Making the Grade: Inside the College Admissions Process

Being a college admissions staffer sounds like a tough job. You are determining a teenager's future and possibly "ruining" their life. I have to admit that Lehigh, and other schools I'm sure, look into a number of factors and truly try to make the best possible decision. Having to sit down and read all of those applications sounds stressful and tiring but they manage to do it while remaining fairly objective. Going through the college application process right now makes me really connect with the student's whose applications are being read  knowing that in a couple of months an admissions team will be reading over my own application. Knowing that the SAT score isn't the main factor provides me with some comfort because I know that that hasn't been my strong point. All I can do is apply and do my best for the rest of the year.

From Beirut to Jerusalem

Chapter two in the book was actually pretty good! I enjoy learning about other lifestyles and cultures so that may be the reason why I was so interested in the book but I didn't expect to actually like it. Once again, I don't usually enjoy the books assigned in school but reading about a person's first hand experience in Beirut during their struggle had me hooked. The title of the chapter itself, "Would you like to eat now or wait until the ceasefire?" already caught my attention so reading about how the people in Beirut cope with the constant fighting around them and living with the fear of an explosion going off at any minute was fascinating.

Oedipus the King

After finishing the play, I had a new appreciation for Greek tragedies. I knew how the play would end because we have been over the story in previous English classes but actually reading it, made the story better. I did not really like any of the characters in the play because they all had a flaws that led to their demise. Oedipus was selfish and rude. He treated the blind prophet so poorly even though he was telling the truth. Jocasta was so caught up in thinking she escaped the prophecy that she refused to acknowledge the fact that the prophecy had actually come true. Creon wasn't too bad but not enough information was given about him. I think that Sophocles made the characters that way so that one could predict how their ends would come.  

Bob Costas on Redskins name: ‘It’s an insult, a slur'

Go Bob! He makes a very valid point that the "Redskins" should consider changing their name ESPECIALLY being that this team represents the Nation's capital. It is a racist slur that is actually offensive and should not be used. If a team ran around calling themselves: "Blackskins" or "Yellowskins" or "Brownskins" representing African-Americans, Hispanics, or Indians would not be tolerated. So the fix to this problem? Just change it!

Oedipus the King

This was not a terrible book! I usually dread the books assigned in class but I enjoyed the story of Oedipus. I enjoyed the symbolism in the book, especially involving sight. The prophet is blind because he can clearly see the truth, as stated in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, and in the end of the novel Oedipus ends up blinding himself because he now knows the truth. Throughout the entire play, references to sight were made which I found fascinating because the whole play led up to Oedipus' blindness.

The Kite Runner

The book is just getting better and better each time. Khaled Hosseini is a phenomenal author who has the talent to make you, the reader feel each and every emotion the character feels. By the end of the book I have changed my mind about Amir. He is not a bad person at all! In fact I respect him for finally gathering the courage to go and retrieve Hassan's son even if it was mostly to clear his own conscience. He endured the beatings, and faced his fears to do the only thing he could do for Hasaan which I respect completely. 

Charles Krauthammer: Blame for shutdown rests squarely with Obama, Dems

I am not  sure how I feel after reading this article due to the fact that I am quite ignorant to the details of the current situation in Washington. All I know is that the government is shut down, people are not getting paid and the Republican party has been acting nutty. I don't think the government shut down is the fault of the Democratic party but then again I could be a bit biased because I do support Obama. The author, Charles Krauthammer does make some valid points about Obama's administration modifying Obamacare when only Congress can do that but at the same time, Obamacare is not the sole reason for the government's shut down.

Welcome to Ted Cruz’s Thunderdome

This article was creepy yet seemed so real. I could picture the scenario and I feel that every person in DC  needs to read it and get their act together because apes might not be sitting in Abe's chair, but the capital really could collapse. The author of this piece, Maureen Dowd, really created a place that no one would want to live in and I think she got her point across. Especially coming after Ted Cruz and talking about his role in the grand scheme of things. This article scared me a bit and I truly hope the Republican party can get it together and that the parties can get along because if not, all the good guys may be gone soon.

Girls/Boys

If a boy wants to play field hockey let him! There is nothing wrong with allowing a male to play on a female team and vice versa. If they are able to compete and present no threat to their team then I see no problem with it. If it is truly an issue for the school then they should create a team that is only for boys and only for girls but until then it would be discriminatory to not let that individual play. To be completely honest there is no such thing as a "girl" sport or a "boy" sport. It is just because of society that we categorize sports by gender. A boy should be allowed to play whatever sports he wants to play and the same goes for a girl.

Obamacare

I am not sure exactly how I feel about the article considering that I don't know all that much about Obamacare but I think the ads are not the right way to influence young people. Instead of scaring them out of signing up for Obamacare, they should explain the pros and cons to them. From what I do know, it is important to have health care. When something goes wrong, one should be able to go to the doctor's and not be worried about not being attended to or paying some ridiculous fee. I think that Generation Opportunity is going about spreading their message in the wrong way.