January Questions Omnibus 1

January Questions Omnibus 1 Here goes another Omnibus sorry if I didnt get to your question (it takes a long time to compile these, even with the brief answers!). - abstract wrote, ummm to break the long debate on percentages, do you know what the name of Nances baby is? Were very curious =D I think Im at liberty to say that Bryans sons name is Miles! - Rafael wrote, wow, thats a bunch of applications! Btw, how many people are actually involved in selecting the class of 2010?? You can view some of them in the archives if you look for titles that start with Meet the Admissions Officers, but I havent gotten around to everybody yet. - Manisha wrote, Does MIT require a Mid Year School Report from International Students? Thats because the form said that it was for US. students only. Or is there a different form we could use? Michael wrote, Im an international Applicant, and therefore am not to fill out the Mid-Year Grade Report. However it still shows up as not processed, even though the other US-only section, the Self-Reported Course Work, does not even appear on the online tracking. Is this something I should be worried about, or is it not anything to take any particular notice of? Anon wrote, Mat i have a question; if your an American who lives outside the US and you school does not follow the US school system do you need to hand in a Mid-Year Report or some sort of supplement for it? SyRx wrote, Im an international student (foreign school system) and I was wondering whether I have to send in a Mid-Year Report. One of MITs application brochures says I dont have to, but I just wanted to clear the matter up since t he Online Application Tracking has a checkbox for the Mid-Year Rep too. Please advise. And Anon wrote, Does anybody knows if I have to send the Mid Year Report even if Im not assisting an U.S school system? Please answeer mee! Only students in American schools need to submit the Mid-Year Grade Report. Do not worry. - Emi wrote, I am a Deferred Early Action applicant, and I was wondering if I could still send in supplementary materials and, if so, until what date can I do this? Renuka wrote, As a deferred student, I plan to send in some supplemental material. As the post does not go out tomorrow: Sunday, January 1, is it okay if the material is only postmarked for Jan 2? Steven wrote, When is the latest supplementary emails can be processed? Bryan wrote, I am still in the process of getting my supplementary materials together. I was told that anytime in January is fine. Is that still true? Anything you send will be considered up until decisions are mailed. If you want your supplemental material considered within the context of the selection committee, I recommend you send in things by the end of January. - Sid wrote, How may I ascertain whether the supplementary materials and the financial aid documents I sent have been received and processed? You will be able to track you financial aid documents via special financial aid tracking; wait for more information on that. We do not track supplemental materials. - Nicolas wrote, I am an international applicant and I have mediocre CR and Wr scores on the SAT 1. I have attented a Greek public (government) school in Cyprus teaching us English only 1 1/2 hours a week. Will this be taken into account when reviewing my app? When scores are sent from the college board to MIT are the percentiles and actual raw marks shown? Ryan wrote, What is your experience with admission regarding people with low Verbal/CR scores? Is it difficult to be admitted with a 640 CR score? Is it bad if I take the same subject test twice to improve my score? moonghostv wrote, How important are the SAT I and II scores of international students for the admissions officers? When I took the SAT I math section and the SAT II Math Level I, the format of the problems and the time limit were completely new to me, and I got only 710 on the SAT I Math and 700 on the SAT II Math Level I. I know many international students score high on the SAT math tests, but I have participated in int ernational leadership programs and have won several national competitions. Can that, along with the fact that I am extremely motivated and hard-working and have shown that in my application, compensate for my bad test scores? My TOEFL scores are better than the SAT I, but I have listed both results in my application part II. Will the admissions office regard my TOEFL results instead of the SAT I? Varuna wrote, I sat for the TOEFL on January 14th. The test got cancelled due to some problem with the cassette. I sent an e-mail to the MIT admission office explaining what happened. I expected to get a good score for the TOEFL.. I will take the SAT I on January 28th, but my SAT I score (critical reading and writing) is likely to be lower than what I expected for TOEFL. How will MIT consider this? Please tell me if there is anything I could do, because my entire future depends on this. Danielle wrote, I have been trying not to freak out about this, but on my SAT subject tests I scored a ve ry low (in the 500s on all three of them), but the thing is I didnt even know I had to take any more tests after the regular SAT because I live in a really small town in Wisconsin, and my guidance office never told me that I would need anything like these tests since all of the students pretty much go to state schools if they go to college. I guess I should have been more concious about what was going on with my application so that I could have had time to study or take them during a less stressful time in high school, but my grandpa went into the hospital with heart problems for a while and standardized tests were one of the last things on my mind. To top this off, my mother said I couldnt retake them because our family cant afford it since we are having trouble paying for groceries right now. I have been reading a lot of the posts and eveyone is saying that they think scoring a 700 is bad. I have a lot of other things going for me in my application, so I was just wondering if thes e kind of scores will automatically curse my chances of admittance (I know they wont help), and would sending in a letter explaining my situation help at all? I dont know what to tell you all, except what Ive said before. Test scores are not the most important part of the application, but they are a consider aspect of things. We evaluate each applicant within their context. - Ryan wrote, Almost three weeks ago I emailed my EC requesting an interview. I have not received a response. I emailed [emailprotected] a few days ago explaining my situation. Will MIT look down on me because I have not been interviewed? And Saad wrote, Im from Pakistan and I have the same problem as Ryan; I called my EC and e-mailed him several times to schedule an appointment but got no response whatsoever. The Interview deadline passed weeks ago. The wierd thing is that at frst I was told that there was no EC in my area and my interview has been waived. What should I do? Contact the Educational Council office. They will mark your application with the attempted interview code. This is pretty much equal in status to the interview conducted code. - Csaba wrote, In Romania when one applies for college one knows the lowest grade (well a bit of an aggregate-average weird score) one could get in the major one desired in that college the year before. I know that in the US (and especially MIT) it works differently and scores are not all. So thats why its a very good choice giving only the 25-75% score ranges. But the question still rises: How safe is ones application if he is safely inside the middle 50%? We know there are about 9 rejected students (and 19 international students) for every admitted student to the MIT. But how many rejected students are there with roughly the same test scores? (and another one, for personal interest: How much do international students middle 50% scores differ from domestic students?) I dont have the statistics to answer to any of these questions, sorry. I can say that the importance of test scores is often overconsidered by applicants, and that most applicants do submit competitive test scores. - Anas wrote, People are always talking about the summer. How long is that really? Where I come from there is no one long holiday but three small ones. I dont understand how you suppose to do over the top productive things in a short holiday. Because of this my Summer Activites isnt at all impressive. Is it really important? We evaluate every applicant within their context. We know that some schools and schooling systems do not have a summer like in most of the US, and we will understand that when evaluating applications. - Lindley wrote, hey I was just wondering when is the CPW information going to be avaliable on myMIT cuz my mom wants to book our flight. and how do admittees let MIT know whether or not were coming? And YeSeul wrote, Do you know when you guys are gonna post the date of CPW and all that information on the myMIT portal? If its not anytime soon, could you tell me the apprx. dates? Keep an eye on your mailbox, a CPW brochure should be there very soon! This years CPW will be April 6-9. - Liz wrote, During my freshman year, I took the AMC and received a 93; I know this isnt too high of a score. Is it still worth it to include it? Sure, thats nothing to be ashamed of. - Sukrit wrote, On my online application, I rounded up my AMC-12 score 132.5 >133 in order to make it fit the place on the form. Is this OK? That should be fine. One point either way shouldnt make much of a difference. - Liz wrote, I sent an email asking about which SAT score to report on Section 2 of the application (I got a higher math score the first time, higher overall score the second time) but all that was said in the response was that MIT takes the highest subscores. So is it OK for me to list my highest subscores on Section 2 even if they werent on the same date? (and list the other scores in the Optional Section) Thats fine. - Kinan wrote, I was just looking over at some of the comments that other students where posting and I began to get a little worried. People here mention all these things Ive never seen, like GYLC, EA, etc. Im an international student in Venezuela and I dont have the opportunity to enroll or be accepted in many programs to which other people have applied to or have been accepted to. Does the Office of Admissions take into account the places where people live and the opportunities one has or doesnt have from living there? We evaluate every applicant within their context. We do not expect that applicants live and breathe for the college admissions process, so if you dont know some of the terminology, dont worry. - Ismet wrote, I am an applicant from Kazakhstan. I applied to MIT as a freshman, though I am graduating from a local university later in this year. Currently studying political science and international relations that doesnt concern much technology. Thats why I applied as freshman. It was always my dream to study engineering and particularly at MIT. I took SATII and Toefl. The scores were reported on time to admissions office. The scores are 770/800 (math L2) and 800/800 (Phys). I left my school 4,5 years ago, so it was hard to get reports and trascripts from them, but eventually they sent everything. I never took AMC, AP exams. During my years at school I participated in Physics contests. I always won 1 place around the school, then around the region, but only 2nd and 3rd places on the district level. I indicated all of this in my application. I am not applying for financial aid, because Kaz government will pay all the expenses, if I am admitted, of course. What do you think, do I ha ve any chance to be admitted to MIT? Have I done everything correctly? If you will receive a Bachelors degree from your university, we will not be able to consider you (we do not admit students for a second Bachelors degree). Otherwise, it sounds more like you are a transfer student. You may wish to email the admissions office and ask for your application to be consider for transfer rather than freshman admissions. - Caroline wrote, I have a sort of random question Would a student ever be denied the request to defer acceptance from MIT to complete a 13th year of high school abroad? I want to, because Ill graduate when Im 17 and I dont want to be the youngest person (again!) in college. I dont make the decisions about gap years, but my guess is that it would be unlikely wed deny this request. And, for the record, it would be extremely unlikely youd be the youngest in your class. I entered MIT at age 17 and I wasnt even the second youngest person on my dorm floor. - Anon wrote, i just wanted to ask: how would you compare the admission process and selectivity of MIT with University of Cambridge. Is it possible that if a person is rejected from Cambridge, he might not get into MIT? The admissions process at Cambridge (or Oxford) is completely different from the process at MIT (or Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, et al.), It is absolutely possible that a student admitted to MIT would be denied at Cambridge, and vice versa. The same goes for any combination of universities: MIT and Harvard, MIT and Caltech, MIT and IIT, MIT and NTU, whatever. Every university has its own institutional priorities, its own culture, and its own admissions process. - Shikhar wrote, so whats up at the office these days. Well I was kinda wondering if u could suggest some cool science stuff one should do if hes taking a gap year (I know we have to decide that ourself) but theres a friend of mine who didnt know about US admission procedures and is therefore taking an year off coz he could not apply this year. So he was looking for some ideas on what academic stuff (apart from ones likings) do people do usually if they take a gap year. And later, Shikhar wrote, I wanted to ask one thing : can you please tell me about any summer research (not summer schools) programs which are like open to internationals also. I am looking for computer science mainlyalso just so u know the thing I once talked abt taking a gap year if not MIT is confirmed. I am continuing with my research work and have left other applications so its pretty much MIT for me this year. Which is why I am also looking for good research opportunities to keep myself engaged somewhere. Hmm, I dont know, but maybe some readers can leave some ideas for you in the comments. - tiggeroncourthk wrote, One of the teachers who wrote my recs had to be out of the country for much of December, and therefore did not make the deadline. Will it still be read? Is there a cutoff point at which you no longer look at official (not supplemental) stuff that we send? Please let me know. It will still be read. Everything that is sent up until decisions are final will be considered. - S wrote, I think I mailed my ISFAA to Room 3-108. Where are we supposed to send the Financial Aid materials? Send all Financial Aid materials to: Financial AidRoom 11-32077 Massachusetts AvenueCambridge, MA 02139 - Sofia wrote, I already sent my Application Part 2, but, while reading the question/answers in this blog I realized I had made a mistake. In the activities section it said you should circle the grade/years of participation, and I didnt get that they were talking about school years. I didnt circle any, but in the titles put how many years Ive been practicing the activity mentioned (except on one activity on which I circled 10 because I had been doing it for ten years) Is there something I could do about this? Dont worry. It sounds like you developed a very clever work-around, possibly even better than what our form asks for! - Anon wrote, MIT requires the second evaluation to be from a humanities or language teacher. If the applicant has no such teacher available can she use a second teacher from the math or science disciplines? Will it be a negative for the applicant? The history teacher who was to write the rec has taken a leave and the tracker shows the rec is not processed. At this late time the only teacher available to write is not humanities. And what if the history teachers rec arrives afterall, is that a problem? We understand that sometimes, because of a schooling systems curriculum, an applicant does not have a humanities or social science teacher. In this case, a second recommendation from another teacher would be fine. - Anon wrote, I wanted to know what are the most popular home contries of international students admitted? Last year, it was Canada, Korea, and China. Who knows what it will be this year. - Felipe wrote, Hi, I am Felipe (Brazil applicant). I would like to know about deadline for financial aid materials. For international applicants is the same date (March1)? The deadline is the same, March 1. - Sam wrote, Is it necessary for me to send in a CSS Profile before the admissions decision is made? Oh yeah, just what exactly is a priority deadline mean in terms of the CSS profile? Is it the last date or is it the prefered date? You should send in the CSS Profile as soon as possible, before March 1. - Dan wrote, I have not heard ONE reference to any science fair since the 9th grade required science fair project. What am I missing? I live in Bristol CT, and are there actually zero science fair type things going on around here? Lets just say on my application this coming year, I have no references to any science fair, and in turn no science fair distinctions or awards. Is that really bad? Would you say the majority of the MIT applicant pool has parcipated in events like these? I only have in-school distinctions like science honor society and captain of the math team type things. It is not really bad. I would not say that the majority of applicants have participated in a science fair. But It is true that most applicants have participated in some kind of math and science beyond the formal curriculum. - Anonymous wrote, I had my research mentor send in a recommendation directly, but I forgot to ask her to write my name and birthdate explicitly. I mean, obviously she will have written my name in the recommendation, but she hasnt written my birthdate. Should I ask her to submit another letter of recommendation with my birthdate? Also, how can I make sure the supplemental recommendation has reached MIT? Can I call them up, or should I just have faith that it reached. I would not send another copy, unless you have a common name (and, judging by the comments Ive seen, Anonymous is a very popular name). We cannot track supplemental material. - Rizwan wrote, I just got nominated for the GYLC (global young leaders conference). Although the conference is in summer 2006, should I notify the admissions office of this new development by email? If so, then how? Will this be beneficial for me in ANY way? You may notify the admissions office by email. I can tell you it is unlikely to make a significant impact on your application. - David wrote, I have a quick question about supplemental materials. I would like to send in a recording of my piano playing and of one of my musical compositions. What is the recommended duration for this kind of submission? I dont know; the music supplements are forwarded directly to the Music Department. Use your best judgment. - Anon wrote, In the additional information section of my application, I describe a digital image that I created. My description highlights all the features of the painting I wished to discuss but I now feel sending a copy of the image in would complement my description and enhance my application. I am aware that the focus of the supplementary question might only be describing the workand I now find myself at a crossroad Would the MIT Admissions Office welcome/accept a copy of the image I describe, if I send a copy by mail (the image is small and on regular printer paper)? Should I submit the copy, having the opportunity to? or would sending the copy create a hassle? You may submit a copy by mail and we would consider it. - Prashant wrote, One question. Ive sent a few photographs that I had taken, as part of the supplementary materials. Although q.13 asks us to describe a thing your created, well, i didnt know what to write about the pictures as, well, to use a cliche, a picture is worth a thousand words. Do i have to send any thing else describing those pictures? I havent seen the pictures, so I cant say, but I suspect it will be self-evident. - Juan wrote, Is it possible to send some photographs as Supplemental Information? In question 13 of Part 2 of the Application, I wrote about a personal invention, but I could not send anything by the website so I would like to share with you some pictures of it!..or maybe its too late You may still send in supplemental pictures. - Shikhar wrote, I have recorded a song and well hope to record one more. They are both in Hindi as I have the instrumental for only these two. Should I send them. The songs are one of the most beautiful songs present in Hindi music industry but i wonder whether they will be much help to my admission application. You may send them if you wish. They will be forwarded to the music department for consideration. - Sam wrote, i was thinking about what supplememntal materials to send MIT and I realized the best supplement would be me. Im gonna be on campus from Jan. 23-26. is there anyway I can talk to you or the other admissions counselors? Any recomendations on what I should see? It is quite unlikely you will be able to meet with any of the admissions officers, as most days we are out of the office reading applications. Further, we do not make appointments to personally meet with deferred students. As for what to see, Im sure readers will have some recommendations for you in the comments, but I recommend picking up the orange Visiting MIT brochure, which I think does a very good job of offering suggestions for your visit. - Anon wrote, can i send in recordings in mp3 form in email attachments? At this time, we cannot accept mp3 attachments. - Any wrote, Im a regular applicant from Hong Kong. Ive joined my schools Chemistry Olympiad (a scientific investigation competition)team, but didnt include it in my application because I was still looking around for a suitable topic. Now my team has finally found a nice topic, and is doing the laboratory investigations (Im enjoying every bit of it). Do you think I should write to the admission office about this competition, even though the investigation results report wouldnt be ready until March? If you feel this is important, you may email admissions with this information and it will be considered. - thatolchestnut wrote, even if we fax you a copy of the letter of rec, did you want us to remail a hardcopy of the rec? Its probably a good idea, as sometimes faxes are not completely legible. - Amit wrote, I am a student from India. I have sent all the mailing materials directly to MITs main address, instead of the Undergraduate Office at MIT. Will this cause a problem? It should not be a problem. - Yi wrote, I just got a Science Fair award. Is it too late to send it to you? I can send it in by using fedex. You may email or mail us the information. You do not need to spend the extra money on Fedex. - Rodrigo wrote, I have just realized that I made a very small mistake in my App part 2. The correction of that information may not seem too crucial, but I wont sleep in peace until I know if theres any way to correct it I hope youve been sleeping in peace anyway. Feel free to email admissions with this correction. - Andy wrote, I have a proposal in powerpoint from last year. Should I send it in full, with a note as to the relevant parts, so as to give you a complete picture, or cut out everything but Automations (the department I headed), and send it in? Also, The file is on my computer, but my printers color ink is whacky and printing it out would likely be more confusing that helpful. When reviewing the application, does admissions typically print out materials sent electronically, or review it via an electronic medium? We cannot print out items sent in on CDs (or memory sticks, or whatever), nor can we view it while we review applications, except for art supplements, which will be forwarded to arts evaluators. You should send other supplements in on paper. - Anon wrote, a quick questionwill sending more references be a benefit to the admission process? No. The quality of recommendations is important, not the quantity. - Ajit wrote, I have a question for the next questions omnibus- I want to partcipate in the RSI 2006.I visited the site cee.org and found that there is a different sellection process for international applicant and a different application deadline too.I contacted the vice precident(administration) via email and requested the contact informations of a RSI representative in INDIA to get a clear understanding of the selection procedure.He/She asked me to contact after 2 weeks.I know a little about the RSI and the deadline is fast approaching.Can you please give me contact informations of a person from INDIA who can help me while filing out the application. Im sorry, I cannot. You should continue to be in touch with the CEE. - Anon wrote, Could you please tell me in details how to apply for an undergraduate programme?Please I am from India and its seeming a very complicated process?Is it really so?well Im 16yrs old,am i eligible for the programme in 2007? You should read the MIT Admissions website, http://my.mit.edu. - Anon wrote, How much does being a Siemens Westinghouse Semifinalist and Intel Semifinalist help in terms of admission to MIT? And another Anon replied, I hope being Siemens or Intel doesnt help much because I didnt get it. I hope that just participating is enough. Both participating and being honored in these competitions is considered. Doing research at the high school level is a terrific thing, and being recognized for that work can be even better. - Anna wrote, I just wanted to ask how applicants who used the paper application can track their application status? Im from Lahore, Pakistan and the mailing system is not very reliable I just want to make sure that all my materials have arrived safely. Please tell me all the required steps I need to take to do so. Seve wrote, Pls how do i get to track my application on my MIT?I dont have MIT ID yet. Nina wrote, I have sent my application via ordinary air mail. Yesterday I tried to track my application, but there was a required ID which I do not know. Please tell me how to proceed and how to get my ID. Xing Wei wrote, I have already sent out all the materials last month, but I am still unable to track my status online. Priyanka wrote, I submitted my application through the mail on December 22nd. Is the tracking on MyMit just for online applications? I cant find anything on my account. Or will it show up when you process my paper application? Dhrubo wrote, I sent my application via DHL , and the DHL tracking system shows that it has been received on 27th December by M DIAMOND. But, I havent yet received the MIT online tracking number via my email account. Since you people have already processed all app materials, shouldnt I be getting an MIT app ID via email by now? Or should I be worried? Pls advise Please be patient and wait for your MIT ID number to arrive in the postal mail. The ID number will allow you to track your application online. - moonghostv wrote, Something I read on an internet site really shocked me. The article said that an admissions officer will stop reading the essay and deny admission to the student just because of a typing mistake. Is that really true? Isnt it unfair to international students, who might make a grammar or awkward word usage mistake because they are not native speakers? Thats not true, not at MIT, and Id be surprised if it were true anywhere. - Chandresh wrote, Matt said, Between the early and regular action applicants Ive already seen, I am disappointed to know that we wont be able to find room for all of the many, many terrific applicants. Does this mean the waiting list will have a record size? I doubt it. I suspect the waiting list will be similar in size to last year, but that determination will not be made until much later. - Fadl wrote, I have a question. Seeing as the number of applicants that have applied this year are up 7.5% from last year does this mean that you might be planning to increase the number of those admitted (Hopefully)? The number of students we admit is not dependent on the number of applications we receive (assuming the applicant pool is sufficiently large, which it is). Which is to say, we will not increase the number of admitted students because of the upswing in applications. Sorry. - Anon wrote, I have heard various comments on the quota of intl students taken by MIT. In the other blog, a percentage of 8% was given, which comes around to be roughly 115 students. Does anyone have any idea how many exactly will be taken? any quotas for individual countries? I dont yet know how many international students we will admit this year. It is true that in the international process, we admit by country, but we admit without quotas by country or region. - Jess wrote, I have a question. Every year at Acalanes High School in Lafayette, CA somebody comes to speak about MIT, and I went two years ago. Are you the guy who spoke that year? Because Im pretty sure his name started with an M. All I can remember is that he had brown hair, name started with an M and he stood on a chair :) Yup, that was me =) - Anon wrote, I just had a quick question. Is it true that having references from well known people or MIT Alumnis act as an advantage to your admissions? No, it is not. It is the quality of the recommendation that matters, not the quality of the recommender. - thatolchestnut wrote, Good luck and keep up the good work. I imagine [mail processing in the Records Office] somewhere along the lines of this right now http://blueballfixed.ytmnd.com/ Thanks for the link?K the folks in the Records Office got a real kick out of it =)

Application Of The Personality Theories Developed By Erik...

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The Danger and Negativity of Misconceptions - 855 Words

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This quote displays an example of denial to the possibility of intelligent African Americans. Sam Guidry acknowledges Grant’s intelligence; however, he also conveys that he does not approve of it. Jefferson’s defense and Sam Guidry are perfect examples of the common white person’s mindset during the 1940’s. Both examples given represent instances in which racial stereotypes are present and how they affect the people subjected to them. Obviously, as the given support shows, the parties who are subjected to these stereotypes react negatively. In Mar jane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis, a common misconception among the Iranian children was the meaning of the saying â€Å"on a trip† (Satrapi 48). Laly was one of the children who was subjected to this common misconception. The previous statement can be confirmed by the following quotes from Marji and Laly’s conversation: Marji inquired, â€Å"Where is your father?† and Laly responded, â€Å"on a trip† (Satrapi 48). 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As my classmate said, â€Å"Frankenstein† is not only an ionic book, but also ironic considering that the theme of Frankenstein is people being misunderstood when the book itself has misconceptions over the true meaning thanks to the movie that changed the views people had over Frankenstein. Today there are several viewpoints over the works of â€Å"Frankenstein†. Some people consider the creature to a victim of the wretched demonic hands ofRead MoreSymptoms And Outcomes Of Schizophrenia1634 Words   |  7 Pagesunderstand the disease, its symptoms and causes (Jorm et al., 1997). Boyle (2002) said that schizophrenia is a mental illness which is seen to cause bizarre behaviour and mental experiences. She argued that this definition is grounds to create misconceptions about people with schizophrenia. Fear of the negative stigmas that the public will view them with once they are diagnosed with a mental illness causes some individuals to resist seeking help (Cooper, Corrigan, Watson, 2003). 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All About Me . Free Essays

Shadira Andrews Writing #5 Night My whole heart stopped when I saw the blood dripping from my arm. Today was a regular day but my whole life changed. It was a sunny day with my cousins, sister, friends and I when suddenly I get a huge scar on my right back-hand. We will write a custom essay sample on All About Me . or any similar topic only for you Order Now It might look like a burn but it’s not, it’s a terrible long lasting scar. This raggedy old scar is about nine years old but I still remember every single detail of how this happened. An almost trip to the hospital wasn’t supposed to happen with just a game of basketball that I wasn’t playing. This almost fun day was one of the worst days of my life; this was the night of my life. Why do we have to play tag? This game makes me very exhausted but I have to other wise my crush is going to think I am fat. I am going to need about five bottles of Gatorade to stay energized though. We played tag around the school-yard for about 15 minutes but I had to use the restroom so I told everyone that I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. Just before I was completely out of the yard my sister called my name to ask me to get her something from the house. The next thing you know a boy ends up accidently knocking me unto the floor and I slide across the concrete. If I was car and I was making a sharp turn you would only hear me screaking. The boy was playing basketball and I happened to stop right in front of the basketball court. I can’t believe I’m lying on this concrete with nothing but blood and a boy I don’t even know next to me. I blacked out for a moment and couldn’t hear anything, it was so silent but everyone talked. All I could see and remember is the faces on everyone’s face. My sister looked as if she was having a baby, and the boy looked as if he saw something ghastly. Everyone was panicking but what I couldn’t get out of my head is the fact that my stockings ripped; those were new stockings that my mom finally got me so you could say my facial expression was being annoyed and irritated. By now I have snapped out of my black out. My cousins helped me up while the shamefaced boy offered me bandages. I just remember I really have a full bladder right about now. Night, pain, dusk, and agony is all that filtered the air as I was being carried by a dozen of my relatives, I mean come on was I that heavy did my crush need to know I needed half of dozen people carrying me. All I was thinking was â€Å"Am I going to get into trouble for ripping my brand new stockings? † As soon as I got into the house my dad asked what happened and I just said â€Å"I fell. † I didn’t want my chaos to turn into a royal rumble or something. My dad did the worst thing ever! He grabs alcohol, peroxide, and everything else that’s expected to stings. I automatically start to cry knowing that the felling will soon be excruciating pain. Of course I hate pain and honesty I didn’t feel anything when my skin came off my right back-hand; but when my dad put that alcohol on my open wound I could have said every curse word in the book. Right about now I was speaking gibberish, the pain was unbearable and I couldn’t understand why my dad didn’t just take me to the hospital he is not a doctor. I guess you could say a dad is anything and everything it needs to be at the time being. Pain is such an uncomfortable feeling that even a tiny amount of it is enough to ruin a week. My hand was throbbing and I couldn’t move it or think about it because that just made the situation worst. I tried a lot of things to make the pain fade away. I tried eating ice cream, going to sleep, and even putting a cold rag around the bandage nothing worked. Then, everyone decided to leave me in the house by myself. My mom and dad had to work and my siblings just took it upon themselves to go outside and not tell me. I looked at the clock and it’s approximately five minutes to 12 when there is a knock on the door. Now I am not going to lie I was little scared to answer the door since it was so late so since I was short I climbed on the couch’s leg and looked throw the peep hole. It was my crush! Was he going to make fun of me, let’s see? Everything I did our little conversation was the only thing that helped me block out the pain, of course I was blushing he was adorable. I was finally coming into the house with a smile on my face today and that smile easily went away when I saw the time on my round clock, it said it was 12:11 A. M. In conclusion, today was the worst day ever I got hurt pretty bad with a scar that will be on my back-hand for life and I for the first time ever I now know what pain really feels like. I also have a fear of basketball now no lie; every time I play basketball I always seem to get hurt either I get hit in the head with the ball or I hurt my fingers and they become swollen. Every time someone ask me what happened to my hand and if I were burnt, I say no and I have to summarize this whole story. I try not to remember and forget but I can’t forget that pain. â€Å"Pain has an element of blank† Emily Dickinson. How to cite All About Me ., Essay examples

Role of Women in Nation Building free essay sample

There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing. † â€Å"woman is the builder and moulder of a nation’s destiny, though delicate and soft as lily, she has a heart, stronger and bolder than that of man, she is the supreme inspiration for man’s onward march. † Women constitute approximately 40% population of a nation. If she is given the task for the development of the country she can make a wonder. She is more dedicated , more hard working, more sincere, more devoted to the cause. Many social evils like; dowry, illiteracy among the females, killing of girl child in the womb, ignoring the hygienic values, police etc. can well be tackled by the active involvement of women. Today the educated women have come out of their inferiority complex and are shouldering all kinds of responsibilities, as Managers, officers, TV and radio news reader, pilots, Ministers, Anchors, Musicians, Clerks, Stenographers, and what not? There are veteran MPs and Ministers in the centre and the State, Ms. We will write a custom essay sample on Role of Women in Nation Building or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Mayamati, Ms. Jayalalitha, Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, Ms. Mamta Bannerjee, Mrs. Rabri Devi, Uma Bharti, Mrs. Vijaya Raje Scindhiya have proved to be the astute Politicans. â€Å"Rightly† said by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, â€Å"our women have a very great part to play in the progress of our country as the mental and physical contact of women with life is much more lasting and comprehensive than that of men. †

Definition of Adams-Onis Treaty

Definition of Adams-Onis Treaty The Adams-Onis Treaty was an agreement between the United States and Spain signed in 1819 which established the southern border of the Louisiana Purchase. As part of the agreement, the United States obtained the territory of present day Florida. The treaty was negotiated in Washington, D.C. by the American secretary of state, John Quincy Adams, and the Spanish ambassador to the United States, Luis de Onis. The treaty was viewed as a significant event at the time, and contemporary observers, including former president Thomas Jefferson, lauded the work of John Quincy Adams. Background of the Adams-Onis Treaty Following the acquisition of the Louisiana Purchase during the administration of Thomas Jefferson, the United States faced a problem, as it was not entirely clear where the border lay between the territory obtained from France and the territory of Spain to the south. Over the first decades of the 19th century, Americans venturing southward, including Army officer (and possible spy) Zebulon Pike, were apprehended by Spanish authorities and sent back to the United States. A clear border needed to be defined before minor incidents on the border escalated into anything more serious. And in the years following the Louisiana Purchase, the successors to Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe, sought to acquire the two Spanish provinces of East Florida and West Florida (the regions had been loyal to Britain during the American Revolution, but following the Treaty of Paris, they reverted to Spanish rule). Spain was barely holding on to the Floridas. And was therefore receptive to negotiating a treaty which would trade away that land in return for clarifying who owned land to the west, in what today is Texas and the southwestern United States. Complicated Territory The problem Spain faced in Florida was that it claimed the territory, and had a few outposts on it, but it wasnt settled. And the region wasnt being governed in any sense of the word. American settlers were encroaching on its borders, essentially squatting on Spanish land, and conflicts kept arising. Escaped slaves were also crossing into Spanish territory, and at time U.S. troops ventured into Spains land on the pretext of hunting fugitive slaves. Creating further complications, Indians living in Spanish territory would venture into American territory and raid settlements, at times killing the residents. The constant problems along the border seemed likely to erupt at some point into open conflict. Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. In 1818 Andrew Jackson, the hero of the Battle of New Orleans three years earlier, led a military expedition into Florida. His actions were highly controversial in Washington, as government officials felt he had gone far beyond his orders, especially when he executed two British subjects he considered spies. Negotiation of the Treaty It seemed obvious to leaders of both Spain and the United States that the Americans would eventually come into possession of Florida. So the Spanish ambassador in Washington, Luis de Onis, had been granted full power by his government to make the best deal he could. He met with John Quincy Adams, secretary of state to President Monroe. The negotiations had been disrupted and nearly ended when the 1818 military expedition led by Andrew Jackson ventured into Florida. But the problems caused by Andrew Jackson may have been useful to the American cause. Jacksons ambition and his aggressive behavior no doubt reinforced the fear that of the Spaniards that Americans could be coming into the territory held by Spain sooner or later. The American troops under Jackson had been able to walk into Spainish territory at will. Spain was beset by other problems. And it did not want to station troops, which would have to be supplied, in remote parts of Florida to defend against any future American encroachments. There was no escaping that if American soldiers could march into Florida and just seize it, there was little Spain could do. So Onis thought he might as well dispense with the Florida problem entirely while dealing with the issue of borders along the western edge of the Louisiana territory. The negotiations were resumed and proved fruitful. And Adams and Onis signed their agreement on February 22, 1819. A compromise boundary was established between the U.S. and Spanish territory, and the United States gave up claims to Texas in exchange for Spain giving up any claim to territory in the Pacific Northwest. The treaty, after ratification by both governments, became effective on February 22, 1821.  The treaty was eventually followed by other treaties that essentially confirmed the boundaries set out in 1821. An immediate result of the treaty was that it reduced tensions with Spain, and made the likelihood of another war seem remote. So the military budget of the United States could be cut and the size of the U.S. Army reduced in the 1820s.

A History of the Guillotine in Europe

A History of the Guillotine in Europe The guillotine is one of European historys most bloody icons. Although designed with the best of intentions, this hugely recognizable machine soon became associated with events that have overshadowed both its heritage and its development: the French Revolution. Yet, despite such a high profile and chilling reputation, histories of la guillotine remain muddled, often differing on quite basic details. Learn about the events that brought the guillotine to prominence, and also the machines place in a broader history of decapitation which, as far as France is concerned, finished only recently. Pre-Guillotine Machines - the Halifax Gibbet Although older narratives may tell you that the guillotine was invented in the late 18th century, most recent accounts recognize that similar decapitation machines have a long history. The most famous, and possibly one of the earliest, was the Halifax Gibbet, a monolithic wooden structure which was supposedly created from two fifteen foot high uprights capped by a horizontal beam. The blade was an axe head, attached to the bottom of a four and a half foot wooden block that slid up and down via grooves in the uprights. This device was mounted on a large, square, platform which was itself four foot high. The Halifax Gibbet was certainly substantial, and may date from as early as 1066, although the first definite reference is from the 1280s. Executions took place in the towns Market Place on Saturdays, and the machine remained in use until April 30th, 1650. Pre-Guillotine Machines in Ireland Another early example is immortalized in the picture The execution of Murcod Ballagh near to Merton in Ireland 1307. As the title suggests, the victim was called Murcod Ballagh, and he was decapitated by equipment which looks remarkably similar to the later French guillotines. Another, unrelated, picture depicts the combination of a guillotine style machine and a traditional beheading. The victim is lying on a bench, with an axe head held above his neck by some sort of mechanism. The difference lies in the executioner, who is shown wielding a large hammer, ready to strike the mechanism and drive the blade down. If this device existed, it may have been an attempt to improve the accuracy of the impact. Use of Early Machines There were many other machines, including the Scottish Maiden - a wooden construction based directly on the Halifax Gibbet, dating from the mid 16th century - and the Italian Mannaia, which was famously used to execute Beatrice Cenci, a woman whose life is obscured by clouds of myth. Beheading was usually reserved for the wealthy or powerful as it was considered to be nobler, and certainly less painful, than other methods; the machines were similarly restricted. However, the Halifax Gibbet is an important, and often overlooked, exception, because it was used to execute anyone breaking the relevant laws, including the poor. Although these decapitation machines certainly existed - the Halifax Gibbet was alleged to have been only one out of a hundred similar devices in Yorkshire - they were generally localized, with a design and use unique to their region; the French guillotine was to be very different. Pre-Revolutionary Methods of French Execution Many methods of execution were used across France in the early 18th century, ranging from the painful, to the grotesque, bloody and painful. Hanging and burning were common, as were more imaginative methods, such as tying the victim to four horses and forcing these to gallop in different directions, a process that tore the individual apart. The rich or powerful could be beheaded with axe or sword, while many suffered the compilation of death and torture that comprised hanging, drawing and quartering. These methods had a twofold purpose: to punish the criminal  and to act as a warning for others; accordingly, the majority of executions took place in public. Opposition to these punishments was slowly growing, due mainly to the ideas and philosophies of the Enlightenment thinkers - people such as Voltaire and Locke - who argued for humanitarian methods of execution. One of these was Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin; however, it is unclear whether the doctor was an advocate of capital punishment, or someone who wanted it to be, ultimately, abolished. Dr. Guillotins Proposals The  French Revolution  began in 1789, when an attempt to relieve a financial crisis exploded very much in the faces of the monarchy. A meeting called an Estates General transformed into a National Assembly which seized control of the moral and practical power at the heart of France, a process which convulsed the country, re-shaping the countrys social, cultural and political makeup. The legal system was reviewed immediately. On October 10th 1789 - the second day of the debate about Frances penal code - Dr. Guillotin proposed six articles to the  new Legislative Assembly, one of which called for decapitation to become the sole method of execution in France. This was to be carried out by a simple machine, and involve no torture. Guillotin presented an etching that illustrated one possible device, resembling an ornate, but hollow, stone column with a falling blade, operated by an effete executioner cutting the suspension rope. The machine was also hidden from the view of large crowds, according with Guillotins view that execution should be private and dignified. This suggestion was rejected; some accounts describe the Doctor being laughed, albeit nervously, out of the Assembly. Narratives often ignore the other five reforms: one asked for a nationwide standardisation in punishment, while others concerned the treatment of the criminals family, who were not to be harmed or discredited; property, which was not to be confiscated; and corpses, which were to be returned to the families. When Guillotin proposed his articles again on December 1st 1789, these five recommendations were accepted, but the beheading machine was, again, rejected. Growing Public Support The situation developed in 1791, when the Assembly agreed - after weeks of discussion - to retain the death penalty; they then began to discuss a more humane and egalitarian method of execution, as many of the previous techniques were felt to be too barbaric and unsuitable. Beheading was the preferred option, and the Assembly accepted a new, albeit repetitive, proposal by the Marquis Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, decreeing that Every person condemned to the death penalty shall have his head severed. Guillotins notion of a decapitation machine began to grow in popularity, even if the Doctor himself had abandoned it. Traditional methods like the sword or axe could prove messy and difficult, especially if the executioner missed or the prisoner struggled; a machine would not only be fast and reliable, but it would never tire. Frances main executioner, Charles-Henri Sanson, championed these final points. The First Guillotine Is Built The Assembly - working through Pierre-Louis Roederer, the Procureur gà ©nà ©ral - sought advice from Doctor Antoine Louis, the Secretary of the Academy of Surgery in France, and his design for a quick, painless, decapitation machine was given to Tobias Schmidt, a German Engineer. It is unclear whether Louis drew his inspiration from existing devices, or whether he designed from afresh. Schmidt built the  first guillotine  and tested it, initially on animals, but later on human corpses. It comprised two fourteen-foot uprights joined by a crossbar, whose internal edges were grooved and greased with tallow; the weighted blade was either straight, or curved like an axe. The system was operated via a rope and pulley, while the whole construction was mounted on a high platform. The final testing took place at a hospital in Bicà ªtre, where three carefully chosen corpses - those of strong, stocky men - were successfully beheaded. The first execution took place on April 25th, 1792, when a highwayman called Nicholas-Jacques Pelletier was killed. Further improvements were made, and an independent report to Roederer recommended a number of changes, including metal trays to collect blood; at some stage the famous angled blade was introduced and the high platform abandoned, replaced by a basic scaffold. The Guillotine Spreads Throughout France This improved machine was accepted by the Assembly, and copies were sent to each of the new territorial regions, named Departments. Pariss own was initially based at the place de  Carroussel, but the device was frequently moved. In the aftermath of Pelletiers execution the contraption became known as the Louisette or Louison, after Dr. Louis; however, this name was soon lost, and other titles emerged. At some stage, the machine became known as the  Guillotin, after Dr. Guillotin - whose main contribution had been a set of legal articles - and then finally la guillotine. It is also unclear precisely why, and when, the final e was added, but it probably developed out of attempts to rhyme Guillotin in poems and chants. Dr Guillotin himself wasnt very happy at being adopted as the name. The Machine Open to All The guillotine may have been similar in form and function to other, older, devices, but it broke new ground: an entire country officially, and unilaterally, adopted this decapitation machine for all of its executions. The same design was shipped out to all the regions, and each was operated in the same manner, under the same laws; there was supposed to be no local variation. Equally, the guillotine was designed to administer a fast and painless death to anyone, regardless of age, sex or wealth, an embodiment of such concepts as equality and humanity. Before the French Assemblys 1791 decree beheading was usually reserved for the rich or powerful, and it continued to be in other parts of Europe; however, Frances guillotine was available to all. The Guillotine Is Quickly Adopted Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the guillotines history is the sheer speed and scale of its adoption and use. Born out of a discussion in 1789 that had actually considered banning the death penalty, the machine had been used to kill over 15,000 people by the Revolutions close in 1799, despite not being fully invented until the middle of 1792. Indeed, by 1795, only a year and a half after its first use, the guillotine had decapitated over a thousand people in Paris alone. Timing certainly played a part, because the machine was introduced across France only months before a bloody new period in the revolution: The Terror. The Terror In 1793, political events caused a new governmental body to be introduced: The  Committee of Public Safety. This was supposed to work quickly and effectively, protecting the Republic from enemies and solving problems with the necessary force; in practice, it became a dictatorship run by Robespierre. The committee demanded the arrest and execution of anyone who either by their conduct, their contacts, their words or their writings, showed themselves to be supporters of tyranny, of federalism, or to be enemies of liberty (Doyle, The  Oxford History of the French Revolution, Oxford, 1989 p.251). This loose definition could cover almost everyone, and during the years 1793-4 thousands were sent to the guillotine. It is important to remember that, of the many who perished during the terror, most were not guillotined. Some were shot, others drowned, while in Lyon, on the 4 to the 8th of December 1793, people were lined up in front of open graves and shredded by grape-shot from cannons. Despite this, the guillotine became synonymous with the period, transforming into a social and political symbol of equality, death and the Revolution. The Guillotine Passes Into Culture It is easy to see why the quick, methodical, movement of the machine should have transfixed both France and Europe. Every execution involved a fountain of blood from the victims neck, and the sheer number of people being beheaded could create red pools, if not actual flowing streams. Where executioners once prided themselves on their skill, speed now became the focus; 53 people were executed by the Halifax Gibbet between 1541 and 1650, but some guillotines exceeded that total in a single day. The gruesome images coupled easily with morbid humour, and the machine became a cultural icon affecting fashion, literature, and even childrens toys. After the Terror, the Victims Ball became fashionable: only relatives of the executed could attend, and these guests dressed with their hair up and their necks exposed, mimicking the condemned. For all the fear and bloodshed of the Revolution, the guillotine doesnt appear to have been hated or reviled, indeed, the contemporary nicknames, things like the national razor, the widow, and Madame Guillotine seem to be more accepting than hostile. Some sections of society even referred, although probably largely in jest, to a  Saint Guillotine  who would save them from tyranny. It is, perhaps, crucial that the device was never associated wholly with any one single group, and that Robespierre himself was guillotined, enabling the machine to rise above petty party politics, and establish itself as an arbiter of some higher justice. Had the guillotine been seen as the tool of a group who became hated, then the guillotine might have been rejected, but by staying almost neutral it lasted, and became its own thing. Was the Guillotine to Blame? Historians have debated whether The Terror would have been possible without the guillotine, and its widespread reputation as a humane, advanced, and altogether revolutionary piece of equipment. Although water and gunpowder laid behind much of the slaughter, the guillotine was a focal point: did the population accept this new, clinical, and merciless machine as their own, welcoming its common standards when they might have balked at mass hangings and separate, weapon based, beheadings? Given the size and death toll of other European incidents within the same decade, this might be unlikely; but whatever the situation, la guillotine had become known across Europe within only a few years of its invention. Post-Revolutionary Use The history of the guillotine does not end with the French Revolution. Many other countries adopted the machine, including Belgium, Greece, Switzerland, Sweden and some German states; French colonialism also helped to export the device abroad. Indeed, France continued to use, and improve upon, the guillotine for at least another century. Leon Berger, a carpenter and executioners assistant, made a number of refinements in the early 1870s. These included springs to cushion the falling parts (presumably repeated use of the earlier design could damage the infrastructure), as well as a new release mechanism. The Berger design became the new standard for all French guillotines. A further, but very  short lived,  change  occurred under the executioner Nicolas Roch in the late 19th century; he included a board at the top to cover the blade, hiding it from an approaching victim. Rochs successor had the screen swiftly removed. Public executions continued in France until 1939, when Eugene Weidmann became the last open-air victim. It had thus taken nearly one hundred and fifty years for the practice to comply with Guillotins original wishes, and be hidden from the public eye. Although the machines use had gradually fallen after the revolution, executions in Hitlers Europe rose to a level that neared, if not exceeded, that of The Terror. The last State use of the guillotine in France occurred on September 10th  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹1977,  when Hamida Djandoubi was executed; there should have been another in 1981, but the intended victim, Philippe Maurice, was granted clemency. The death penalty was abolished in France that same year. The  Infamy of the Guillotine There have been many methods of execution used in Europe, including the mainstay of hanging and the more recent firing squad, but none have quite the lasting reputation or imagery as the guillotine, a machine which continues to provoke fascination. The guillotines creation is often blurred into the, almost immediate, period of its most famous use and the machine has become the most characteristic element of the French Revolution. Indeed, although the history of decapitation machines stretches back at least eight hundred years, often involving constructions that were almost identical to the guillotine, it is this later device which dominates. The guillotine is certainly evocative, presenting a chilling image entirely at odds with the original intention of a painless death. Dr. Guillotin Finally, and contrary to legend, Doctor Joseph Ignace Guillotin was not executed by his own machine; he lived until  1814,  and died of biological causes.