Jump to content

omega_ion

Active Members
  • Posts

    256
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by omega_ion

  1. I disagree, but that's your opinion. Trying to convince you that the Wii is better would be impossible, unless you are simply uninformed about the Wii.
  2. ha, well the name of the site is actually a play on my last name Pinkowish, people who know me think its an awesome idea, everyone else, clueless. The front page is designed to give users an idea of what other people are buying, in case they are unsure what they want. Basically an it should be an 'inspiration'. I guess I could shrink down what other people bought and maybe put it into two columns. The bubbles are a main design feature of the site, but I don't want to get rid of them. I might add hints to let the user know that they should/can click on the bubble to accomplish things. I should also have a text based version of the bubbles somewhere else on the site I suppose too for greater accessibility. Thank you.
  3. Yes, but it doesn't display the user's full email address to protect their privacy.
  4. I love the clock in the server Sparda :)
  5. haha, thanks. To those who aren't morally opposed to the idea of wishlsits, what do you think in terms of functionality?
  6. Hey, I just want to shamelessly plug a beta version of a new web service which I just launched a few minutes ago named Pinkawish. The site lets you make wish lists and lets your friends see what you want. Currently, it main attractions are the powerful integrated item searching tool, the user's control of who can see what items on which wish lists, and the automatic price detection system. That's it. I would be much obliged to anyone who gave feedback. The URL is http://pinkawish.com and the blog is http://blog.pinkawish.com
  7. That's when a Wired article mentioned/semi-featured Hak.5. That's when I joined on.
  8. SAT: Used to stand for Scholastic Aptitude Test, but is now just a three letter trademark used as the name of the primary test for college admission. Currently, it is broken into 3 parts, Math, Reading, and Writing. Scoring goes as following: You start off with 200 points, for every question you get right, you get 1 point, for each one you get wrong you lose .25 points, and you get 0 points for an omitted questions. Each question (for the most part) is a 5-choice multiple-choice question. You can score a maximum of 800 points on each section, bring a perfect score to be a 2400. The test typically lasts 4 hours. There are some irregularities. The writing section contains the much criticized 2 page essay which must be planned and written in 25 minutes with no preparation on whatever topic the College Board chooses. This is scored 'objectively' by two reader who each score it out of 6 points. The two reader's scores are added up to produce a final score on the essay. (IE: 11/12 in my case). The essay is also complemented by multiple choice questions. Some colleges do not even consider or simply lightly consider the writing section because of this. The math section also has some fill in questions. Meaning, they are not multiple choice, but you must write in a response. However, a wrong answer will not lose you .25 points on these questions. There are also some limitations as the answer cannot be negative or larger than 9999 (There is negative sign to choose from and there are only 4 slots to write in your number). While there are three major subjects in the SAT, there are 10 sections on the SAT. A typical SAT contains 3 writing sections (one of which is always the essay), 3 math sections (one of which contains the fill ins), and 3 reading sections. Then there is also 1 experimental or 'test' section which does not count in your score at all, but is used for testing purposes. You are not told which section will be used for testing, but it could be math, reading, or writing. Whatever subject had 4 sections in the one which had an experimental section. You may take the SAT multiple times and most colleges only consider your best composite score. In my case: Jan. 2006 SAT Math: 710 Reading: 700 Writing: 650 Apr. 2006 SAT Math: 790 Reading: 700 Writing: 600 Therefore my best composite score would be M: 790, R: 700, W: 650. On the 1600-point scale that is 1490/1600 (M+R) and on the 2400-point scale: 2140/2400 (M+R+W) SAT II: Some colleges the SAT IIs, or SAT Subject Tests for admissions. These tests measure aptitude in certain subject areas. Engineering schools typically want two of these (one in math and one in science). While some others want 3 tests in any subject. These tests cover many things from Latin and Korean to Biology and Literature. Like an SAT section they are scored out of 800 points, but are on a curve. Therefore, it is possible to get some questions wrong but still get an 800. My engineering school required a SAT II in math and science, but some required any 3, so I took: SAT IIs Math Level 2: 790 (There are only two math levels, 1 and 2) Physics: 750 (deemed as one of the hardest because of the broad subject area) US History: 720 ACT: Stood for American College Test, but is now just trademark like SAT. While I did not take this test, I do know that it is broken up into 4 sections, Reading, English, Math, and Science. The final score out of 36 is taken as an average of the 4 sections. This test is used more in the South and Mid-West so I don't know too much, but some consider it easier than the SAT comparatively. Universities The universities usually aim to give us a Bachelor's degree in 4 years. However some schools offer 5 year programs in which you will earn a Bachelor's and Master's degree. Some disciplines like Architecture usually require 5 years to obtain a degree in. It is rare for someone to receive a Bachelor's degree in 3 years. This will usually happen if the student has taken alot of AP tests. AP Tests: The College Board (SAT creators) also offer AP (Advanced Placement) tests to high-schoolers for those who want to earn college credits (assuming you score a 4 or 5 on the AP test). AP tests last 3 hours on one subject. The subjects range from AP Computer Science to AP Physics to AP Art History. Colleges will see what AP classes you took and how you performed on them while they evaluate your worthiness for acceptance. I sent two AP scores to colleges. A 5/5 on Statistics and a 5/5 on US History. This year, I am taking courses preparing me for the AP tests in Physics level B, Calculus level AB, and Latin: Vergil. Hope that answered some of your questions, let me know if you need any more explanations.
  9. I'll talk about Early Applications later in the post, but here's just a rundown of the application process: Junior/Early Senior Year: -Take SATs/ACTs and SAT IIs (subject tests) To Apply, starting in the fall of your senior year, you'll need a couple of things: 1. Fill out your respective school's applications. (If they use the common application, then you might have to fill out a supplement for that specific school). (This will consist of questions and ambiguous essays.) 2. Your highschool to send your transcript to each school you're applying to. 3. Get your top two teachers (the one's that like you the most) to write recommendations and send them to colleges. 4. Get your testing agency (Collegeboard (SAT) or ACT) to send your test scores to your selected schools (This is done online). 5. Depending on the school, you will either be contacted for an interview in Jan/Feb if its convenient for the school, or be asked to contact an interviewer (MIT does this) before January to conduct an interview. The interview is very important and you need to add a personal side to your application so try to be personable, try relating to the interviewer. Do not stress if you are not contact for an interview. I was not contacted for an interview for Dartmouth but was still wait listed there. Early Applications Some schools offer the oppurtunity to apply early (usually Nov. 1 or 15) and you get a decision around Dec. 15. There are three types of early applications. Early Decision: This is financially binding. You may only apply to one school early decision. If you get into this school, then you are committed to go. (Offered at Cornell) Early Action: This is not financially binding. You may apply to as many Early Action schools as you please. (Offered at MIT) Single-Choice Early Action: This is not financially binding, however if you apply SCEA to a school, then you cannot apply to any other schools early. (Offered by Stanford, Yale) There are three outcomes from Early Applications: Acceptance: You're in, congratulations. Welcome to the class of (in your case) 2012! Rejection: Better luck next time. Deferral: You are not given a definite decision and a decision on your application is not given until Late March/Early April. (This happened to me at Stanford and it sucked when I got deferred in Dec, so that I had to wait 4 more months for them to reject me). Some schools do 'courtesy' deferrals (such as Yale), which means that you really don't stand a chance, but they defer you to be nice. Other schools, such as Stanford, do not, and only defer you if they believe you have a serious chance of being accepted in the full pool of applicants. You must research to see what type of Early Application program your schools offer so you know what you are doing. Regular Admissions For most schools the deadline for regular applications are due on or about Jan. 1. Once you send in your application, you must wait until Late March/Early April until decisions. (MIT is an exception in that they choose the first Saturday after Pi Day). If you have any more questions, let me know. Also, be sure to check out the admissions webpage for your colleges to check to see if there is anything specific or out of the ordinary that they want. If you check now, you'll have plenty of time to prepare.
  10. Dude, I think you have a really good chance. That's an awesome resume right there, even without ACT scores, but you can never be too sure. Do you have any idea what you want to do in terms of early applications?
  11. Thanks. MIT rejected me back on St. Patrick's day.. CMU has really good computer science, too bad I didn't apply, still Cornell is nice. Just a tip of advice for those schools (MIT in particular), you need to show real devotion and focus on one thing that is special to and distinguishes you from the rest. If you really like robotics, show that by your extracurriculars, projects, competition, literature, etc..
  12. I got into Cornell Engineering today! :) (but, I did get rejected at Stanford :( and waitlisted at Dartmouth and Yale). Did any other forum-goers apply to colleges this year?
  13. omega_ion

    MIT

    I would say probably not. Alot of top schools list Calculus (doesn't have to be AP though) as a requirement to get in.
  14. omega_ion

    MIT

    MIT is larger and has more socially impaired people. :) the % of socially impaired people that go to both these schools is about the same 99.9% so a larger school means? haha, but MIT does have frats, so there are some normal people.
  15. omega_ion

    MIT

    I'm not trying to undermine the importance of education but it doesn't always lead to success. One of my friend's dad is the VP of Marketing at AMEX even though he went to ruddy old local Iona College (the inside joke where I live is that Iona stands for Idiots On North Avenue), he knew the right people and had a ton of practical knowledge. For me to be happy, I need to be equally intellectually and socially satisfied. If I upset this balance, by either becoming totally absorbed in my work and neglecting the real world or by becoming a total party animal and putting my good mind to waste, then I feel something is lacking in my life and I become unhappy. Regardless, I completely understand your point of view because I used think quite similarly. (not to say that that point of view is wrong or old thinking, I've simply changed) just my thoughts.
  16. omega_ion

    MIT

    haha. My feeling is that education is second to the life and social experiences gained in college.
  17. omega_ion

    MIT

    Well I'm thinking about a Computer Science major but Yale has a really nice campus and I have a really good friend there who's a freshman, so that made it number 2. Stanford's totally my dream though, even though I got deferred in early action I still have a chance. Dartmouth has their own ski slope. I always thought Caltech was rated higher than MIT for some reason, I guess not though.
  18. omega_ion

    MIT

    I guess the key words there are "not as many". Well that's the reason MIT is only my #4 choice, behind Stanford, Yale, and Dartmouth in that order.
  19. omega_ion

    MIT

    Caltech is a much smaller school and harder to get into than MIT. As far as academics, they might have a slight edge over MIT. They also host NASA JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab) which is really cool. Still I didn't apply to Caltech because I want to be on a larger campus with not as many socially impaired people around.
  20. Unless he's on a huge corporate LAN or college network
  21. omega_ion

    MIT

    MIT is crazy good, my uncle went there. Actually, I applied there this year too, and I'll get my decision on St. Patrick's Day (17 March), I'll let you know if I got in or not.
  22. either www.bluehost.com or www.powweb.com but those are just my opinions.
  23. Installing and configuring OpenBSD is like shitting marble, and from how it sounds I think Chalito is looking more for rosy farts, excuse my profanity. :)
×
×
  • Create New...