and am looking forward to my next one, as I find it too slow for my needs.

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BTW, How much bearing do the SAT Scores have on the admission to a university like MIT or Caltech. I know the stated policy is that they do not have a huge importance but what is the policy in actuality. And which section is more important? Maths or Verbal?

I cannot say anything about the policies at MIT, but at Caltech the SAT is certainly not overwhelmingly important, and a fairly wide range of scores exists. For instance, the freshman class for last year had a verbal score ranging from 480 to 800, while math ranged from 650 to 800. And, considering that we have freshman classes in the range of only 200 students, obviously there were other considerations seriously involved for admittance. Here is a pointer to some helpful information.

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I cannot say anything about the policies at MIT, but at Caltech the SAT is certainly not overwhelmingly important, and a fairly wide range of scores exists. For instance, the freshman class for last year had a verbal score ranging from 480 to 800, while math ranged from 650 to 800. And, considering that we have freshman classes in the range of only 200 students, obviously there were other considerations seriously involved for admittance. Here is a pointer to some helpful information.

Thank you for the information. :)

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I just graduated from high school back in June. I went to a private middle school and high school and the education was quite good. The only problem was people either never heard of Ayn Rand, or you'd get my English teacher (who taught me a lot about Derrida and deconstruction! Yeah, I slept a lot during that class) who wouldn't even discuss her. I did have an English teacher for my expository writing class who was a great guy; he was probably the only Republican teacher there. He also had a poster in his room advertising the ARI essay contest, although his only experience with Ayn Rand was watching The Fountainhead about 40 years ago. I suggested he read up on her before he continued on with his Nietzche studies.

What field of study are you looking to pursue in college? If you know you want to be an Engineer and would like to get an engineering or business degree, then I have to suggest Kettering University. That's where I am right now and it's great. We have an interesting program here where the whole time you study here you hold a co-op job, which is employment in the field of study that you're majoring in. This means you rotate between work and school, go to work for three months, go to school for three months, and so on and so on. It's a bit rigorous, one has to take at least 16 credits per school term, but the education is great and you get real world experience (and money from your job to pay off that damn tuition ;) ).

I'm only in my first term here as a freshman, so I don't have a co-op job yet. I'm a dual major between Industrial Engineering and Business (concentration Finance) and I'm interviewing with several major corporations and a few small start up firms.

If any high schoolers are interested at all, the admission office mostly looks at your math SAT score (mine was a 780 if I remember correctly) and they give you a little elbow room on your verbal score (I believe mine was somewhere around 670 so not quite as good). They also like to see a GPA above 3.6 I think, but that's not all they look at. They like to see strong technical skills and a driven personality.

The campus here is about 70% REPUBLICAN (or so the college republicans say) so I've been thinking about starting an Objectivist club since I can find several people I almost agree with :) .

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Hey dude. I'm in high school too. I know, it's kinda dumb that they changed the SAT. Ah, well, adding trig might help our scores in comparsison with other peoples. What did you score, by the way? It must of been really good if you want to use it. I agree, it's so cool to find other kids my age who are interested in Objectivism. I just had a debate with my world history teacher who thinks Ayn Rand is a little worse than the devil. It was my first encounter with someone who seemed to be deliberatly denying logic and reason.  :) It was scary and eye opening. Welcome. You've read much more about Objectivism than I have, so it should spark some pretty interesting discussion. I look forward to it. What grade are you in by the way? I gotta do my world history homework. :lol:

Hey man, Hot Topic has good band shirts if you can stand all the wacked out people in there. Just get in and out as quick as possible. ;)

I am a sophomore. I took the SAT last year and got 1360. 680 math and verbal. By the time I'm a senior though, it shouldn't be as hard. Right now i'm thinking of either studying biotech or biochemistry, but I haven't really had any of the good science classes at my school yet. I'm taking microbiology and Advanced Chemistry next year I think, and I'll be starting BC Calculus, what fun! :D

Does anyone know what the student body at Caltech is like? And the staff? I'm considering it, but I don't know a lot about it, and CA has a bad rap in my mind. :)

And for those arguning about who was poorer, do you really think that is something to boast about? (insolent grin)

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I am a sophomore. I took the SAT last year and got 1360. 680 math and verbal. By the time I'm a senior though, it shouldn't be as hard. Right now i'm thinking of either studying biotech or biochemistry, but I haven't really had any of the good science classes at my school yet. I'm taking microbiology and Advanced Chemistry next year I think, and I'll be starting BC Calculus, what fun! :D

Does anyone know what the student body at Caltech is like? And the staff? I'm considering it, but I don't know a lot about it, and CA has  a bad rap in my mind. :)

If you are smart, hard-working, and love science, you would be hard-pressed to find a better place of learning. Though for many years at Caltech physics reigned supreme, bio-everything is taking over the campus. So, if you maintain your current interests you should have lots of opportunity. There are a broad variety of research groups doing a lot of first-class work. In general, it is a competitive yet friendly atmosphere.

If you have any specific questions about Caltech, feel free to write me at the email address in my signature line.

Why does California have a "bad rap" in your mind? I spent half my life in New York, and the other half here in California. I must say that I prefer the entire life-style here, not to mention the weather.

And for those arguning about who was poorer, do you really think that is something to boast about? (insolent grin)

I was too poor to afford an insolent grin.

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I am a sophomore. I took the SAT last year and got 1360. 680 math and verbal. By the time I'm a senior though, it shouldn't be as hard. Right now i'm thinking of either studying biotech or biochemistry, but I haven't really had any of the good science classes at my school yet. I'm taking microbiology and Advanced Chemistry next year I think, and I'll be starting BC Calculus, what fun! :D

Wow. Your really smart. I got a 1100 (540 math, 560 verbal) when I was in seventh grade, but haven't had the opertunity to take it since. I hadn't taken Geometry yet, so I think my math score was pretty good. You know, it's really sad; I got this certificate that said I scored higher than the average senior. I mean, I'm no genius.

I'm taking microbiology and Advanced Chemistry next year I think, and I'll be starting BC Calculus, what fun! :D

I'll start Calculus AB next year. I probably could do it this year, but I couldn't manage that with all my sports, but if you can, that's awesome.

I like physics more than chemistry, so I'll probably do AP Physics instead. Maybe I had a bad teacher or something, but biology just wasn't my thing.

I'm a sophmore too by the way.

Zak

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Why does California have a "bad rap" in your mind? I spent half my life in New York, and the other half here in California. I must say that I prefer the entire life-style here, not to mention the weather.

Would you mind expanding on this? What about the CA lifestyle do you like better?

I have been debating which place I would rather live. I drove through California in 2003 (all the way down the coast from the Bay Area to San Diego), and just recently visited NYC and New Jersey. I loved both places, but the CA weather may be the deciding factor for me.

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Why does California have a "bad rap" in your mind? I spent half my life in New York, and the other half here in California. I must say that I prefer the entire life-style here, not to mention the weather.

Hehe, I said that wrong. I love California. I go there a lot. The weather is awesome. It is more the people that have a bad rap. The reason? Hollywood is in California. They also seem to have a lot more "environmentalists" and activists for ridiculous causes, but I suppose you do find those people anywhere. Its just that in California they seem more obvious. :)

Zak- That's awesome! When I was in seventh grade I was still in Pre-Algebra (not that Algebra would have been to difficult, but that's the class I was stuck with:angry:) So I would have been terrible at the SAT. Hehe, but you were still better at math than the average senior! :( I think I was in the 93rd percentile for "college-bound" seniors. lol

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Would you mind expanding on this? What about the CA lifestyle do you like better?

I wrote a long reply and lost it. :confused: Sorry, I just can't do it again. But here where I live is a bright clean world where there is space between me and my neighbors. I love my modern house rather than a modern apartment. I love to drive my car on streets that are smooth and never worry about scratches wherever I park. People are more open and friendly, and my entire lifestyle is extremely casual, just as I like. I still see plenty of movies and plays, and do plenty of shopping, but the world here is such that I enjoy the entire experience more than I did in Manhattan. Partly because of the ease and comfort of getting around, and partly because people are more respectful and courteous. I rarely come across the "you can't have it your way"[*] attitude that I despised in Manhattan. And the weather is so great that I drive with the top down some 350 days a year.

[*] When I was a little kid I wanted a double order of hot fudge and a double order of whipped cream, but hold the ice cream. The owner of the corner store told me he could not do it my way because he would not know what to charge without the ice cream. I told him to charge me for the ice cream and just leave it off the dish, but somehow his mind could not process such a thought -- I just could not get it my way. Over the years as I grew up in New York I frequently encountered this sort of mentality; they just did things a certain way and could not and would not conceive of anything different. Many of these people died just a few miles from where they were born, because the world they were born into determined how they should act and how and where they should live. I came to California to make my own world, and I found plenty of people here interested in the same.

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Hehe, I said that wrong. I love California. I go there a lot. The weather is awesome. It is more the people that have a bad rap. The reason? Hollywood is in California. They also seem to have a lot more "environmentalists" and activists for ridiculous causes, but I suppose you do find those people anywhere. Its just that in California they seem more obvious.  :confused:

Californians are just like Americans everywhere -- only MORESO.

Southern Californians gather in about a hundred extremely varied communities of like-minded people. Thousand Oaks, where I live, and neighboring Simi Valley are the safest cities in the US (FBI stats), family-centered, solidly suburban, and conservative Republican. To the south is the People's Republic of Santa Monica. The city of West Hollywood out-San Franciscos San Francisco. Marina del Rey is Yuppie City populated with wealthy young adults. 40,000 residents and less than 50 of them under 18! The Fairfax District is elderly and Jewish like the Upper Westside of Manhattan (with better weather).

There's a perfect place for everybody in Southern California (even skiers!), so tell me what you want and I'll tell you which neighborhood.

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Californians are just like Americans everywhere -- only MORESO.

Southern Californians gather in about a hundred extremely varied communities of like-minded people.  Thousand Oaks, where I live, and neighboring Simi Valley are the safest cities in the US (FBI stats), family-centered, solidly suburban, and conservative Republican.  To the south is the People's Republic of Santa Monica.  The city of West Hollywood out-San Franciscos San Francisco.  Marina del Rey is Yuppie City populated with wealthy young adults. 40,000 residents and less than 50 of them under 18!  The Fairfax District is elderly and Jewish like the Upper Westside of Manhattan (with better weather).

There's a perfect place for everybody in Southern California (even skiers!), so tell me what you want and I'll tell you which neighborhood.

Well, I love Silicon Valley and Lake Tahoe (I love to ski). So I thought Stanford might be a good idea. My cousin went to college in California and she said the people there seemed fake. So my mother is cautioning me about going to school there, not that I really see what the problem is, but I'd like to have something to say to her so she'll stop bothering me about it. Caltech is in Pasadena, so what is it like around there? Its unikely that Caltech would fit this category, I'm just anxious not to end up in a school populated by Valley Girls and Environmentalists. :dough:

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Caltech is in Pasadena, so what is it like around there?

It is an older, but very well-kept area. The Caltech campus itself is gorgeous. Oldtown Pasadena is a newly revitalized and renovated area with trendy shops and wonderful dining. On weekend nights there are street performers and throngs of people.

Its unikely that Caltech would fit this category, I'm just anxious not to end up in a school populated by Valley Girls and Environmentalists. :lol:

You can be sure about not finding "Valley Girls" at Caltech but environmentalists you will find everywhere. I have seen many graduating classes come and go and I would say that, in general, the students at Caltech are exemplary. You should visit and judge for yourself.

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It is an older, but very well-kept area. The Caltech campus itself is gorgeous. Oldtown Pasadena is a newly revitalized and renovated area with trendy shops and wonderful dining. On weekend nights there are street performers and throngs of people.

You can be sure about not finding "Valley Girls" at Caltech but environmentalists you will find everywhere. I have seen many graduating classes come and go and I would say that, in general, the students at Caltech are exemplary. You should visit and judge for yourself.

I think that has just made it on my to do list for this summer. ;) How is the weather in Southern CA? I have only been to Northern.

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I think that has just made it on my to do list for this summer.  ;) How is the weather in Southern CA? I have only been to Northern.

Totally different from, say, San Francisco. We see a daytime temperature in the 70s and 80s for most of the year, with a few months 10 degrees cooler in winter and warmer in summer. Some areas are cooler than this (beach communities) and some warmer (valleys). Pasadena, where Caltech is, is on the warm side. And, someone who is in charge schedules the rain for about ten days each year, just so that I can stay home and not have to put up the convertible top on my car. :D But, you can go surfing and skiing in the same day, since the high mountain areas are just a couple of hours away.

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Stephen, have you heard that popular song/speech by Baz Luhrmann that played on the radio 5 or so years ago? In it he said, "Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Southern California once, but leave before it makes you soft."

;) What do you think of that? True?

Can't say that I ever heard that song (not even sure what it really means) but I do love the work of Baz Luhrmann. Moulin Rouge is a favorite film of mine, whether I see it in New York or California. :D

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I love Moulin Rouge :lol: Check out the song's lyrics here:

http://www.icdc.com/~dnice/sunscreen.html

It wasn't so much a song, as a monologue set to music. All pop radio stations played it back in the day when I was a teenager and still listened to them :) I guess you could call this song a rare attempt at making philosophy popular.

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