Age: 17
Location: Norwich Free Academy, Room 6206 (AP Chemistry)
******
Chemistry...not one of my best subjects. I'm an excellent lab monitor, but not so much on the AP tests. O well, it's a good class with a good teacher (who also happens to be my homeroom teacher).
Class starts like any other, Mr. Tamborra tells us what's going on in class and proceeds to put equations on the board. Half of them I don't quite understand, but hey that's not bad! We begin to discuss polarity...a concept I NEVER could wrap my head around...and I'm down to doodling. My pencil is stopped by the announcement that for the second half of class, we were going to discuss our futures, including where we wanted to go to school. We were going to go around the room and name our top choices.
"UConn", I heard from the first few people. UConn was nothing to sneer at...I was just looking for a school with a bit more technical background and expertise.
"I'm going to try for MIT." Oh good, I'm not the only one that is going to be trying this...but wait, I was definitely already told I wouldn't like MIT. Was my counselor right? Hmmm....I guess this was going to take more research.
"I'd like to try for MIT as well, but I'm actually thinking of going to Harvard". That was Brad. He was an incredibly smart upper who would have no problem getting into either...and a good friend. Great, it was my turn.
"I'm thinking MIT..." What a lie...I certainly wasn't thinking of anything at the moment. Meh, it'll be like everything else I've ever said in class...just something to get the attention pulled away from me.
After everyone was done regaling us with where they were applying, Mr. Tamboirra piped in, "Wow, all of you bright yourgsters and none of you are even going to try to get into my Alma Mater." He obviously was about say where when a classmate whose ambitions obviously resided at Three Rivers Community College piped in.
"Oh my God, really?? Where did YOU go, Mr. Tamborra?" in her best valley girl accent.
"Worcester Polytech!" he said with pride. Worcester Polytech? I'd never even heard of it. I knew of Rensselear Polytechnic Institute....were they similar?
"Is it like RPI?" I asked.
"Pfft. RPI can kiss my butt. WPI is the way to go." Obviously he was joking around, but the joke lightened my mood quite a bit. "Chris, after class come talk to me." Great, I had made him want to talk to me. I'm so good at that!!
******
"So, your counselor tells me you're looking into technical schools." What were they gossip buddies?
"Yeah, but he claims that all of my choices wouldn't have really fit me." Let's see if he corroborates the story!
"Well, I would have to agree. These aren't exactly schools that scream 'Chris'". Damn it! Someone is right about something.
"Is there anything you'd suggest?" I asked.
"I think it's obvious...I would suggest WPI!" he said, again, with pride.
I guess it was time to make another appointment with guidance!
******
©2007, Chris St. Pierre
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
October 24, 2001
Age: 17
Location: Norwich Free Academy, Norwich, CT
******
College...that's far away, right?
Nope...it's just around the corner, and boy is it time to start those applications!! College application time hit me like a ton of bricks. I was definitely not ready for the search, and certainly not ready for the jump into something more resembling real life. It just wasn't my personality. And on top of that, I was definitely naive to the whole process, and even what I wanted to do. I weighed the options:
1. I was very good at math (Go NFA Math Team!)
2. I was very good at computer science. I mean come on, I pretty much started the CS curriculum!
3. I was very good at Spanish. No money in that...but still, good to know.
4. I was very good at English...but I hated it with a passion. I took Shakespeare instead of AP English.
So...it seemed to me science and math was where I was headed in life. Engineering maybe? Computer science? I heard MIT was a good school, maybe I should apply there! My friends are all asking their guidance counselors, maybe that's a good idea for me.
******
"So, Chris, what do you think you're interested in?"
"I'm not really sure. I like science, possibly engineering. I have a list of schools here I looked into. I even have a reach school and a backup school." I handed him the list. I was proud of my list!
"Well, let me ask you a couple questions and see if we can narrow this down. First, you know we want to keep UConn on there..." UConn was my backup. "...so, do you like landscaping?"
Wait a minute...what kind of a question was that? I mean, ya I do...but why did he care? "Sure, I love it."
"Alright, then we can cross these off..." RPI and Tufts were stricken from my list. "How about city life. Would you like to live in a place like Boston, or more like Norwich?"
"Hmmm...I'm not really a fan of the city, I'd say Norwich."
"Alright, there go a couple more..." he put a bold line through MIT and another through RPI, as if to emphasize it. Apparently I was not to attend RPI.
"Social life?"
"You mean do I have one?" Of course I did. I was shy, socially anxious and hung out with the wrong people a lot (not all of them) but hey, it's a life, right? "I'd like to have one, yes".
"Sounds good!" RIT and LeHigh University were no longer available. Hold on a minute...none of the schools I had written were available!
"Hey...so you're telling me UConn is the only actual compatible school?" He smiled and handed me the list back.
"How about you do a little more research...then come back, and we'll talk about it?" I conceded and walked out of his office.
*Ya right,* I thought to myself, *A lot of help he was!* I was late for class anyway, so I ran to the next building over. I dropped the list in the trash on the way.
******
©2007, Chris St. Pierre
Location: Norwich Free Academy, Norwich, CT
******
College...that's far away, right?
Nope...it's just around the corner, and boy is it time to start those applications!! College application time hit me like a ton of bricks. I was definitely not ready for the search, and certainly not ready for the jump into something more resembling real life. It just wasn't my personality. And on top of that, I was definitely naive to the whole process, and even what I wanted to do. I weighed the options:
1. I was very good at math (Go NFA Math Team!)
2. I was very good at computer science. I mean come on, I pretty much started the CS curriculum!
3. I was very good at Spanish. No money in that...but still, good to know.
4. I was very good at English...but I hated it with a passion. I took Shakespeare instead of AP English.
So...it seemed to me science and math was where I was headed in life. Engineering maybe? Computer science? I heard MIT was a good school, maybe I should apply there! My friends are all asking their guidance counselors, maybe that's a good idea for me.
******
"So, Chris, what do you think you're interested in?"
"I'm not really sure. I like science, possibly engineering. I have a list of schools here I looked into. I even have a reach school and a backup school." I handed him the list. I was proud of my list!
"Well, let me ask you a couple questions and see if we can narrow this down. First, you know we want to keep UConn on there..." UConn was my backup. "...so, do you like landscaping?"
Wait a minute...what kind of a question was that? I mean, ya I do...but why did he care? "Sure, I love it."
"Alright, then we can cross these off..." RPI and Tufts were stricken from my list. "How about city life. Would you like to live in a place like Boston, or more like Norwich?"
"Hmmm...I'm not really a fan of the city, I'd say Norwich."
"Alright, there go a couple more..." he put a bold line through MIT and another through RPI, as if to emphasize it. Apparently I was not to attend RPI.
"Social life?"
"You mean do I have one?" Of course I did. I was shy, socially anxious and hung out with the wrong people a lot (not all of them) but hey, it's a life, right? "I'd like to have one, yes".
"Sounds good!" RIT and LeHigh University were no longer available. Hold on a minute...none of the schools I had written were available!
"Hey...so you're telling me UConn is the only actual compatible school?" He smiled and handed me the list back.
"How about you do a little more research...then come back, and we'll talk about it?" I conceded and walked out of his office.
*Ya right,* I thought to myself, *A lot of help he was!* I was late for class anyway, so I ran to the next building over. I dropped the list in the trash on the way.
******
©2007, Chris St. Pierre
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