Well, I have officially heard back from all the colleges that I applied to. I figured this would be an OK way to spread the news, as I'm a little hesitant to tell people in person because they act all sympathetic like: "Oh, it's their loss for not accepting you." Anywho, here goes:
Stanford - no
Caltech - YES
Stevens - YES and a scholarship
MIT - waiting list
Cornell - YES
So I don't know how you count those up, it's about three and a half out of five. The only real no was from my top choice, which is fairly disappointing. I'm much more resigned to it now than earlier when I was deferred through their early decision process. I think I'm learning to trust God more.
I'm doing a whirlwind tour of Caltech, Stevens, and Cornell next week and the week after. I think my teachers will probably stone me, as I've already missed about a week of school in this semester alone (I have 6 absences, this will add 4 more). However, my parents wisely said that this decision is one of the biggest of my life, and I've worked hard for years to get to this point - it would be unwise to not study my options as well as I can.
My grades were fine on my last report card; I don't think it'll be a problem. Though how sad would it be to be disqualified from attending because my grades fell!
So - I'm pretty excited about visiting these schools, it's going to be like picking out a new home for four years. Also, I get to move out and control everything myself, which will be a blessing and a curse. A lot hangs on the decision. Pray for me as I decide where to attend!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Attempt at a Poem
Yesterday I felt like writing a poem, but had no idea what to write about. Partly, this was to procrastinate on my thesis, which I'm very good at :( Anyways, I did write one about how hard it is to write poems, as nothing else came immediately to mind. I showed the first draft to Adam and he made one of those polite responses that means it's mediocre, so I rewrote it and he said it was much better. I hope you like it; and please understand I'm not quite as pessimistic as the last line would indicate.
Some days, writing beckons me.
My thoughts, expressed in verse,
May have greater import, yet I see
Them strangled, my words are terse.
Unschooled, I cannot say the things
I would, like a seaman who gasps
For help, seeking air that brings
Life, inspiration, and the asking
Of questions with crucial moment,
And answers that keep men alive.
But I have no accomplishment
Nothing of my words will survive.
Richard Gianforte 3/28/2008
Some days, writing beckons me.My thoughts, expressed in verse,
May have greater import, yet I see
Them strangled, my words are terse.
Unschooled, I cannot say the things
I would, like a seaman who gasps
For help, seeking air that brings
Life, inspiration, and the asking
Of questions with crucial moment,
And answers that keep men alive.
But I have no accomplishment
Nothing of my words will survive.
Richard Gianforte 3/28/2008
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Donne's "A Hymn to God the Father"
"A Hymn to God the Father"
Wilt Thou forgive that sin where I begun,
---Which is my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt Thou forgive those sins, through which I run,
---And do run still, though still I do deplore?
------When Thou hast done, Thou has not done,
---------For, I have more.
Wilt Thou forgive that sin by which I've won
---Others to sin? and, made my sin their door?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I did shun
---A year, or two; but wallowed in, a score?
------When Thou hast done, Thous hast not done,
---------For, I have more.
I have a sin of fear, that when I've spun
---My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
Swear by Thyself, that at my death Thy Son
---Shall shine as He shines now, and heretofore;
------And, having done that, Thou hast done,
---------I fear no more.
-John Donne
This poem, which I just read for British Literature, reminds me of the many times I fall down and sin. The problems I struggle with are similar to Donne's in that they keep coming up. The issues I am dealing with now are essentially the same ones that I have been trying to fix for the past five years. Like Donne, I feel like I have "wallowed in [them] a score." How great is God, who forgives me again and again, for the same offense! I appreciate that Donne ends the poem with what matters, that is, the grace of God. There is hope because "Thy Son shall shine as He shines now," and that shining will cover a multitude of sins.
Not only does this poem move me to reflect on the grace of God, it also motivates me to pursue that type of forgiveness in my own life. Am I someone who could forgive an offender for the same sin, seventy times seven times? I doubt it. Yet a robust forgiveness is a godly character trait. It involves many of the fruits of the Spirit: love, peace, patience, and kindness. I am learning more and more how much Christianity demands: perfection, in fact, complete righteousness in every thought and action. Holy men have worked for godliness their entire lives and never achieved it. But when I start feeling depressed and unworthy, like the first two stanzas of "Hymn," I read the third stanza and look to Him.
edit: got the spacing on the poem right
Wilt Thou forgive that sin where I begun,
---Which is my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt Thou forgive those sins, through which I run,
---And do run still, though still I do deplore?
------When Thou hast done, Thou has not done,
---------For, I have more.
Wilt Thou forgive that sin by which I've won
---Others to sin? and, made my sin their door?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I did shun
---A year, or two; but wallowed in, a score?
------When Thou hast done, Thous hast not done,
---------For, I have more.
I have a sin of fear, that when I've spun
---My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
Swear by Thyself, that at my death Thy Son
---Shall shine as He shines now, and heretofore;
------And, having done that, Thou hast done,
---------I fear no more.
-John Donne
This poem, which I just read for British Literature, reminds me of the many times I fall down and sin. The problems I struggle with are similar to Donne's in that they keep coming up. The issues I am dealing with now are essentially the same ones that I have been trying to fix for the past five years. Like Donne, I feel like I have "wallowed in [them] a score." How great is God, who forgives me again and again, for the same offense! I appreciate that Donne ends the poem with what matters, that is, the grace of God. There is hope because "Thy Son shall shine as He shines now," and that shining will cover a multitude of sins.
Not only does this poem move me to reflect on the grace of God, it also motivates me to pursue that type of forgiveness in my own life. Am I someone who could forgive an offender for the same sin, seventy times seven times? I doubt it. Yet a robust forgiveness is a godly character trait. It involves many of the fruits of the Spirit: love, peace, patience, and kindness. I am learning more and more how much Christianity demands: perfection, in fact, complete righteousness in every thought and action. Holy men have worked for godliness their entire lives and never achieved it. But when I start feeling depressed and unworthy, like the first two stanzas of "Hymn," I read the third stanza and look to Him.
edit: got the spacing on the poem right
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