Class of 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Ah well, it was worth a shot. It'll be difficult waitlist-wise for me because if I'm going OOS I need to know early because my future fiancée needs to get re-certified as a teacher in a different state in time for interviews there.

The waitlist was very close to a rejection for me. Sorry to be such a downer. 🙁

Is a proposal in the near future?
 
"on hold" at Case as well 🙁

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be a part of the class of 2014 wherever I end up. It's just tough going for some of these schools I really really enjoyed.

yea true. are you in OSU? i likeded it there
 
oh thats it?

i thought it was something crazy. where you alternate with someone else's life for a week while listening to like alternative music
 
whats an alternative spring break. ive been hearing a lot about them recently

you go somewhere underserved and do a community service project instead of going to party on spring break. lots of people go to new orleans nowadays or places like costa rica, nicaragua... whatever.

i'm not such a fan of ASB as a concept. but i recognize that it's an important experience for lots of people, so... i'll shut up.
 
Is a proposal in the near future?
Fo sho.

As for OSU, I absolutely loved the school, but they told me I need to take Orgo II still before being able to enroll (apparently biochem didn't count, oops.), lol

So now it's back to the waiting/updating game. Weird.
 
good luck with the proposal

im hungry. i wasnt upset with the pitt waitlist at first since it was expected but i just realized that i would get free chipotle today if i was at UPMC and Ihad a time machine and i could travel back to monday
 
Cute. Keep us in the loop about it. 🙂
Will do. 😉 I have to keep it vague though because I found out she was perusing SDN yesterday because she was so nervous about a possible UPitt decision as well and managed to find the thread, and since I go on SDN on her computer sometimes, she was logged in as me. She didn't make any posts but thought it was "funny".

Glad she didn't give me too much grief about having so many posts. That's how I know it's true love 😍
 
waitlisted at pitt...at least that makes my decision where I'm going next year!

Yeah, they interview way too many people and hand out too many WLs.

What up, dawgs?

Waiting in lab for people to get here so I can drive a really big truck across campus.

That sounds pretty fun.

whats an alternative spring break. ive been hearing a lot about them recently

Instead of having fun, you...
 
whats an alternative spring break. ive been hearing a lot about them recently

Basically, we have several trips throughout the U.S. Some schools do trips abroad; however, UGA does not. Each trip focuses on a particular issue and partners with a local organization to complete meaningful service projects throughout the week. For instance, my Washington, DC, trip focused on homelessness and poverty, and throughout the week, we worked at a homeless shelter and soup kitchen.
 
"on hold" at Case as well 🙁

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be a part of the class of 2014 wherever I end up. It's just tough going for some of these schools I really really enjoyed.

Hey, I'm in your boat, too. Just replace "hold/waitlist" with rejection.

I know how you feel. Very happy and grateful, yet there could be those what ifs.
 
you go somewhere underserved and do a community service project instead of going to party on spring break. lots of people go to new orleans nowadays or places like costa rica, nicaragua... whatever.

i'm not such a fan of ASB as a concept. but i recognize that it's an important experience for lots of people, so... i'll shut up.

Just out of curiosity, why don't you like ASB?
 
Just out of curiosity, why don't you like ASB?

The arguments I've heard against ASB are basically that it's a one time service thing and not something that requires a lot of dedication. It's true, but for some people it's all they have time for, and for others it's just another fun service thing to add to the continuous service things they do.
 
Since a lot of you guys are around, any way you could maybe see yourselves letting me into your awesome fb group? 😳
 
The arguments I've heard against ASB are basically that it's a one time service thing and not something that requires a lot of dedication. It's true, but for some people it's all they have time for, and for others it's just another fun service thing to add to the continuous service things they do.

That's an interesting and compelling argument. However, most of my participants were already heavily involved in service outside of ASB. In my opinion, ASB attracts a certain type of person to begin with, someone dedicated to service in general, so while ASB itself may only last one week, the type of person involved typically values and participates in community service throughout the year.
 
That's an interesting and compelling argument. However, most of my participants were already heavily involved in service outside of ASB. In my opinion, ASB attracts a certain type of person to begin with, someone dedicated to service in general, so while ASB itself may only last one week, the type of person involved typically values and participates in community service throughout the year.

What about my argument?

BTW, has anybody taken and liked an ecology class? It makes me want to be a park ranger or something. 👍
 
yeah. I hope bbender doesn't actually turn out to be a bird.
 
What about my argument?

BTW, has anybody taken and liked an ecology class? It makes me want to be a park ranger or something. 👍
Took something similar. It was Environmental Biology and it was pretty cool. I got honors credit for writing a letter to my state senator about an environmental issue, lol Total hippy class. 😀
 
What about my argument?

BTW, has anybody taken and liked an ecology class? It makes me want to be a park ranger or something. 👍

Was your argument that ASB is not fun? Well, once again, I think what I said about the participants on the trip applies here. For the people that participate in ASB, this week of service is fun. Personally, I've never found the "traditional" spring break appealing, and I think that goes for many people who choose to participate in ASB.
 
Just out of curiosity, why don't you like ASB?

at the risk of getting flamed...

i don't think it creates sustainable social change. going somewhere for one week and helping to build a house (or whatever the project is) is great, don't get me wrong, but to me that feels an awful lot like slapping a teeny tiny bandaid on the problem. where does that leave the community you worked with? what has that really taught you about being an agent for social change-- that it's something you can think about for a week or so and then leave behind? i know there are people that come back from these ASB trips and say that the intense discussions and meeting the members of the community they served changed them forever and now they're going to become activists, but i don't think that's the norm. most of my friends that have been on them have found them meaningful but haven't really done anything differently as a result.

i have done countless numbers of these "one and done" sorts of projects in the past, but it wasn't until college when i volunteered with the same organization for 4 years that i started to realize how much better that model is. i just finished a year of service where i did full-time work at an anti-poverty non-profit, and i can't tell you how different it is to be in the trenches 40 hours per week. rather than encouraging college students to go on these ASB trips so they get their community service in amidst their busy schedules, we should be requiring at least a year of service of every young adult. look what it did to me-- i chose to stay at this organization following my year of service and get paid 1/3 less than i would have if i took one of the lab tech jobs i thought about. and i want to keep working with this population as a physician.

you may think i'm kind of out there on this matter, but i take service and activism really seriously. those things fuel most of the decisions i make in life, from where i shop, to where i live, to what i do in my free time, to my decision to go to medical school.

but i TOTALLY recognize that going on an alternative break and doing some type of service project is 100% better than doing nothing at all. so if that's all someone is able to do, more power to them.
 
In ASB's defense (yes, this is a rare occurence): I've been on two trips to work with the same organization at two different college campuses. It inspired me and friends to bring that organization to our campus. Yeah, it still doesn't do much for those communities, but our ASB experience has definitely made an impact on the Baton Rouge community. It can make a huge difference.
 
at the risk of getting flamed...

i don't think it creates sustainable social change. going somewhere for one week and helping to build a house (or whatever the project is) is great, don't get me wrong, but to me that feels an awful lot like slapping a teeny tiny bandaid on the problem. where does that leave the community you worked with? what has that really taught you about being an agent for social change-- that it's something you can think about for a week or so and then leave behind? i know there are people that come back from these ASB trips and say that the intense discussions and meeting the members of the community they served changed them forever and now they're going to become activists, but i don't think that's the norm. most of my friends that have been on them have found them meaningful but haven't really done anything differently as a result.

i have done countless numbers of these "one and done" sorts of projects in the past, but it wasn't until college when i volunteered with the same organization for 4 years that i started to realize how much better that model is. i just finished a year of service where i did full-time work at an anti-poverty non-profit, and i can't tell you how different it is to be in the trenches 40 hours per week. rather than encouraging college students to go on these ASB trips so they get their community service in amidst their busy schedules, we should be requiring at least a year of service of every young adult. look what it did to me-- i chose to stay at this organization following my year of service and get paid 1/3 less than i would have if i took one of the lab tech jobs i thought about. and i want to keep working with this population as a physician.

you may think i'm kind of out there on this matter, but i take service and activism really seriously. those things fuel most of the decisions i make in life, from where i shop, to where i live, to what i do in my free time, to my decision to go to medical school.

but i TOTALLY recognize that going on an alternative break and doing some type of service project is 100% better than doing nothing at all. so if that's all someone is able to do, more power to them.

Very well worded. I agree.
 
at the risk of getting flamed...

i don't think it creates sustainable social change. going somewhere for one week and helping to build a house (or whatever the project is) is great, don't get me wrong, but to me that feels an awful lot like slapping a teeny tiny bandaid on the problem. where does that leave the community you worked with? what has that really taught you about being an agent for social change-- that it's something you can think about for a week or so and then leave behind? i know there are people that come back from these ASB trips and say that the intense discussions and meeting the members of the community they served changed them forever and now they're going to become activists, but i don't think that's the norm. most of my friends that have been on them have found them meaningful but haven't really done anything differently as a result.

i have done countless numbers of these "one and done" sorts of projects in the past, but it wasn't until college when i volunteered with the same organization for 4 years that i started to realize how much better that model is. i just finished a year of service where i did full-time work at an anti-poverty non-profit, and i can't tell you how different it is to be in the trenches 40 hours per week. rather than encouraging college students to go on these ASB trips so they get their community service in amidst their busy schedules, we should be requiring at least a year of service of every young adult. look what it did to me-- i chose to stay at this organization following my year of service and get paid 1/3 less than i would have if i took one of the lab tech jobs i thought about. and i want to keep working with this population as a physician.

you may think i'm kind of out there on this matter, but i take service and activism really seriously. those things fuel most of the decisions i make in life, from where i shop, to where i live, to what i do in my free time, to my decision to go to medical school.

but i TOTALLY recognize that going on an alternative break and doing some type of service project is 100% better than doing nothing at all. so if that's all someone is able to do, more power to them.

I couldn't agree with you more on this point. However, I don't see that as an argument against ASB; rather, I see it as something participants are meant to realize during the week. Of course, we are not going to make a lasting difference where we serve, but the point is that participants see that more is needed. It's the tip of the iceberg, and ASB serves as an introduction to the problem and to possible ways to be involved in the solution. You learn about the issue you work on, and then, you consider the problems your own community faces. Hopefully, participants want to become part of the lasting solution, whatever that may be.

Being exposed to the issue is the first step, and ASB provides that initial exposure for many students. It's not meant to create lasting change but instead, to inspire someone to strive for it. Like I said, many of my participants already volunteered in other service areas; however, ASB can still be and usually is an eye-opening experience for them as they are introduced to new issues.

Anyway, like I said, I agree with you. But I don't believe that it's a weakness of the program. Instead, it's a fundamental realization of participants within it.
 
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