Root tilden kern scholarship nyu

Hello everyone,
I’m currently preparing my MBA applications for the next cycle. Due to economic considerations, I will be seeking as many scholarships as possible (ideally a full ride). However, since I plan to return to my home country in LatAm after the MBA, another consideration is the international branding of the university.
Therefore, my list includes: CBS, NYU, Yale, Berkeley, Tuck, Cornell, UCLA, Duke, LBS, and Oxford. I plan to distribute them across two rounds. I have no intention of applying to MIT or HBS as I want to maximize my chances.
I’ve thought about applying to schools outside the T15, but they aren’t very well recognized internationally.
My question is:
Does my list make sense? Is it possible to secure significant scholarships from these schools? I’m asking in terms of negotiation. Any recommendations?
My profile: 30M LATAM, 332 GRE, BBA GPA 4/5, Master's in Finance GPA 4.5/5, from the best schools in my country. 6 years of experience, currently Director of Operations in a regional pharma company and owner of a consulting boutique specializing in management consulting.
Goals: Strategy consulting in the short term, and long-term entrepreneurship and involvement in the family business.
Thank you!

Please note this is the original submission I sent Refinery29. In the current post,they have given me a second credit card with a 100$ balance, as well as generational trauma from World War II and cut context for other things. I am trying to get that fixed.
Per previous discussion in comments here: The espresso machine is a Bezzera, which ranges from 2-5K. We got ours on sale for 1.7K, it’s a work house and we use it everyday, still hurts that we spent that money on a coffee maker.
I do understand mortgage is debt but when you compare it to rent to a lesser value condo in Vancouver it feels like not debt at all, which is how I tend to think of it. Yes I owe my mortgage but also I get my house instead of renting-which may not have become clear.
Please see in full the diary, below (edit for formatting via mobile)
Occupation: Sr Business Analyst
Industry: Tech
Age: 30
Location: Vancouver Island, BC
Salary: 92,000$ (Spouse makes 60,000$ for a combined income of 152,000$ before tax)
Net Worth: ~ 1.2 Million ( house is valued at 989,000$ currently, we have a combined 150,000 in pension, and ~60,000 in various company stocks, and GICs)
Debt: 3,000$ in a zero interest credit card for a 10 month period. We balanced transferred and pay 400$/month. Debt was acquired in Q4 2023 when we had to buy Snow Tires, and do a full break replacement as well as Christmas. 480,000$ in a mortgage, we refinanced in September 2023 for five years fixed rate at accelerated biweekly, however I don’t consider our mortgage debt due to the equity we are gaining, and that our mortgage for a five bedroom, 3 bath single family home is less than rent for a two bedroom condo in Vancouver
Paycheck Amount (Every 2 Weeks): 2,555$ after taxes. (Just mine). Spouse makes 2,308$ after taxes. Our pay periods are alternating.
Pronouns: She/her
Monthly Expenses Mortgage: 1450$ biweekly (100$ extra to the principal).
Utilities: ~200$ (includes water [paid quarterly], hydro [paid bimonthly], gas, sewetrash [paid quarterly] phone [highly discounted due to work plans for spouse and myself] and car gas) Loan Payments: 400$/Credit Card
Car Insurance: 84$
Life Insurance: 167$ combined (67$ me, 100$ spouse)
Health & Dental Insurance: 60$ deducted from pay (coverage for myself and spouse from my employer. Spouse also has coverage for both of us deducted from pay)
Retirement Contribution: 400$ (Employee matches me), (Spouse has a defined pension through work and contributes ~200$ month)
Union fees: 70$ Spouse
Subscriptions: Crave 22$/month (Recent splurge for Binge watching the Rookie), Playstation Plus 100$ (annual bought on Black Friday Deal), Amazon Prime 80$ (Annual), BCAA 120$ (annual) Gym 30$/month (we both have one so 15$/pp)
Note: My spouse and I have completely commingled finances. I will be tracking both as it’s essentially I spent whatever they spent
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
There was always the expectation. My father was very clear, we were very smart. There was no way we’d be wasting our potential. He wanted me to be a lawyer, but unlike other immigrant parents, I got to choose my major and went into social sciences and got my masters in history. I deferred my PhD too much so I got dropped by the program.
I chose my university by where I got a full first year scholarship and then after that took about 15k in student loans for my undergraduate. My parents paid my rent and I got a part time job for food.
For my masters, I had a student line of credit and 5 k student loans otherwise it was all my savings and scholarships. With the line of credit, I had a total of 30K in student loans and paid it off in about four years.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
Save. We talked about how you get a dollar allowance and half of it goes into long term saving with 25% in short term and 25% in spend.
Investing came after I was eighteen. Family would like us to invest in property, however I don’t really want to be a landlord, but also we wouldn’t get to really enjoy profit of owning a rental property due to other family circumstances.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
Ice cream parlour I was twelve and my parents made me get it for responsibility. I lasted three weeks because I hated it.
Did you worry about money growing up?
I grew up thinking we were not rich, because we didn’t get big plane vacations (I didn’t count flying from Toronto to Vancouver every summer as a vacation since we were just seeing family but staying in a house my parents owned) and I had only been to Disney twice.
But we had a big new build house in the rich end of town, my mom stayed home to raise all of us. We had to work for things (like going to see a movie opening night or a new CD) but we always had money and got what we wanted. In retrospect, my family was/is fairly well off.
Both my parents grew up poor, with parents working multiple jobs and different shifts to make ends meet, the strive/drive to not have that childhood, and for my father to be able to retire his parents really impacted mine and my siblings and cousins lives. My father showed me the apartment he grew up in Chinatown a few years back. It’s light years away from the house my grandparents owned when I was a kid and how I grew up.
Do you worry about money now?
Of course. Inflation is real and we are actively planning a wedding for the next year, as well as a baby in the next few years. We also need to buy a second car, so we’re saving for that.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
Fully financially responsible? Twenty five. I lived in a family property where I didn’t pay rent in one of the most expensive cities in Canada, so even though I paid all my bills (food and phone), I didn’t have to pay rent. I in fact made money, as I rented rooms out and used the income for house utilities, and paying my student loans down faster. When I moved in with my spouse, I just paid condo fees until we bought our house two years ago which gave me plenty of time to save.
Our financial safety net is family, and our savings. I know my family would bail us out. My spouse’s father would as well. Conversely, we are my spouse’s mother's safety net and we have to keep all our plans in mind that we will be subsidising her.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain. Yes, I received 50K from my parents once they sold my childhood home, as did both of my siblings. I have also received 10K from one set of grandparents which paid off my car and part of my student loans when I was 21. I will be receiving another inheritance when probate is done for around ~100K. My spouse also has received inheritance which allowed them to buy their first condo in their early twenties when the market was much better. That condo, 50k, and the subsequent upgrading helped us afford our house.
Day 1
10 AM: I drive to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. Not how I want to start my Sunday morning but y’know. Normally I’d walk since it’s about 20 minutes but I have a UTI. I’m “lucky” that despite not having a dr because of the health care shortage, my work pays for the Maple app so I could get a dr to write the prescription and order the lab work at 1 am. I’ll do the lab work later this week when I can get an appointment but will take the relief now. Insurance makes the antibiotics free, but I also buy hydrogen peroxide because we’re out and we have a dog that thinks everything is meant to be in her mouth. We’ll buy a bigger one at Costco later. I also bought some oral wound mouthwash because we were out. I come home and my spouse made us breakfast.
Total: 15.90$ paid with debit.
1-2:30 PM: We do our taxes. I have a mini meltdown when I realize the part time bakery job I had for a few months didn’t take off income tax last year, so I owe 800$. Luckily, my partner is getting a refund so we net out positive 400$. The bakery took off income tax in 2022, so unsure why they didn’t in 2023. I made us lunch.
3-6:30 PM: We walk the dog, and watch the Rookie. Some time during that time period, a venue emails us back and is surprisingly affordable at 3k. I also get told that the tattoo artist I want to book with, has not chosen me.
6:30-7:30 PM: I explain what lazy girl dinner is to my spouse and make a lazy girl dinner. After not really grocery shopping since Feb for things besides fresh veg, we need to do a big pantry shop and neither of us want that. We debate about buying a food saver and if we should wait for a sale. My spouse is more frugal than me and has determined we should.
8-9:30 PM: We start season 3 of The Rookie, and then after two episodes we go to bed
Day One Total: 15.90$
Day Two
5:45-8 AM: Wake up and start work. I get up to date with what’s happened on the weekend and check that my automated reports. Sometime before 6:30, I get the kettle on for my spouse’s pour over before I go back to my meetings. There’s a twenty minute gap where I get changed and do my skin care and brush my teeth. I’d love to be a skin care person but honestly I’ve spent too much money on product that I don’t use and that just goes bad. Washing my face and using sun screen is a win.
I also make sure that Spouse’s lunch is in his bag and I get our travel mugs ready. Before, we used to go to Starbucks every day. Starbucks used to do free refills on coffee and tea if you were a rewards member if you bought a coffee or tea so it would cost us $5/day (2.5/pp), and we could get refills all day. While that’s 20$/week, 80$/a month and yes, we could have saved it but back then, that 80$ wasn’t turning the dial anywhere significantly for us—a privileged view.
But now, after COVID where I stopped drinking tea after one day working from home having like 10 cups and thinking I was dying, and Spouse has bought a good grinder and we recently splurged on a stupidly expensive espresso machine we call his Engagement Espresso since it costs the same price as my stupidly expensive ring, we bring our coffees.
8-8:30 AM: We drive to work. Prior to buying our house, we were both work from home and lived in a city with amazing transit. We only needed the one car. Since buying the house and moving to a city where public transit is a joke (the one bus goes past our house every 1.5h), Spouse changed jobs and is in office every day and I have to go in 3 days a week. We need a second car or the e-bike rebate to come through. We debate this in the car, since I’m done at 1 pm, and Spouse works normal hours, I either have to take the bus home, or go to the gym for three hours. Today though, I drop Spouse off. I will pick him up later as he has a half day because of the dentist
8:30-12:30 AM/PM: Work. I find a tech manager and ask them to get me more triple a batteries. Work won’t provide or let me expense batteries for my mouse, despite them replacing my usb mouse with a battery one. The poor admin had to tell me the decision is that we’ll all supply our own batteries. Luckily the tech managers have to have batteries on hand and give them out freely.
I ask my boss how the work from home tax forms work, and he is going to find out.
I run more meetings and work on a request for a dashboard and a business case for a new feature that I have to convince leadership to spend money on.
12:30-1 PM: I drive back to my Spouse because he has a dentist appointment.
While I wait for a spouse, I am incredibly hungry. I’m usually not hungry/don’t eat a proper meal until around 1 in the afternoon and my two granola bars I already ate at the office. I go to the bakery by Spouse’s work and buy a cheese bun for me (3.65$), and an apple pie scone (2.55$) for Spouse as a snack. Spouse points out he won’t be able to eat until after his appointment.
Total: 6.20$ debit
1-1:30 PM: I drop Spouse off, and the car stops working. The engine won’t catch. I try multiple times and then run into the dentist to dramatically announce to Spouse and the receptionists that the car won’t start. Spouse asks me what he wants me to do about this, since he’s about to go into an appointment. A very kind receptionist tells me it might be the alternator. I don’t know what that is.
I go back to the car to Facetime my father. He also asks what I think he can do to help since he lives 3000 km away. Weirdly, and sexistly, I thought a man who grew up at race tracks, in a racing family, or the man who has collected and worked on sports cars for forty years might be able to help.
Spouse texts me to remind me we have BCAA while my father also tells me that. I finally get the engine to catch and drive the very long way home, going the speed limit and getting stuck in traffic, construction and a bus. It takes me 20 minutes to get home instead of 10.
1:30-2:30 PM: I walk the dog, mail a (late) birthday card and then start researching what an alternator is. The car is over a decade old and until the house, the most expensive thing I ever bought at 12K back in 2015. We have the funds for the cost, but it’s my first car and the fact it might be the end of its life is scary.
Alternators can cost between 400-800$ repair with labour, so that’s fun.
My dad calls me back and apologises for asking me what he could do away. He advises me that there’s probably a bald spot on the alternator and advises me to go to the mechanic to check or replace it, if the car doesn’t start again.
I call the mechanic to book an appointment, and to also get the snow tires off and to buy new rims for the snow tires. The mechanic lets me know that the alternator part is 500$, and an hour of labour so with taxes we’re looking at around 700$
That future appointment next week (we’re going down a highway this weekend which requires snow tires) will cost ~1.5K, assuming we replace the alternator.
I make lunch and sigh.
2:30 PM: The car starts thankfully. I drive incredibly slow. I pick up Spouse by idling the car. We get an email back from a venue saying they cost 75,000$ minimum. The timing is hysterical.
Due to the nature of the dentist, Spouse owes 618$, as they haven’t flipped it under my insurance. They split it in half, as he has a follow up in two weeks. After the next appointment they will flip the whole amount under me and we’ll get reimbursed for the whole amount.
Total 309$/credit card.
3-10 PM: We walk the dog, make dinner (Spouse makes white sauce pasta, with chicken and peas) and watch The Rookie. There are thirteen episodes in season three, and we will be busy every night this week besides Friday and Sunday, and I would like to finish season three so we can start season 4 next Monday. I don’t want to pay for more than one month of Crave. We have five episodes left
Day Two Total: 315.2$
Day Three
1 AM: 100$ is automatically transferred from our account to the credit card debit. We have an auto transfer of 100$/every Tuesday to a Visa where we balance transferred both our cards. We have an offer for 0 interest for 10 months, so we did that for some of the bigger expenses (snow tires, break replacement and general Christmas) and are on track to pay it back within the next 6 months. That visa is our emergency card that we just have in the back end and utilise for promos like this. It allows us to keep our two cards balances manageable and lets us pay in an easier way than taking big chunks out of our various savings.
Total: 100$/direct deposit
5:45-9 AM: Work. Meetings, reports, trying to convince a colleague that the process does include them and refusal to follow it means that their requests won’t be done. Spouse has another half day so I can go into the office at my leisure—if the car starts
9-9:20 AM: The car starts, I get into the office and refresh a data flow before a meeting with a new stake holder. It takes longer to drive into work today because the tourists are starting to come and their van builds or campers are not exactly highway speed and with a two lane highway, if you don’t merge over fast enough you’re stuck.
10:05-10:20 AM: Meeting done, car starts again and I drive home for more meetings. The least amount of time in the office is preferable for me.
10:30-11AM : Meeting with my manager where we discuss future salary and promotion. I am due for a promotion in the start of Q2, which would push me to six figures. I’ll believe it when I see it but, I’m really excited at that possibility for my family.
11:15 AM: Spouse leaves for work, we discuss what groceries are needed, as well if he’ll go to Home Depot tonight to buy more clover seeds for the yard, as we need to reseed before it starts raining. I eat a muffin and my dog and cat decide to try and eat each other.
11:15-1:30 PM: Work runs late. There’s some issues with the data and we can’t figure it out. We call it a night, and I’ll record the video presentations tomorrow, once we fix the data.
1:30-4 PM: Nap time! It’s bad for me, but honestly I don’t sleep well during the night so naps are what keep me alive.
4-6 PM I prep dinner (smash burgers and fries), and get chores done and walk the dog.
6-7:30 PM: Spouse comes home, we eat dinner. Groceries come to 96.83 for two 7 pound pork loins, two packs of bacon, chicken nuggets, coffee, pop, 8 pack of peppers, milk, tomato, pickles, rice, avocado, mushrooms, sour cream and lettuce.
Not too bad, we average about 300$/month in groceries because we can buy bulk and have a second freezer.
For the month of March we are currently at 123.61$ for groceries and there is twelve days left. We went on a small weekend away, so we ate out a fair bit but even then our current food budget is 272.27$ today.
Total: 96.83/ debit
7:30-10 PM: Spouse makes a coffee and plays video games with his friends. They do it every week. I have a shower, fold and put away laundry and read in bed.
Day Three Total: 196.83
Day Four
1AM: Our biweekly accelerated mortgage payment comes out of 1450$. I’m tracking it here to be honest on our spending but I tend not to think of it as money spent because in my head it’s already money gone. To pay for a house equivalent in Vancouver, the mortgage would be over 6k. Renting a two bedroom condo would be 3K. It feels like the mortgage is just cheaper rent, even though each time I own more of my house.
5:45-9 AM: Work. I find out the limits of how many people I can invite to a Teams Meeting as well as that the Thursday before Good Friday is a catholic holiday when a few people ask me to reschedule a training forum for over a thousand people. Sometime in there I make us coffee, make sure Spouse has lunch packed (leftovers). Spouse has walked the dog and has the recycling and compost out for pick up. I drop Spouse off at work.
10-11:45 AM: I leave the office for home and more meetings. I walk the dog and go record training videos. I get an email that Amazon is doing their big spring sale. I send a link to a robot mop and vaccum that’s on a big discount to Spouse. We want one, but I’m not in charge of the research on it. I send links to play grounds to my friends with toddlers
11:45-12:30 PM : I shove lunch in my mouth, last night’s left overs. I’m running late, and decide to get myself later by collecting all the random dishes and mugs that just show up places and start the dishwasher. I get to the lab ten minutes early but need to buy gas on the way home.
I tell my team I’ll be MIA for a bit and leave the work phone in the car.
I buy 15.6L of gas for 30$ at 1.879/l it sucks. I don’t fill up because we’re going to my in laws this weekend and there’s a Costco Gas Bar there.
Total: 30$/credit card
12:30-1:30 PM: Work goes long again.
1:30-2:30 PM: Nap!
2:30-4:30 PM: Walk the dog and drive to the gym. I usually go three times a week but with last week’s weekend away and this week’s weird half days from Spouse, today’s the only day. I make it up by doing both upper and lower body and a 30 minute circuit.
4:30-7:30 PM: I pick up Spouse and we go to Costco. We pick up nachos, ham, cheese buns and some other items. We debate buying our friend’s kid a toddler set of clothes and decide no. We end up buying work pants for Spouse, and a garden hose. It comes out to 116.90
I order our Costco dinner of hot dogs and fries for a grand total date night of 6.41$
Total: 123.31/ credit card
8-9 PM: Dance class! We bought a series of six lessons of introduction to ballroom back in December for a new date night idea. We paid 60$/pp and this is the fifth lesson tonight.
9 pm: We’re home, we let the dog out. Spouse spends an undetermined amount of time watching ballroom videos while I sleep.
Day Four Total: 1603.31$ or 153.31 excluding the mortgage payment.
Day Five
5:45-9 AM: Work. All the meetings. Thursday is the meeting day. I debate with a friend what’s the earliest call we’ve had. 4:30 am still wins. I pack lunch for Spouse and his coffee and he leaves. I end up cleaning up cat puke as the cat decides to drink milk from Spouse’s cereal and vomit it up on camera in a meeting.
9-9:30 AM: I make myself a matcha and walk the dog.
9:30-1 PM: Work and I treat myself to a lunch of a cheese bun and ham sandwhich. We used to eat it every Sunday while growing up but the cost of ham has been outrageous. The deal at Costco yesterday was 1.5$/100 g which is really good.
1-1:30 PM: I seal the wooden deer Christmas decoration we bought last year. It sits outside our front door and needs to be weather proofed, and I’ve been putting it off for five months. But the weather is good and we have newspapers. We have left over wood sealer after the sign we bought a year ago so I use that. The dog and the cat both don’t like my wooden deer.
1:30-4 PM: Nap!
4-5 PM: I basically just watch youtube and drink a root beer. I have no energy.
5-6:30 PM: Spouse comes home, we walk the dog and I make dinner (Kraft Dinner and nuggets–I swear we eat veggies but today is not that day). We discuss the possibility of our dog at our wedding as a flower girl, and if she’ll be in a tutu or a cheongsam like me. I am now researching if they make dog cheongsams and if she can match us. The cat, despite all my heart wanting it, won’t physically be there because he will have an anxiety attack and probably die.
6:30-10:30 PM: Board game night! We go to a friend’s to repeat the same scenario we’ve lost two weeks in a row.
10:30-11 PM: I pack Spouse’s breakfast (oatmeal and frozen berries), lunch (spicy tuna and mayo) since he’s trying to go to the gym before work, and feed the animals before we go to bed.
Day Five Total: 0$
Day Six Friday
5:45-9 AM: Work. I have a deep focus block which means I can get the script for the training I have to run. Public speaking is not my strong suit and it’s a group of a thousand people so I’m not looking forward to it. Spouse almost makes it to the gym. I get an email that my new work phone has shipped. I’m surprised because they wouldn’t order us any for the past four years, but I guess my new iPhone will show up next week. I might give my old work phone to my mother in law, since she smashed the camera on the phone we bought her last year.
9-9:30 AM: I walk the dog, make a matcha and make a todo list for what we have to get done before we leave to my in laws tomorrow. I text my mother in law happy birthday, and hope that she got the card in time. She did.
9:30-11:30 AM: My last meeting for the week ends and I’m debating calling it a day so I can nap. Instead I make lunch (cheese bun and ham), text my other mother in law our plan for Saturday, and unload and reload the dishwasher and go back to work for at least another hour.
12:30-1 PM: I shower and do skin care
1-3 PM: Nap! Somewhere in this time FedEx comes and since I’m sleeping, we have to pick up on Monday. I’m not too sure what it is, I assume it’s our custom address stamp from Etsy because that’s the only thing I’ve bought recently but not too sure. I just realized in retrospect, this might be my new work phone.
3-5 PM: I prep dinner (nachos), unload the dishwasher, pack my overnight bag and confirm all our venue tours by email. I start a load of laundry and do a quick clean. I feel like this is not the best image of our diet. I swear we generally eat healthy but we both have been feeling really blah over the past two weeks so have been going for quick and easy over healthy and balanced. I do have three whole peppers and two whole avocados in the nachos though.
5-7 PM: Spouse comes home, we walk the dog, have dinner, and plan out next week. We have a big Wednesday next week (mechanic, I have a nails appointment, dance class), and we are having our friends over for Easter so we need to prep for that. We pack the car so tomorrow is a very easy start.
Spouse also gets paid today. We’re lucky that we’re on alternating pay periods, we used to be on the same and it always felt stressful. Spouse also lets me know his union has secured a 3% cost of living raise to start in Q3. I really like his union for negotiating a base 2% year of cost of living raise, with potential addition raises depending on inflation. It’s a bit away but that’s still good news.
7:30-10:30 PM: We finish The Rookie Season 3 and head to bed. Crave reminds me that I have 10 days until I’m charged again. Sadly, I think we’ll have to pay for 2 months.
Day Six Total: 0
Day Seven Saturday
8:30-9:30 AM: Wake up. No one (except the dog) slept well so we’re not in a morning mood. Spouse makes coffee and walks the dog, while I finish packing the car and give the cat a lot of attention. Our first venue tour is at 11 and the one that is the most expensive (8-10K), but also the one we probably want the most. We live about an hour away but the highway is two lanes and one accident can back everything up for hours.
10:40-1 PM: We visit our dream venue. We stay way longer than expected. Basically if the quote is under 10K, we’ll get it. Just waiting now.
1-2 PM: We get to our in-laws and have a lunch of egg salad sandwhichs. We need to buy gas. My in laws drive us to a pottery painting store.
2-4 PM: We paint pottery. My mother in law only wanted to do this for her birthday. They’ll pick it up in a week after it’s been thrown. I paint a vase (28$), Spouse paints an Easter egg (18$), father in law paints a mug (30$), and mother in law paints a plate (50$)
Total:143.36/credit card
4-5 Pm: We see another venue. It’s an instant no. My in laws decide they want to try Korean fried chicken. We call ahead for take out to get two fries and 16 pieces of half and half. It comes to 50.83$ that my in laws pay for.
5-10 PM: We come back and see that our dog has pooped in their house and also has gotten into their pantry and eaten an entire bag of dog food. It is not a fun night.
We spend the night drinking wine and discussing the wedding and watching TV.
10PM: We go to bed. That’s the end of this week, but tomorrow we will be buying gas and probably lunch for my other mother in law as we will be touring another venue.
Day Seven Total: 143.36$

This is my first post so I hope I’m doing this right! For extra info, I’m from Detroit, Michigan & African-American with a single mother and one younger sibling 💕
standardized testing: - 1440 SAT
extracurriculars: - marching band 4y, section leader 3y - symphonic band 3y, section leader 2y - national honor society 2y (juniors and seniors only), executive board officer (secretary of communications) 1y - co founder of my school’s chapter of Model UN
gpa: - unweighted, 3.612 - weighted, 3.714
rigorous classes: - Honors English 10 - IB Lang & Lit (11th & 12th grade) - IB World Civilizations I (11th grade), no score yet - IB Theory of Knowledge (11th & 12th grade) - IB Calculus AB (12th grade, predicted) - IB French III (12th grade, predicted) - IB Extended Essay (12th grade, predicted) - IB World Civilizations II (12th grade, predicted) - IB Environmental Science (12th grade, predicted) - IB Music History (12th grade, predicted)
honors, distinctions, & awards: - I (Superior) rating at District MSBOA playing a duet on alto sax, pieces “Winter” & “Spring” (10th grade) - I (Superior) rating at District MSBOA playing a solo on alto sax, piece “Aria” by Eugene Bozza (11th grade) - II (Excellent) rating at State MSBOA playing a solo on alto sax, piece “Aria” by Eugene Bozza, sight reading, and scales (11th grade) - $7,150 World Navigators scholarship from CIEE to study French Language & Culture in Toulouse, France for the summer of junior year - All-expenses paid trip to Italy from the Palazzo Strozzi Foundation, won from an essay competition. Study Italian literature and culture on the NYU Florence campus for the summer of junior year. (Rejected due to conflicts with the Toulouse, France trip)
Colleges I want to go to, in no particular order: 1. Brown University (RI) 2. Columbia University (NY) 3. New York University (NY) 4. Howard University (DC) 5. Spelman College (GA) 6. University of Chicago (IL) 7. Princeton University (NJ) 8. North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (NC) 9. Yale University (CT) 10. Florida A&M University (FL) 11. University of Pennsylvania (PA) 12. University of Miami (FL)

I recently committed to Pitt for their guaranteed dental program, but I am wondering: did I make the right choice? Here's a pros and cons list for my top three choices:
Pitt GAP Dental
Pros: Got into dental school already (need to maintain certain GPA, don't need to take the DAT), program also allows u to matriculate early!!!, great undergrad life, nice mix of college-town and city vibes, lots of research/STEM opportunities, already have a roommate
Cons: OOS, Didn't get much of a scholarship (need to pay 48k/yr undergrad + 120k/yr dental school), undergrad isn't as prestigious
NYU CAS
Pros: One of my DREAM SCHOOLS (literally screamed when I got in), my most prestigious option, NYC, can possibly get dental research opportunities w their large dental school
Cons: THE DEBT is astronomical (I have to pay like 93k/yr undergrad + 140k/yr dental school), no designated college campus - so no "college life" w football games and stuff
VCU Honors
Pros: In-state and I got a good scholarship so I only have to pay for dorms/food (0 undergrad debt), parents will get me a nice car if I go here, option of preferred applicant track (I can apply to VCU dental sophomore year), lots of benefits for honors students, lots of research/stem opportunities
Cons: Least prestigious, don't rly like Richmond, salty that I got rejected from the GAP :D
Please let me know what you guys think!!

Background: BS in ENVS-soil/water conservation concentration. Currently attending grad school on grad assistantship w/scholarship working in water quality lab. Worked in a wetland ecosystem lab focusing on CO2 and CH4 emissions for a year. Then worked for USGS for 2 years (SSC while undergrad): main project was assessing cypress tree decline (root conductivity, leaf area indexing, soil cores, biomass, C:N ect) in relation to SLsalinity. (Left on an extremely good work ethic and personal note) While working there I found myself way more interested in sedimentation and coastal restoration.
I’m trying to decide what path I should take when I get out of school.
Academia (pros-benefits, personal satisfaction) (cons-low pay)
Industry (pros- higher salary?) (cons- third party benefits- < than federal employment)
I’m currently working on my water quality and energy optimization thesis. Nitrate fluxes via wastewater treatment plants.
Since I have a lot of debt (school), my plan was to go back to into the federal employment to take advantage of the student loan forgiveness on public loans as they offer the benefit. Recently I was offered a lab manager (no loan benefit) position when I finish grad school. The lab management position pays $8k more than what the Feds are offering for their current position. I love research and am very detailed oriented which as has served me very well in my research-work history.
I’m also planning on proposing within the year and with both of us in early careers, I wanted to reach out and see if I could get some insight to the industry side of things.

I’m currently looking for a PhD programme in the US. As of now I selected the following ones, but before applying I would like to know if the scholarship can match a “normal” life style. By normal I mean allowing me to rent a studio and cover the cost of living. I usually eat at home and casually go out in the weekend for a beer with friends. No car. Basically most of my expenditure is rent and food at the groceries.

• NYU (66k gross per year)
• Notre Dame (45-50k gross per year)
• UPenn (45-50k gross per year)
• UCBerkeley (?? Gross per year)
• UConn (?? Gross per year)

Pls let me know also if you have a good uni to suggest to pursue a phd in Mathematics/Logic. Thank you

As the title suggests, I got acceptance into NYU into their masters programs but the high cost of living and tuition is something I can't afford. My plans were to study in the UK but I was rejected from almost all unis due to my undergrad GPA(which is something I can't change now and I want to switch streams and applied to do Maths masters and my undergrad is in computer science lack of math modules even though I had decent math coursework) except QMUL and Warwick. For further context I was waitlisted at LSE for Applicable Maths. Now I am conflicted what to do I always wanted to do my masters in London but QMUL has a bad repo and at Warwick the program is not what I want to do. So my options are either do a QMUL masters(way cheaper due to scholarship) and then do another masters from a good uni later or take hefty debt and go for NYU. So what should I do?

Hello! I have been applying for the MPH program in different universities in the USA for the last few years. Even though I received offers from NYU, Emory, WUSTL, and Minnesota, securing a scholarship has been difficult. As an international student, I am finding it increasingly challenging and am feeling a bit frustrated at this stage. I am now considering not applying to highly ranked universities anymore. I need your suggestions regarding the MPH programs at LIU and New Haven. Also, please suggest some other mid or lower-ranked universities with great curriculam and research opportunities, especially those that offer funding opportunities. I know many will tell me to Google it by myseld, but I need your suggestions based on your experience. Thank you!

As the title suggests, I got acceptance into NYU into their masters programs but the high cost of living and tuition is something I can't afford. My plans were to study in the UK but I was rejected from almost all unis due to my undergrad GPA(which is something I can't change now and I want to switch streams and applied to do Maths masters and my undergrad is in computer science lack of math modules even though I had decent math coursework) except QMUL and Warwick. For further context I was waitlisted at LSE for Applicable Maths. Now I am conflicted what to do I always wanted to do my masters in London but QMUL has a bad repo and at Warwick the program is not what I want to do. So my options are either do a QMUL masters(way cheaper due to scholarship) and then do another masters from a good uni later or take hefty debt and go for NYU. So what should I do?

I feel like I was an overachieving high school student at my school. But I failed in the college admissions process.

- 4-year ASB Board Member, huge strides/impact as Student Body President and 2nd Vice Pres. Established Student Comment at Board meetings, substitute taught classes with advisor on medical leave. Student Reporter for high school segment of monthly district video for families. Graduation commencement speaker. I also established and led the Video & Tech group after doing all the videos myself for the school for 2 years.
- 2 1/2 years varsity orchestra, 2nd to concertmaster. ~7 years total.
- 4th in state 300m hurdles junior year, swept team Captain, MVP, and most varsity points 2 years in a row, Conference Male Athlete of The Year, multiple top 10 school records
- 1 year experience as a Hyatt downtown hotel front desk agent, full time for summer hired at 17
- 3.90 unweighted GPA, 2 AP classes out of the 6-8 or so offered
- Successful YouTube channel and Minecraft server in middle school (7k subs, hundreds of thousands of views, $600+ revenue)

Applied for Business

Waitlisted from Cornell Hospitality School
Rejected from University of Washington, UPenn, Boston University, Rice University University of Southern California, WashU, NYU and Northeastern. These were all the reach schools I applied to
Accepted to University of Oregon, Seattle University, DePaul University, Portland State University, and Western Washington University.

My downfall? Course rigor on my transcript I guess and the lack of extracurriculars/awards outside of school. And probably for applying Business. I didn't take calculus either even though I was a year ahead in math.
I can confidently say I've been the biggest part of my community. I gave everything I could because I love my district and my community. It's shown because I have numerous student and athlete of the month awards and just the impacts I've made all around. It's hard to really get that across properly, it's not quantitative.
I'm looking for closure as I head to my local state school having to pay about 15k. I wanted to go out of state but I can't afford paying more than 10k even, I never wanted to take out loans. I was rejected from every top school and every scholarship I've applied to so far. I feel like I did so much and I was so busy and I did the things I was passionate about, but that wasn't what colleges were looking for. And it's hard seeing a lot of people succeed in the admissions process who may not have done as much as I have. I'm willing to be selfish and say I probably deserve the success more than some.
To put it best, I'm a jack of all trades and a master of none. I wasn't an overachieving academic, nor was I good enough to be a high D1 recruit (although I'm really close); I'm just in the middle. I'm extremely well-rounded.

cGPA - 3.73 sGPA - 3.45 DAT - 19

• traditional applicant
• 4 student organization leadership experience
• Volunteer (havent calculated but more than 100 hours)
• ~80 Job shadowing hours
• Full time Employment during summer
• 6 ish Awards (including scholarships)
• ROTC cadet
• 2 academic enrichment

-A.T. Still - Augusta - ECU - Lincoln Memorial -NYU - Roseman - Ohio state - Tufts - Detroit Mercy - Minnesota - Mississippi - Missouri Kensas city - New England - Utah - UW
Obviously havent finalized the list yet but I would really appreciate any insights/advice please !

[EDIT: u/DnBenjamin has explained what’s going on in a comment below: https://www.reddit.com/OrthodoxChristianity/s/R6N7yyHIAp ]
https://www.youtube.com/live/aok9YTyBg10?si=syhz_d4pchyo6DAP
Fr Stephen DeYoung says as much (around the 90 minute mark he begins talking about Psalm 81 (“you are gods”). At around the 1hr 40 mark he says that if an interpretation doesn’t make sense in the ‘original context’, it’s wrong.
But the ‘original context’ of the Psalms, as we understand that to be today, was not available to the apostles or to the Church Fathers. Even now the ‘original context’ isn’t something we actually have access to; it’s a construct of scholarship. One of the things I greatly appreciate about the Orthodox tradition, as I have understood it via the OSB, is that it allows for this. A text can have a plain meaning — it’s ’original context’ — and another, higher meaning, revealed by Christ and rooted in church tradition. This meaning needn’t have been intended by its human author. This is more consistent with how I understand the Church Fathers — and the ancients in general — to have read scripture. A framework would be applied, and meaning was drawn out of the text through it. There was no real sense of needing to reconstruct the original historical context to divine the ‘only correct’ meaning, ie that which aligns with the hypothetical authors hypothetical intent. This is the project of modern scholarship/some forms of Protestantism (more often than not, these are the same thing).
I’m not sure if I’ve radically misunderstood Fr DeYoung, or if I’m misunderstanding the Orthodox approach the scripture, but either way I’m hoping you guys can help me out here.

abandon, ability, able, about, above, absence, absolute, absolutely, abstract, abundance, academy, accent, accept, access, accident, accompany, accomplish, according, account, accurate, achieve, achievement, acid, acknowledge, acquire, across, action, active, activity, actor, actual, actually, adapt, addition, additional, address, adequate, adjust, administration, admire, admission, admit, adolescent, adopt, adult, advance, advantage, adventure, advertise, advice, advise, adviser, advocate, affair, affect, afford, afraid, after, afternoon, again, against, age, agency, agenda, agent, aggressive, ago, agree, agreement, agriculture, ahead, aid, aim, air, aircraft, airline, airport, alarm, album, alcohol, alive, all, alliance, allow, ally, almost, alone, along, already, also, alter, alternative, although, always, amateur, amazing, ambition, ambulance, among, amount, analysis, analyst, analyze, ancient, and, anger, angle, angry, animal, anniversary, announce, annual, another, answer, anticipate, anxiety, any, anybody, anymore, anyone, anything, anyway, anywhere, apart, apartment, apologize, apparent, apparently, appeal, appear, appearance, apple, application, apply, appoint, appointment, appreciate, approach, appropriate, approval, approve, approximately, architect, area, argue, argument, arise, arm, armed, army, around, arrange, arrangement, arrest, arrival, arrive, art, article, artist, artistic, as, ashamed, aside, ask, asleep, aspect, assault, assert, assess, assessment, asset, assign, assignment, assist, assistance, assistant, associate, association, assume, assumption, assure, at, athlete, athletic, atmosphere, attach, attack, attempt, attend, attention, attitude, attorney, attract, attraction, attractive, attribute, audience, author, authority, auto, available, average, avoid, award, aware, awareness, away, awful, baby, back, background, bad, badly, bag, balance, ball, ban, band, bank, bar, barely, barrel, barrier, base, baseball, basic, basically, basis, basket, basketball, bath, bathroom, battery, battle, be, beach, bear, beat, beautiful, beauty, because, become, bed, bedroom, bee, beef, beer, before, begin, beginning, behavior, behind, being, belief, believe, bell, belong, below, belt, bench, bend, beneath, benefit, beside, besides, best, bet, better, between, beyond, bicycle, big, bike, bill, billion, bind, biological, bird, birth, birthday, bit, bite, black, blade, blame, blanket, blind, block, blood, blow, blue, board, boat, body, bomb, bombing, bond, bone, book, boom, boot, border, boring, born, borrow, boss, both, bother, bottle, bottom, boundary, bowl, box, boy, boyfriend, brain, branch, brand, brave, bread, break, breakfast, breast, breath, breathe, brick, bridge, brief, briefly, bright, brilliant, bring, broad, broken, brother, brown, brush, buck, budget, build, building, bullet, bunch, burden, burn, bury, bus, business, busy, but, butter, button, buy, buyer, by, cabin, cabinet, cable, cake, calculate, call, camera, camp, campaign, campus, can, Canadian, cancer, candidate, cap, capability, capable, capacity, capital, captain, capture, car, carbon, card, care, career, careful, carefully, carrier, carry, case, cash, cast, cat, catch, category, Catholic, cause, ceiling, celebrate, celebration, celebrity, cell, center, central, century, CEO, ceremony, certain, certainly, chain, chair, chairman, challenge, chamber, champion, championship, chance, change, changing, channel, chapter, character, characteristic, characterize, charge, charity, chart, chase, cheap, check, cheek, cheese, chef, chemical, chest, chicken, chief, child, childhood, Chinese, chip, chocolate, choice, cholesterol, choose, Christian, Christmas, church, cigarette, circle, circumstance, cite, citizen, city, civil, civilian, claim, class, classic, classroom, clean, clear, clearly, client, climate, climb, clinic, clinical, clock, close, closely, closer, clothes, clothing, cloud, club, clue, cluster, coach, coal, coalition, coast, coat, code, coffee, cognitive, cold, collapse, colleague, collect, collection, collective, college, colonial, color, column, combination, combine, come, comedy, comfort, comfortable, command, commander, comment, commercial, commission, commit, commitment, committee, common, communicate, communication, community, company, compare, comparison, compete, competition, competitive, competitor, complain, complaint, complete, completely, complex, complexity, compliance, complicate, complicated, component, compose, composition, comprehensive, computer, concentrate, concentration, concept, concern, concerned, concert, conclude, conclusion, concrete, condition, conduct, conference, confidence, confident, confirm, conflict, confront, confusion, Congress, congressional, connect, connection, consciousness, consensus, consequence, conservative, consider, considerable, consideration, consist, consistent, constant, constantly, constitute, constitutional, construct, construction, consultant, consume, consumer, consumption, contact, contain, container, contemporary, content, contest, context, continue, continued, contract, contrast, contribute, contribution, control, controversial, controversy, convention, conventional, conversation, convert, conviction, convince, cook, cookie, cooking, cool, cooperation, cop, cope, copy, core, corn, corner, corporate, corporation, correct, correspondent, cost, cotton, couch, could, council, count, counter, country, county, couple, courage, course, court, cousin, cover, coverage, cow, crack, craft, crash, crazy, cream, create, creation, creative, creature, credit, crew, crime, criminal, crisis, criteria, critic, critical, criticism, criticize, crop, cross, crowd, crucial, cry, cultural, culture, cup, curious, current, currently, curriculum, custom, customer, cut, cycle, dad, daily, damage, dance, danger, dangerous, dare, dark, darkness, data, database, date, daughter, day, dead, deal, dealer, dear, death, debate, debt, decade, decide, decision, deck, declare, decline, decrease, deep, deeply, deer, defeat, defend, defendant, defense, defensive, deficit, define, definitely, definition, degree, delay, deliver, delivery, demand, democracy, Democratic, Democrat, demonstrate, demonstration, deny, department, depend, dependent, depending, depict, depression, depth, deputy, derive, describe, description, desert, deserve, design, designer, desire, desk, desperate, despite, destroy, destruction, detail, detailed, detect, detection, detective, determine, develop, developing, development, device, devil, dialogue, diet, differ, difference, different, differently, difficult, difficulty, dig, digital, dimension, dining, dinner, direct, direction, directly, director, dirt, disability, disagree, disappear, disaster, discipline, disclose, discover, discovery, discrimination, discuss, discussion, disease, dish, dismiss, disorder, display, dispute, distance, distinct, distinction, distinguish, distribute, distribution, district, diverse, diversity, divide, division, divorce, DNA, do, doctor, document, dog, domestic, dominant, dominate, door, double, doubt, down, downtown, dozen, draft, drag, drama, dramatic, dramatically, draw, drawer, drawing, dream, dress, drink, drive, driver, drop, drug, dry, due, during, dust, duty, dwell, dying, dynamic, each, eager, ear, earlier, early, earn, earnings, earth, earthquake, ease, easily, east, eastern, easy, eat, economic, economy, edge, edit, edition, editor, educate, education, educational, educator, effect, effective, effectively, efficiency, efficient, effort, egg, eight, either, elderly, elect, election, electric, electrical, electricity, electronic, element, elementary, eliminate, elite, else, elsewhere, e-mail, embrace, emerge, emergency, emission, emotion, emotional, emphasis, emphasize, employ, employee, employer, employment, empty, enable, encounter, encourage, end, enemy, energy, enforcement, engage, engine, engineer, engineering, English, enhance, enjoy, enormous, enough, ensure, enter, enterprise, entertain, entertainment, entire, entirely, entrance, entry, environment, environmental, episode, equal, equally, equipment, equivalent, era, error, escape, especially, essay, essential, essentially, establish, establishment, estate, estimate, etc, ethics, ethnic, European, evaluate, evaluation, evening, event, eventually, ever, every, everybody, everyday, everyone, everything, everywhere, evidence, evolution, evolve, exact, exactly, exam, examination, examine, example, exceed, excellent, except, exception, exchange, exciting, executive, exercise, exhibit, exhibition, exist, existence, existing, expand, expansion, expect, expectation, expense, expensive, experience, experiment, expert, explain, explanation, explode, explore, explosion, expose, exposure, express, expression, extend, extension, extensive, extent, external, extra, extraordinary, extreme, extremely, eye, fabric, face, facility, fact, factor, factory, faculty, fade, fail, failure, fair, fairly, faith, fall, false, familiar, family, famous, fan, fantasy, far, farm, farmer, fashion, fast, fat, fate, father, fault, favor, favorite, fear, feature, federal, fee, feed, feel, feeling, fellow, female, fence, festival, few, fewer, fiber, fiction, field, fifteen, fifth, fifty, fight, fighter, fighting, figure, file, fill, film, final, finally, finance, financial, find, finding, fine, finger, finish, fire, firm, first, fish, fishing, fit, fitness, five, fix, flag, flame, flat, flavor, flee, flesh, flight, float, floor, flow, flower, fly, focus, folk, follow, following, food, foot, football, for, force, foreign, forest, forever, forget, form, formal, formation, former, formula, forth, fortune, forward, found, foundation, founder, four, fourth, frame, framework, free, freedom, freeze, French, frequency, frequent, frequently, fresh, friend, friendly, friendship, from, front, fruit, frustration, fuel, fulfill, full, fully, fun, function, fund, fundamental, funding, funeral, funny, furniture, furthermore, future, gain, galaxy, gallery, game, gang, gap, garage, garden, garlic, gas, gate, gather, gay, gaze, gear, gender, gene, general, generally, generate, generation, genetic, gentleman, gently, German, gesture, get, ghost, giant, gift, gifted, girl, girlfriend, give, given, glad, glance, glass, global, glove, go, goal, God, gold, golden, golf, good, govern, government, governor, grab, grace, grade, gradually, graduate, grain, grand, grandmother, grant, grass, grave, gray, great, green, grocery, ground, group, grow, growing, growth, guarantee, guard, guess, guest, guide, guideline, guilty, gun, guy, habit, habitat, hair, half, hall, hand, handful, handle, hang, happen, happy, harbor, hard, hardly, hat, hate, have, he, head, headline, headquarters, health, healthy, hear, hearing, heart, heat, heaven, heavily, heavy, heel, height, helicopter, hell, hello, help, helpful, hence, her, herb, here, heritage, hero, herself, hey, hi, hide, high, highlight, highly, highway, hill, him, himself, hip, hire, his, historic, historical, history, hit, hold, hole, holiday, holy, home, homeless, honest, honey, honor, hope, horizon, horror, horse, hospital, host, hot, hotel, hour, house, household, housing, how, however, huge, human, humor, hundred, hungry, hunter, hunting, hurt, husband, hypothesis, ice, idea, ideal, identification, identify, identity, ignore, ill, illegal, illness, illustrate, image, imagination, imagine, immediate, immediately, immigrant, immigration, impact, implement, implication, imply, importance, important, impose, impossible, impress, impression, impressive, improve, improvement, incentive, incident, include, including, income, incorporate, increase, increased, increasingly, incredible, indeed, independence, independent, index, indicate, indication, individual, industrial, industry, infant, infection, inflation, influence, inform, information, ingredient, initial, initially, initiative, injury, inner, innocent, inquiry, inside, insight, insist, inspire, install, instance, instead, institute, institution, institutional, instruction, instructor, instrument, insurance, intellectual, intelligence, intend, intense, intensity, intention, interaction, interest, interested, interesting, internal, international, Internet, interpret, interpretation, intervention, interview, introduce, introduction, invasion, invest, investigation, investigator, investment, investor, invite, involve, involved, involvement, Iraqi, Irish, iron, Islamic, island, Israeli, issue, it, Italian, item, its, itself, jacket, jail, Japanese, jet, Jew, Jewish, job, join, joint, joke, journal, journalist, journey, joy, judge, judgment, juice, jump, junior, jury, just, justice, justify, keep, key, kick, kid, kill, killer, killing, kind, king, kiss, kitchen, knee, knife, knock, know, knowledge, lab, label, labor, laboratory, lack, lady, lake, land, landscape, language, lap, large, largely, last, late, later, Latin, latter, laugh, launch, law, lawsuit, lawyer, lay, layer, lead, leader, leadership, leading, leaf, league, lean, learn, learning, least, leather, leave, left, leg, legacy, legal, legend, legislation, legislative, legislator, legitimate, lemon, length, less, lesson, let, letter, level, liberal, library, license, lie, life, lifestyle, lifetime, lift, light, like, likely, limit, limitation, limited, line, link, lip, list, listen, literary, literature, little, live, living, load, loan, local, locate, location, lock, long, long-term, look, loose, lose, loss, lost, lot, lots, loud, love, lovely, lover, low, lower, luck, lucky, lunch, luxury, machine, mad, magazine, mail, main, mainly, maintain, maintenance, major, majority, make, maker, makeup, male, mall, man, manage, management, manager, manner, manufacturer, manufacturing, many, map, margin, mark, market, marketing, marriage, married, marry, mask, mass, massive, master, match, material, math, matter, may, maybe, mayor, me, meal, mean, meaning, meanwhile, measure, measurement, meat, mechanism, media, medical, medication, medicine, medium, meet, meeting, member, membership, memory, mental, mention, menu, mere, merely, mess, message, metal, meter, method, Mexican, middle, might, military, milk, million, mind, mine, minister, minor, minority, minute, miracle, mirror, miss, missile, mission, mistake, mix, mixture, mm-hmm, mode, model, moderate, modern, modest, mom, moment, money, monitor, month, mood, moon, moral, more, moreover, morning, mortgage, most, mostly, mother, motion, motivation, motor, mountain, mouse, mouth, move, movement, movie, Mr, Mrs, Ms, much, multiple, murder, muscle, museum, music, musical, musician, Muslim, must, mutual, my, myself, mystery, myth, naked, name, narrative, narrow, nation, national, native, natural, naturally, nature, near, nearby, nearly, necessarily, necessary, neck, need, negative, negotiate, negotiation, neighbor, neighborhood, neither, nerve, nervous, net, network, never, nevertheless, new, newly, news, newspaper, next, nice, night, nine, no, nobody, nod, noise, nomination, nominee, none, nonetheless, nor, normal, normally, north, northern, nose, not, note, nothing, notice, notion, novel, now, nowhere, nuclear, number, numerous, nurse, nut, object, objective, obligation, observation, observe, observer, obtain, obvious, obviously, occasion, occasionally, occupation, occupy, occur, ocean, odd, odds, of, off, offense, offensive, offer, office, officer, official, often, oh, oil, okay, old, Olympic, on, once, one, ongoing, onion, online, only, onto, open, opening, operate, operating, operation, operator, opinion, opponent, opportunity, oppose, opposed, opposite, opposition, option, or, orange, order, ordinary, organic, organization, organize, orientation, origin, original, originally, other, others, otherwise, ought, our, ours, ourselves, out, outcome, outside, oven, over, overall, overcome, overlook, owe, own, owner, pace, pack, package, page, pain, painful, paint, painter, painting, pair, pale, Palestinian, palm, pan, panel, panic, pant, paper, paragraph, parent, park, parking, part, participant, participate, participation, particle, particular, particularly, partly, partner, partnership, party, pass, passage, passenger, passion, past, patch, path, patient, pattern, pause, pay, payment, PC, peace, peak, peer, pen, penalty, people, pepper, per, perceive, percentage, perception, perfect, perfectly, perform, performance, perhaps, period, permanent, permission, permit, person, personal, personality, personally, personnel, perspective, persuade, pet, phase, phenomenon, philosophy, phone, photo, photographer, phrase, physical, physically, physician, piano, pick, picture, pie, piece, pile, pilot, pine, pink, pipe, pitch, place, plan, plane, planet, planning, plant, plastic, plate, platform, play, player, please, pleasure, plenty, plot, plus, PM, pocket, poem, poet, poetry, point, police, policy, political, politically, politician, politics, poll, pollution, pool, poor, pop, popular, population, porch, port, portion, portrait, portray, pose, position, positive, possess, possession, possibility, possible, possibly, post, pot, potato, potential, potentially, pound, pour, poverty, powder, power, powerful, practical, practice, prayer, preach, precisely, predict, prediction, prefer, preference, pregnancy, pregnant, preparation, prepare, prescription, presence, present, presentation, preserve, president, presidential, press, pressure, pretend, pretty, prevent, previous, previously, price, pride, priest, primarily, primary, prime, principal, principle, print, prior, priority, prison, prisoner, privacy, private, probably, problem, procedure, proceed, process, processing, processor, proclaim, produce, producer, product, production, profession, professional, professor, profile, profit, program, progress, progressive, project, prominent, promise, promote, prompt, proof, proper, properly, property, proportion, proposal, propose, prosecutor, prospect, protect, protection, protein, protest, proud, prove, provide, provider, province, provision, psychological, psychology, public, publication, publicity, publish, publisher, pull, punishment, purchase, pure, purpose, pursue, push, put, qualify, quality, quarter, quarterback, quarterly, queen, quest, question, quick, quickly, quiet, quietly, quit, quite, quote, race, racial, radiation, radical, radio, rail, rain, raise, range, rank, rapid, rapidly, rare, rarely, rate, rather, rating, ratio, raw, reach, react, reaction, reader, reading, ready, real, reality, realize, really, reason, reasonable, recall, receive, recent, recently, reception, recipe, recipient, recognition, recognize, recommend, recommendation, record, recording, recover, recovery, recruit, red, reduce, reduction, refer, reference, reflect, reflection, reform, refugee, refuse, regard, regarding, regardless, regime, region, regional, register, regular, regularly, regulate, regulation, regulator, reinforce, reject, relate, relation, relationship, relative, relatively, relax, release, relevant, relief, religion, religious, rely, remain, remaining, remarkable, remember, remind, remote, remove, repeat, repeatedly, replace, replacement, reply, report, reporter, represent, representation, representative, Republican, reputation, request, require, requirement, research, researcher, resemble, reservation, resident, residential, resign, resist, resistance, resolution, resolve, resort, resource, respect, respond, response, responsibility, responsible, rest, restaurant, restore, restriction, result, retain, retire, retirement, return, reveal, revenue, review, revolution, rhythm, rice, rich, rid, ride, rifle, right, ring, rise, risk, river, road, rock, role, roll, romantic, roof, room, root, rope, rose, rough, roughly, round, route, routine, row, rub, rubber, rude, ruin, rule, run, running, rural, rush, Russian, sacred, sad, safe, safety, sake, salad, salary, sale, sales, salt, same, sample, sanction, sand, satellite, satisfaction, satisfied, satisfy, sauce, save, saving, say, scale, scandal, scare, scatter, scenario, scene, schedule, scheme, scholar, scholarship, school, science, scientific, scientist, scope, score, scream, screen, script, sea, search, season, seat, second, secondary, secret, secretary, section, sector, secure, security, see, seed, seek, seem, segment, seize, select, selection, self, sell, Senate, senator, send, senior, sense, sensitive, sentence, separate, sequence, series, serious, seriously, servant, serve, service, session, set, setting, settle, settlement, seven, several, severe, sex, sexual, shade, shadow, shake, shall, shallow, shape, share, sharp, she, sheet, shelf, shell, shelter, shift, shine, ship, shirt, shock, shoe, shoot, shooting, shop, shopping, short, shortly, shot, should, shoulder, shout, show, shower, shrug, shut, shy, sibling, sick, side, sigh, sight, sign, signal, significant, significantly, silence, silent, silver, similar, similarly, simple, simply, sin, since, sing, singer, single, sink, sir, sister, sit, site, situation, six, size, ski, skill, skin, skirt, sky, slave, sleep, slice, slide, slight, slightly, slip, slow, slowly, small, smart, smell, smile, smoke, smooth, snap, snow, so, so-called, soccer, social, society, soft, software, soil, solar, soldier, sole, solid, solution, solve, some, somebody, somehow, someone, something, sometimes, somewhat, somewhere, son, song, soon, sophisticated, sorry, sort, soul, sound, soup, source, south, southern, Soviet, space, Spanish, speak, speaker, special, specialist, species, specific, specifically, specify, speech, speed, spend, spending, spin, spirit, spiritual, split, spoil, sponsor, sport, spot, spray, spread, spring, square, squeeze, stability, stable, staff, stage, stain, stair, stake, stand, standard, standing, star, stare, start, state, statement, station, statistical, status, stay, steady, steal, steel, steep, stem, step, stick, still, stimulate, stimulus, stir, stock, stomach, stone, stop, storage, store, storm, story, straight, strange, stranger, strategic, strategy, stream, street, strength, strengthen, stress, stretch, strike, string, strip, stroke, strong, strongly, structural, structure, struggle, student, studio, study, stuff, stupid, style, subject, submit, subsequent, substance, substantial, substitute, succeed, success, successful, successfully, such, sudden, suddenly, sue, suffer, sufficient, sugar, suggest, suggestion, suicide, suit, summer, summit, sun, super, supply, support, supporter, suppose, supposed, Supreme, sure, surely, surface, surgery, surprise, surprised, surprising, surprisingly, surround, survey, survival, survive, survivor, suspect, sustain, swear, sweep, sweet, swim, swing, switch, symbol, symptom, system, table, tactic, tail, take, tale, talent, talk, tall, tank, tap, tape, target, task, taste, tax, taxi, tea, teach, teacher, teaching, team, tear, technical, technique, technology, teen, teenager, telephone, telescope, television, tell, temperature, temporary, ten, tend, tendency, tennis, tension, tent, term, terms, terrible, territory, terror, terrorist, test, testimony, testing, text, than, thank, thanks, that, the, theater, their, them, theme, themselves, then, theory, therapy, there, therefore, these, they, thick, thin, thing, think, thinking, third, thirty, this, those, though, thought, thousand, threat, threaten, three, throat, through, throughout, throw, thus, ticket, tie, tight, time, tiny, tip, tire, tissue, title, to, tobacco, today, toe, together, toilet, token, tolerate, tomato, tomorrow, tone, tongue, tonight, too, tool, tooth, top, topic, toss, total, totally, touch, tough, tour, tourist, tournament, toward, towards, tower, town, toy, trace, track, trade, tradition, traditional, traffic, tragedy, trail, train, training, transfer, transform, transformation, transition, translate, translation, transmission, transmit, transport, transportation, travel, treat, treatment, treaty, tree, tremendous, trend, trial, tribe, trick, trip, troop, trouble, truck, true, truly, trust, truth, try, tube, tunnel, turn, TV, twelve, twenty, twice, twin, two, type, typical, typically, ugly, ultimate, ultimately, unable, uncle, undergo, understand, understanding, unfortunately, uniform, union, unique, unit, United, universal, universe, university, unknown, unless, unlike, until, unusual, up, upon, upper, urban, urge, us, use, used, useful, user, usual, usually, utility, utilize, vacation, valley, valuable, value, variable, variation, variety, various, vary, vast, vegetable, vehicle, venture, version, versus, very, vessel, veteran, via, victim, victory, video, view, viewer, village, violate, violation, violence, violent, virtually, virtue, virus, visibility, visible, vision, visit, visitor, visual, vital, voice, volume, voluntary, volunteer, vote, voter, voting, wage, wait, wake, walk, wall, wander, want, war, warm, warn, warning, wash, waste, watch, water, wave, way, we, weak, weakness, wealth, wealthy, weapon, wear, weather, web, website, wedding, week, weekend, weekly, weigh, weight, welcome, welfare, well, west, western, wet, what, whatever, wheel, when, whenever, where, whereas, whether, which, while, whisper, white, who, whole, whom, whose, why, wide, widely, widespread, wife, wild, wildlife, will, willing, win, wind, window, wine, wing, winner, winter, wipe, wire, wisdom, wise, wish, with, withdraw, within, without, witness, woman, wonder, wonderful, wood, wooden, word, work, worker, working, workout, workplace, works, workshop, world, worried, worry, worth, would, wound, wrap, write, writer, writing, wrong, yard, yeah, year, yell, yellow, yes, yesterday, yet, yield, you, young, your, yours, yourself, youth, zone.

I’m a 26 yo Indian Male Engineer. I have about 5 YoE as a software engineer.
Academics: Undergrad from a school which has been a feeder, though not a lot, to INSEAD, Duke, etc. GPA - 8.8/10 - pretty much consistent.
I was awarded scholarship as well in one of the semesters for scoring in top 15% of the batch.
Not sure if this matters - I was struggling with depression during high school to the point that I did get suicidal and that took a hit on my academics. I couldn’t score well enough to get into top tier institutes and eventually, though not proud of it, had to get admitted to the University via donation.
Professional Experience: Company 1 - Software Engineer - 2 years Location: India US based I was among the top 5 finalists who had the chance to showcase their hackathon idea at the company headquarters. This idea is being used currently as we speak.
I was promoted once from junior level software engineer to mid level. I was up for another promotion in 8 mos but decided to quit as I wasn’t growing.
Company 2 - Tech Consulting Location - London, UK Role - Tech lead I was the project lead for a client to develop an application. I wore multiple caps here, Tech lead, project manager, stakeholder management, mentor.
I quit this job after 8 months as Tech Consulting was something I didn’t want to do.
Company 3 - A very well known Brand (not FAANG) - 1.5 years approx Location - London, UK Role - Software Engineer

• I’m part of a high performing team that generates prices for the product that the company sells.
  
• I’ve led 4 projects here, bringing in millions of revenue, working with Product Managers and other relevant stakeholders.
  
• Saved 2K$ per month.
  
• Not sure if this is relevant but I’ve worked on side projects that have improved the day to day processes within the team. (Optimizing efficiency of the team)
  
• I was also recognised, on two occasions by my Senior Director for the work I’ve done.
  
• Recently, I started working with another team that’s responsible for optimizing the prices of the product that we sell. This team is much more business oriented, though my role is technical, than the previous one so getting a decent exposure to pricing strategies and optimisations.
  

Extracurriculars: 1. I was part of the fundraising campaign in my Undergrad, bringing in thousands of rupees for the college fest from local businesses. 2. I led a team of 5 for an event during the fest. 3. I was part of the college football team. 4. I’ve worked with an NGO in London to improve their social media reach and website visibility. 5. I used to play football for a league in London but had to stop because of an injury. 6. Currently I’m building a football community in London - organising leagues, practice sessions, etc
Post MBA goal: Moving into Product Management, specifically in startups and eventually moving to entrepreneurship.
Target Schools, mostly US - (I’m still in the process of researching) Duke, NYU Stern, Kellogg, Haas, UCLA Anderson, Tuck, Kelley.
GMAT - preparing for it.
Targeting to apply next year. So class of 2026 I guess.
Ofcourse MIT, Stanford, Harvard are in my list but I am so demotivated looking at the responses to the profile evaluation of Indian Male IT engineers that I’m contemplating leaving my current job, moving to India and taking up a role that’s unconventional just to have an edge.
I really need some guidance.
Any help would be much appreciated.

A: Penn (attending), NYU, UVA (off WL), Berkeley, Michigan, Cornell, Georgetown, USC, Boston U., Notre Dame, Boston C., George Washington, Maine
WL: UChicago (waiting it out), Duke (withdrawn), Columbia (waiting it out), Northwestern (wd), UCLA (wd), Vanderbilt (wd), WashU (wd)
R: Harvard, Yale, Stanford (womp womp)
Heart reaccs only - Michigan: Great, efficient process, human touches. Lovely correspondences - Georgetown: Dean Andy is a gentleman and a scholar. Even left me a voicemail to the effect of "I said during the interview that if you get in, I care about you and wish you the best, even if it's not at Georgetown. Best of luck!". Emailing recommenders is a very nice touch.
My personal shit list: - Cornell: "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO NEGOTIATE A SCHOLARSHIP, YOU SWINE. DoN't YoU kNoW wE'rE aN iVy?" - NYU: You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!..... You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you. (Mostly jokes, but damn no money hurt) - Stanford: I don't think the physical rejection letters are a classy touch. I find them egotistical. "Surely you're beat up about not attending Stanford, here let this $0.79 in postage and $0.09 in papeink soak up your tears" - WashU: Almost instant WL. Normally, I'm the first to take my lumps on a WL, the others felt fair enough. This one felt like instant YPing.

Hi there! I'm in A2. Scored 8A*s in IGCSE & 2AS 2BS in AS level. My A2 journey was going smooth until the December 2023. It was the time I got into university applications. I applied like 35 places across USA, Europe, Asia, and got into 21 places. For the context, I got into reputable places like NYU, Uni of Helsinki, Uni of Amsterdam, Uni of Nottingham, etc. However, securing an admission, getting scholarships, but at the end, the finances I had weren't enough for me or my parents to fund my dream of foreign undergrad. Two months of tireless essays writings, application process, research, sitting infront of laptop screen all night with a hope I can get into a good uni abroad, it all got wasted at the end. None of the unis gave me enough that would enable my parents to pay the rest. I got into the depression, especially because of NYU. It had the acceptance rate of just below 7% for the class of 2028, i did not only got into the place i used to manifest as a teen, but also was lucky to secure a 55k USD aid per year, which wasn't enough. But as they say, too close yet to far.
Came the month of Feb, 24, it was all certain that my dream of studying undergrad abroad is over. I had to settle in my own country for the undergrad; I'm from Pakistan btw. Here, admissions are based on the entry tests at universities which come from local board syllabus not much from A-levels. I decided to appear for entry test of NUST, a local engineering university. There was NOTHING in the test that same similar to A-levels content. I did really bad. But, the good thing was that in order to secure an admission, the weightage criteria is 25% of IGCSE result + 75% of entry test marks. They don't count A2 if u are NOT on gap year.
From feb to march, I nailed the local board syllabus; A-levels kept getting ignored. I went to give the entry test, it went BAD again despite me cramming the local board syllabus by my heart. I resumed A-levels back in April. I'm now at a point that:
1) I can't go abroad for U-grad despite the admissions
2) Not well prepared for local uni admission tests cuz their test syllabus is local board stuff not CAIE. I'm not used to local board cramming based learning
3) I've destroyed my A-levels. My exams are going really sh*t. I don't discuss my paper with friends. I'm leaving questions in the exams. I feel like I'm absent when the question comes up. I messed up chem p4, physics p4 I'm expecting 45+, S1 I'm expecting 30+.
NEVER IN MY LIFE I'VE FELT SO MUCH DOWN. MAYBE GOD IS TRYING TO TEST ME. PLEASE PRAY THAT THE TEST FROM GOD FINISHES BEFORE I FINISH. AMEEN

The story is I've been waitlisted at over 10 law schools, including a few of my top choices such as Columbia, NYU, GULC, and Duke. From my acceptances I have ended up choosing GW. But, originally, I was willing to ride the WL's til the VERY END and likely accept offers without scholarships.
However, very recently, I received a reconsideration offer from GW, where I was previously accepted with about $$.5 scholarship. Now, GW has offered me an almost full ride, but this new scholarship is binding—if I accept it, my decision is final, and my waitlist journey is done. I have only a few days to make a decision.
Also need to mention: My goal is BigLaw, with a focus on International Law and/or Corporate Law. Location wise I am open to DC, NYC, Chicago and California.
Here are some of my thoughts:
While the full scholarship at GW is very tempting, I am also considering sticking with the initial $$.5 scholarship. This would allow me to remain on the waitlists, potentially getting into one of my top choices. (I will also mention this to the WL schools, hoping that will show some strong interest/dedication)
If I don't get off any waitlist and choose the initial scholarship at GW, I will have to take out about $45,000 more in loans compared to the full ride offer. This would roughly translate to about ~$500/month more if I pay it off in 15 years.
If I stay at GW, I will also try to transfer.
It's kind of a long read, but I wanted to get into a lot of details so someone can give me more informed advice. Any insight is appreciated!
View Poll

Hi guys! I received an offer from NYU Steinhardt for Mental Health Counseling. In the offer letter, there’s no mention of tuition nor scholarship. I cannot afford it. My question is, is MA Mental Health Counseling worth it at NYU?
I applied to CUNY (Hunter, CCNY, Baruch) but got rejected. Thank you.

The War Scroll, also known as the "War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness," is a unique text within the Dead Sea Scrolls that portrays an apocalyptic battle between the forces of good (Sons of Light) and evil (Sons of Darkness). This scroll provides insight into both historical and symbolic elements.
Historical Accuracy:
The War Scroll, while containing detailed military tactics and an epic narrative of the ultimate confrontation, doesn't explicitly reference any specific historical event or timeframe. Some scholars believe it could be a product of the community's anticipation of a future messianic conflict or a reflection of their own community's struggles against opposing forces during their time. Interpreting the historical accuracy of the scroll often involves exploring the context of the Qumran community and the turbulent times in which they lived.
Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom:
The War Scroll goes beyond a mere description of a physical battle. It portrays a cosmic conflict between the forces of light and darkness, reflecting not just a literal warfare but also a symbolic and spiritual struggle. The text emphasizes righteousness, divine intervention, and the victory of good over evil.
Within the study guide, activities and exercises could involve dissecting the symbolic elements present in the War Scroll, exploring the deeper meanings behind the battle tactics and the metaphysical implications of the conflict. Understanding the symbolism could involve group discussions, comparative analysis with other ancient texts with similar themes, and exploring the impact of this symbolic representation on the community's beliefs and practices.
Here are a few activities and exercises to explore the symbolism and historical context of the War Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls:

1. Symbolism Analysis:

Provide excerpts from the War Scroll and encourage participants to identify and discuss the symbolic meanings behind elements like the "Sons of Light" and the "Sons of Darkness," various weapons, and the strategies outlined for battle. Group discussions or written reflections can help participants explore the deeper layers of meaning.

1. Comparative Analysis:

Compare the War Scroll's themes with similar apocalyptic or eschatological texts from different cultures or religions, such as apocalyptic passages in the Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible or apocalyptic texts from other ancient traditions. Create worksheets or discussion prompts to highlight similarities and differences in themes, symbols, and beliefs about cosmic battles.

1. Historical Context Exploration:

Present historical information about the era when the Dead Sea Scrolls were written. Discuss the political, social, and religious climate of that time, including the turmoil in the region, to understand how these factors might have influenced the composition of the War Scroll. Encourage participants to consider the possible motivations behind the text's creation.

1. Creative Interpretation:

Encourage creative expression by asking participants to create artwork, poems, or short stories inspired by the themes and imagery found in the War Scroll. This exercise allows individuals to engage more deeply with the symbolic elements and interpret them in their own unique ways.

1. Role-playing or Debates:
   Organize a role-playing activity where participants take on the roles of "Sons of Light" and "Sons of Darkness," debating their ideologies, motivations, and strategies for the ultimate battle. This exercise helps in understanding differing perspectives and interpreting the conflicts presented in the scroll.
   

Interpretative variations regarding the river's crossing in different ancient texts reflect the unique religious, philosophical, and cultural perspectives embedded within these narratives. These differences in interpretation offer insights into diverse worldviews and varying theological frameworks present in ancient texts:

1. Mesopotamian Context:

• In Mesopotamian mythology and literature, the Euphrates River often held symbolic significance as a boundary between the known civilized world and the wild, unknown realms. The crossing of the Euphrates could symbolize journeys into unexplored territories or transitions between order and chaos. This perspective reflects a worldview rooted in the physical and geographical division of lands.

1. Biblical Context:

• In biblical texts, such as those in the Book of Revelation or Old Testament prophecies, the crossing of the Euphrates carries eschatological significance. It may represent a divine intervention or a decisive moment in God's plan, marking the commencement of apocalyptic events. This interpretation aligns with the biblical narrative of divine judgment and the unfolding of God's ultimate purpose in history.

1. Gnostic or Apocryphal Context:

• Gnostic or apocryphal texts often interpret the river's crossing as a symbolic liberation or awakening. It might signify the release of spiritual forces or the ascent to higher consciousness, reflecting a philosophical perspective emphasizing spiritual enlightenment and liberation from material constraints.

1. Greco-Roman Interpretation:

• In Greco-Roman literature, crossings of rivers were often associated with mythological journeys or transitions between realms. The crossing of the Euphrates might symbolize a transition from mundane existence to a realm of mystery or spiritual significance, reflecting a cultural perspective rooted in mythology and cosmology.

These varied interpretations highlight the richness and diversity of religious, philosophical, and cultural frameworks present in ancient texts. The river's crossing serves as a flexible symbol that adapts to different narratives, conveying themes of transition, judgment, liberation, or cosmic transformation based on the unique perspectives of each tradition.
Exploring these interpretative variations allows participants to appreciate the complexity of symbolism within ancient texts and provides insights into how different cultures and belief systems interpreted common motifs like the river Euphrates. It showcases the intricate interplay between religious, philosophical, and cultural elements shaping the symbolism and theological implications embedded in these narratives.
The river Euphrates, a prominent geographic feature in ancient texts, embodies universal themes that transcend specific cultural contexts. Identifying these universal themes helps reveal shared human concepts of transition, boundaries, and transformative events across diverse ancient traditions:

1. Threshold and Transition:

• The Euphrates often symbolizes a boundary between known and unknown territories. Its crossing represents a transition from one state to another, signifying a pivotal moment of change or passage. This theme of crossing a threshold echoes the human experience of transitions in life, moving from familiar to unfamiliar realms.

1. Boundary and Separation:

• As a geographical boundary, the Euphrates signifies separation between distinct territories or civilizations. This concept of demarcation resonates with universal human experiences of setting boundaries, delineating spaces, or marking divisions between different aspects of life.

1. Transformative Events:

• Crossing the Euphrates is often associated with cosmic or transformative events in ancient texts. This universal theme reflects the human fascination with the concept of epochal change, cosmic upheavals, or moments of divine intervention that reshape the course of history.

1. Symbol of Power and Control:

• The river might represent a symbol of power, control, or geopolitical significance. Crossing it could signify shifts in dominance, challenges to established authority, or the assertion of influence. This theme resonates with human narratives of power struggles and shifts in societal dynamics.

1. Metaphor for Spiritual Journeys:

• Across cultures, rivers are often used metaphorically to represent spiritual journeys or quests. The crossing of the Euphrates might symbolize the pursuit of enlightenment, the passage to higher realms of understanding, or the quest for spiritual transformation.

These universal themes associated with the river Euphrates highlight fundamental aspects of the human experience—transitions, boundaries, transformative events, power dynamics, and spiritual journeys. The river's symbolism in ancient texts speaks to shared human aspirations, struggles, and beliefs that transcend cultural boundaries and resonate across different epochs and civilizations.
By identifying and discussing these universal themes, participants gain a deeper appreciation for the profound symbolism embedded in ancient texts and recognize the timeless relevance of concepts such as transition, boundaries, and transformative events in shaping human narratives and aspirations.

1. Historical Context:

• What historical events or societal conditions might have influenced the composition of the War Scroll?
  
• How does the historical context of the Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery contribute to our understanding of this text's significance?
  

1. Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom:

• How does the War Scroll use symbolism to convey spiritual or cosmic themes?
  
• What esoteric wisdom or deeper spiritual insights can be derived from the portrayal of cosmic conflict and divine intervention within the text?
  

1. Comparative Analysis:

• Compare the themes and symbolism of the War Scroll with other apocalyptic texts from different cultures (e.g., Book of Revelation, The Book of Daniel). What common motifs or differences in interpretation do you observe?

1. Parallelism in Biblical Texts:

• Explore connections between the War Scroll and other biblical texts. How does the language, imagery, or themes in the War Scroll intersect with passages from the Hebrew Bible or New Testament?

1. Community Beliefs and Practices:

• How might the apocalyptic expectations depicted in the War Scroll have influenced the beliefs and practices of the community that produced it?
  
• Discuss the impact of such intense anticipation of cosmic conflict on communal life and religious rituals within the community.
  

1. Cultural Significance of Cosmic Battles:

• Across various ancient cultures, why do you think depictions of cosmic battles and eschatological events were significant? What might these narratives represent in a broader cultural context?

1. Interpretive Variations and Unique Perspectives:

• Explore the diverse interpretations of specific passages or symbols within the War Scroll. How do different scholars or traditions interpret these elements, and what underlying factors might influence their interpretations?

1. Personal Reflection and Modern Relevance:

• Reflect on how the themes of cosmic conflict, righteousness, and spiritual warfare in the War Scroll might resonate in contemporary society or personal belief systems.

1. Theological and Philosophical Implications:

• Discuss the theological and philosophical implications of a cosmic battle between forces of light and darkness. How does this theme intersect with broader philosophical inquiries or theological doctrines?

1. Literary and Symbolic Analysis:

- Analyze the narrative structure and symbolic elements present in specific passages of the War Scroll. How do these elements contribute to the text's overarching themes and meanings? 

These study questions aim to provoke critical thinking, promote in-depth exploration of themes, encourage comparative analysis, and stimulate discussions on the multifaceted nature of the War Scroll's content and its significance within ancient and contemporary contexts.

1. Archaeological and Linguistic Analysis:

- How does the physical condition of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the War Scroll, impact our understanding of their preservation and historical context? - Discuss the linguistic peculiarities or unique textual features found within the War Scroll and their implications for translation and interpretation. 

1. Apocalyptic Expectations and Messianic Concepts:

- Explore the portrayal of messianic figures or anticipated saviors within the War Scroll. How do these concepts align with or diverge from contemporary expectations of a messianic figure in other ancient texts or religious traditions? 

1. Impact of Apocalyptic Literature:

- Analyze the enduring influence of apocalyptic literature, such as the War Scroll, on subsequent religious, literary, or cultural traditions. How have these texts shaped later beliefs or inspired artistic and literary works? 

1. Ethical and Moral Frameworks:

- Discuss the ethical or moral implications of the cosmic conflict depicted in the War Scroll. How do the themes of righteousness and wickedness contribute to the text's underlying moral framework? 

1. Role of Prophecy and Revelation:

- Explore the role of prophecy and revelation within the War Scroll. How do the prophetic elements contribute to the text's portrayal of future events and cosmic justice? 

1. Experiential and Ritualistic Elements:

- Investigate potential ritualistic or experiential dimensions associated with the teachings or beliefs conveyed in the War Scroll. How might the community have engaged with these teachings in their religious practices or communal activities? 

1. Literary Genre and Interpretation:

- Discuss the classification of the War Scroll within the broader genre of apocalyptic literature. How does its classification influence our understanding and interpretation of its themes and symbolic elements? 

1. Relevance in Modern Scholarship:

- Reflect on the ongoing scholarly debates or discoveries related to the War Scroll. How have modern interpretations evolved, and what implications do these new perspectives have on our understanding of the text? 

1. Intersection of Faith and Scholarship:

- Consider the interplay between faith-based interpretations and scholarly analyses of the War Scroll. How might religious convictions or theological frameworks influence academic research and vice versa? 

1. Future Research and Interpretative Avenues:

- Propose potential avenues for future research or areas of exploration concerning the War Scroll. What unanswered questions or unexplored aspects merit further investigation? 

The composition of the War Scroll, along with other Dead Sea Scrolls, was likely influenced by several historical events and societal conditions prevalent during the time of its writing, which is estimated to be between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE:

1. Hellenistic Rule and Cultural Influence:

• The region where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found was under Hellenistic influence due to the conquests of Alexander the Great and the subsequent control by the Seleucid Empire. This era saw a clash between Hellenistic culture and Jewish traditions, leading to cultural tensions and a desire to preserve religious and cultural heritage.

1. Political Turmoil and Resistance Movements:

• The Jewish people experienced political unrest, particularly during the Maccabean Revolt against Seleucid rule. This period was characterized by resistance movements, attempts to preserve Jewish identity, and fervent anticipation of a messianic figure to deliver them from foreign oppression.

1. Religious Sects and Spiritual Expectations:

• Various religious sects existed within Judaism, each with its own interpretations and expectations of messianic redemption, purity laws, and theological doctrines. The community associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls, often believed to be the Essenes, likely had distinctive theological beliefs and a strong apocalyptic worldview.

1. Anticipation of Cosmic Redemption:

• There was a widespread belief in the imminent arrival of a messianic figure or a divine intervention that would bring about cosmic redemption, ushering in an era of righteousness and divine rule. This anticipation of apocalyptic events and a cosmic battle between forces of light and darkness is reflected in the War Scroll's themes.

Regarding the historical context of the Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery, its significance lies in multiple facets:

1. Preservation of Ancient Texts:

• The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the War Scroll, provided an invaluable collection of ancient manuscripts that significantly expanded our understanding of ancient Jewish texts, religious beliefs, and the diversity of Jewish thought during the Second Temple period.

1. Insights into Jewish Sectarianism:

• The scrolls shed light on the diversity of beliefs and practices among Jewish sects during that time. Understanding the beliefs and expectations of the community associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls helps contextualize the theological and apocalyptic themes present in the War Scroll.

1. Confirmation of Scriptural Accuracy:

• The Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery contributed to confirming the accuracy and preservation of certain biblical texts, highlighting the continuity of textual transmission across centuries and supporting the authenticity of biblical manuscripts.

1. Impact on Biblical Studies and Scholarship:

• The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls revolutionized biblical studies, providing scholars with invaluable primary sources for studying ancient Judaism, the development of biblical texts, and the context in which these texts were composed.

The historical context of political upheaval, religious expectations, and the preservation of texts within the Dead Sea Scrolls contributes significantly to understanding the milieu in which the War Scroll was written. It provides a backdrop against which the themes of cosmic conflict, eschatological anticipation, and religious fervor within the War Scroll can be comprehended.

Found out I have been admitted to both schools, and for both I will be paying sticker price. I do not come from a high income family, and will likely have to take on loans / try and get scholarships.
My background is 3 years of work experience as a CPA in the finance services industry. My immediate post graduation goal would be to get into MBB or something in finance (IB, Asset Management, etc). To be honest, I am still trying to figure out what exactly I would like to recruit into directly out of the MBA program.
My long term goal would be to work as a CFO/CEO of a fortune 100 firm. I would appreciate any advice on this as to whether MBB or a finance role post graduation (FLDP, IB, AM, etc) would be better for my long term goal.
If you were in my shoes, which school would you pick?
I am quite young, and so I could reapply in 2 - 3 years and perhaps get into HSW, but to be honest I would rather join a program now. Job recruiting has been quite tough and likely I will end up in another accounting role and pigeonhole myself into accounting even further.
I would appreciate any input on - how fun the school is, how the city life is, expenses, culture and types of people who go there, etc.
As I consider these options, I am slightly edging towards SOM. Higher ranking program, much better name recognition (matters to me), cheaper both in tuition and living expenses, I enjoy the emphasis put on international exposure, I look forward to taking classes in undergrad/law program. However, living in NYC, though it will cost me probably an additional $100k in loans over two years, is something that I would enjoy doing. I am not dead set on staying in NYC post graduation, I am from West Coast originally, and so perhaps those two years would be great to enjoy NYC. Also, the GMAT score being higher in NYU shows how much others value the school/location in NYC. In case it matters, I plan on studying abroad for a semester at either institution.
Please let me know of any input as to which program you would pick or your experiences at either university. I would greatly appreciate any advice, thanks!
View Poll

Gender: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Asian
Residence: NJ
Income Bracket: too much to get good aid, too little to afford full price without stressing, therefore gunning for merit!
Type of School: public school (pretty avg school tbh)
Hooks: None 😝
Intended Major(s): Mostly Poli Sci or Public Policy, Some schools Sociology or Communications/Business.
Academics
GPA (UW/W): around 3.94UW/4.4W (over a 101W on a 100 point scale)
Rank (or percentile): Top 2 percentile of my class
# of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: 11 APs, 8 honors, 2 DE
Senior Year Course Load: 4 AP Classes, 2 honors classes
Standardized TestingSAT I: 1420 SAT, 32 ACT (test optional 🤘for most schools except safeties and targets)AP/IB: Mostly 5s and a couple 4s on my 6 AP exams that I had completed at the time of applying)
Extracurriculars/Activities

1. School Club Co-President, *Insert Multi-State Conference Name* Chair, National Committee Chair - Model UN
2. State VP - Popular Community Service Club with 10k state members
3. Policy Associate - Social Justice Org (Researching legislation, lobbying politicians, organizing a lobbying day in a major city)
4. Student Board of Education Member (Representing 8 Schools in District)
5. Campaign Intern for two campaigns + Leadership role/manager for one Campaign - (Two Consecutive Years with Three Different Campaigns that encompassed 8 politicians)(this was acc 3 separate ECs but I combined into one bc I didn't have space but I spent ALOTT of time on this)
6. Helped Lead a State Educational Access Community Service Project
7. Debate conference chair
8. Co-Editor-in-Chief - School Newspaper
9. President - Social Studies Honor Society, VP English Honor Society (combined these in one again bc i didn't have space)
10. Mentor & Mock Senator - Mock Congress

Awards/Honors

• Won a New York Times Contest and my writing was featured in the NYT 3 Times
• Multiple National Debate Awards (Top 25 at a Invitational National Conference, 3 Years in a row Top 25 in State qualifying for nationals, Selected as keynote speaker at debate conference ) (not NSDA tho, I participate in a different kind of debate but I can't say which without doxxing)
• State Policy Pitch Contest (Three year in a row Finalist, 1st place 2021, 2nd place 2022)
• 1st Place at FBLA State for an event that relates to my majotheme- Best Bill Award at State Mock Congress Conference

In additional info section I put:
National Recognition Small Town and Rural Scholar
AP Scholar with Distinction

• Like 5 more mock congress & model un awards

Letters of Recommendation (guessing bc I haven't read them)
LOR 1: English teacher that I've had for two years, she spontaneously sent my parents an email just to tell them that she was proud of my work in the class, asked me to use my essays as examples for her freshman classes, and was really excited that I asked her for a LOR and she wrote it the week I asked her. I can't exactly rate because I haven't read but hoping (9/10)
LOR 2: Human Geo teacher, always said good things about me in parent teacher conferences, recommended me for an internship and wrote a very heartfelt letter, again hard to estimate when I haven't read but hopefully (8.5/10)
LOR 3: Campaign Manager - i think it would be very sweet, talk about how hardworking and passionate I am but not a one-in-a-million rec letter yk, i'd guess (7.5/10)
Interviews
Georgetown (10/10); Cornell (11/10 non evaluative but I wish it was bc it went so good smh); Dartmouth (9/10) - im just a good yapper if u couldn't tell; interviews is where I shine
Essays
7/10 Common App Essay: I think idea was great, execution may have fell short. Alot of people who have read it, including 2 english teachers and 2 counselors, have loved it and gave me no feedback on it telling me not to change a thing. but on the other hand it was harshly critiqued by some current college students. re-reading it i feel like i could've done a better job, and maybe i'm a little disappointed but i might be too hard on myself after being influenced by others opinions. the one thing i'm certain about tho is its attention-grabbing, funny, and unconventional.
Supplements: Varied by school but i think mostly 8/10 or even dare i say some were 9/10. i loved alot of my RD supplements, my EA supplements were good but i think i really got the hang of writing by RD time.
Decisions
Acceptances:

• Pitt w/ guaranteed law school + deans law scholarship (rolling)
• Fordham w/ merit scholarship (EA)
• Indiana w/ kelley direct admit + dean's scholarship (EA)
• Umiami w/ president’s scholarship (EA)
• Northeastern (EA)
• Rutgers (honors program) (RD)
• George Washington University + president's scholarship (RD)
• American University + president's scholarship + cornerstone program (RD)
• Syracuse + 2 merit scholarships (RD)
• UC Davis (RD)
• UC Santa Barbara w/ likely letteearly notice through Chancellor's invite (RD)
• UC San Diego (RD)
• Boston University (RD)
• NYU (RD) middle school me's dream but too expensive!
• Barnard (off the waitlist!) also one of my dream schools 😊😊
• Cornell deferred ED -> (basically guaranteed) Transfer Option!! ik this isn't exactly an acceptance but putting this in this category bc a win is a win! I got my dream school in the end 🥲

Waitlists:
Dartmouth (RD) LET ME INNN 🙏
UCLA (RD) pls manifest for me🕯🕯
UC Berkeley (RD) PLSS I BEGG I WILL FIND A NEW ELEMENT OR SOMETHING IN HONOR OF BEREKELY (berkelium who? 👀) (don't hold me to this tho I am NOT a woman in STEM!)
UNC Chapel Hill (EA-OOS)
Rejections

• Michigan (RD)
• Georgetown (RD)
• Northwestern (RD)
• Tulane (EA)
• Vanderbilt (ED2)
• UVA (RD)
• USC (RD)

IN SUMMARY, all my hard work feels worth it (over half a mil in scholarships + some dream schools 🤑) I really started to lose hope after my cornell deferral but I channeled my energy to 27 college apps and it might have been crazy but it was worth it for me - everything worked out in the end. I hope this can give some hope to people who are test optional or don't have the best stats bc I really think it was my ECs and essays that helped me the most.
I didn't even apply to Harvard bc all these college apps had me burnt out and I maxed out my common app but watch out Harvard law 🔜! what, like its hard? thanks elle woods for motivating me through this application cycle 😗
now plsssss help me decide, I only have a day left to respond to my barnard waitlist and I don't know what to do!
barnard was such a dream for me, but so was cornell! before my barnard waitlist, I was planning on going to Rutgers for my first year bc it was the cheapest and then using my transfer option to do my next 3 years at cornell. at barnard, I get the best of both worlds w the city at my disposal and the resources of columbia + a tight knit women's community and a full four year college experience that I wouldn't get with the transfer option. but barnard is 60k more for the first year in comparison to Rutgers, and while the costs are the same for the rest of the 3 idk If I can justify 60k since it'll be a financial strain for my family and I could rather save money for law school If if go. with Rutgers + Cornell, I like my major in Cornell's ILR School more and the academic opportunities more + save lots of money, I just don't know how I feel abt transferring.