Intro to The Struggle

Well, it’s here. After waiting for it for the past few years, the college application process is here for me.

I’m a relative newcomer to the game that is college admissions - I’m gonna be the first in my family to graduate high school, let alone apply to college, so to me and my family, this is all uncharted territory for us. Of course, I’ve been reading as much as I can about the process - books, magazines, blogs - but still, it’s gonna be an experience.

That isn’t to say that I don’t have help though. My parents are generally enthusiastic about it, and although they know the process of college admissions is gonna be exhausting at times, they’re generally excited about it. I’ve been on a few tours with them, and they have enjoyed it all. I have also have a few other people helping me out with the process, taking me on tours, and offering me to help me with my essays - help that I will definitely take advantage of as the process heats up.

My biggest fears is one, will I get into my top choices? Two, how will I pay for it all?

As of now, I’m still narrowing down the list of schools that I’m applying to -  the only ones that I know for sure that I’ll be applying to as of this moment are several CUNY and SUNY schools, and the University of Chicago for Early Action. Besides that, the other schools are a toss up, depending on campus visits (if I can make it) and my own research. So far, I’ve visited Yale, Columbia, UPenn, and Swarthmore - and I was impressed by most of them (I’ll be posting up reviews of each respective visit soon).

My stats are pretty decent - my overall average hovers at a 90, and my AP Scores are pretty good - I’ve taken two AP’s so far, World and U.S. History, and I’ve gotten a 5 in both. My SAT II scores are also pretty good as well, with 800’s in World and U.S. History, a 730 in Spanish, and a 630 in Literature. SAT I wise, though, my scores are average, with Critical Reading being my highest with a 690 and Math being my lowest, with a 540. Writing is in the middle. I’m studying up to improve my scores, especially my Math scores, although admittedly, I’m not that good at Math. Extracurricular wise, I’m solid in that area, having done a good amount of community service at my local police precinct and holding internships at the City Council and at a non-profit, as well doing several activities in my school, such as Moot Court/Mock Trial and the history club.

The biggest fear I have, though, is being able to pay for it all. My family is generally poor - my parents combined make about less than $36,000 for a family of four, and being that we live on New York City...well, expenses can cut deep. I want to go to the school of my dreams, but I don’t want to put myself or my family in a hole of debt, of which we can’t pay ourselves out of. Already, I’ve already swore to myself that I’m not gonna take out any loans to pay for my education - and neither will my parents (despite my dad’s offer to do so), so that means I’m gonna have to be scrambling for financial aid. This means a lot of research, and maybe a bit of luck.

So there you have it! This marks the start of the struggle that is the college application process, but also, a new stage in my life and parent’s. This also marks the start of a new blog series on Pointz of View, The Struggle, in which I will periodically blog about my experiences as the application moves on, from start to finish. It should be a fun, yet whirlwind journey. Welcome along, and thanks for joining me on the journey that is the college admissions process.

Thoughts for a day: 11/7/2012

Over here in New York City, Mother Nature hasn't been kind to us. We've been socked with a Hurricane (or SuperStorm, whatever you want to call it), and now a Nor'easter that is leaving behind a good amount of snow tonight. 

Throughout these weather events, I've been having a series of thoughts - what type of person would I fear to be, if everything for me, hopefully not, fails in life.

I don't fear being stuck in jail - there, you have a least a roof over you head and food, as well as "protection". Similarly, I don't fear being poor - although it would suck, one still has money to at least buy the essentials. And there's always the social safety net to fall back upon if one is really poor.

What I really fear is being a bum. Why? Because frankly, I really feel that nobody gives a crap about 'em, even though in my opinion, they are one of most disadvantaged people there can be - even gay people and immigrants, for example, have some sort of rights (although they're limited, but should be expanded upon).

I fear being a bum because frankly, once you are one, society forgets about you. Forget about the charities, about the organizations that hand out food, forget about all that. Once you are a bum, all you really have is yourself. And when you have nobody to back up when you have absolutely nothing - no food, no resources, no shelter of your own - it's really hard to come back up. You start doing anything, and everything, just to barely survive. Whether it involves sleeping under the highway, or begging for change (and hope that one guy will give you at least a penny), and going for days without eating - sometimes eating what most people would never eat - or hoping that the charity food truck will have at least a piece of bread for you - being a so-called bum, in my opinion, is the one worst things that can happen to a person. Just think about it for a moment - even a guy stuck in a jail cell, as I mentioned earlier in this post, as at least a resemblance of a bed, food, shelter, and "protection" - and the chance to dust oneself off and get back on his/her feet. A poor immigrant living in Corona, for example, can still bring home more than a bum can.

And as bum, you lose everything that identifies you - because you live nowhere, you can't get ID, and without ID, you pretty much can't do jack-sqaut in this country.

In Pulp Fiction, for example, Vincent and Jules, two of the main characters of the movie, are having a conversation in a diner about what Jules would do after he finishes the job Marsellus, their boss, gave to them. It goes like this...

JULES  That's what I've been sitting here contemplating. First, I'm gonna deliver this case to Marsellus. Then, basically, I'm gonna walk the earth. 

VINCENT  What do you mean, walk the earth? 

JULES  You know, like Caine in "KUNG FU." Just walk from town to town, meet people, get in adventures. 

VINCENT  How long do you intend to walk the earth? 

JULES  Until God puts me where he want me to be. 

VINCENT  What if he never does? 

JULES  If it takes forever, I'll wait forever. 

VINCENT  So you decided to be a bum? 

JULES  I'll just be Jules, Vincent -- no more, no less. 

VINCENT  No Jules, you're gonna be like those pieces of shit out there who beg for change. They walk around like a bunch of fuckin' zombies, they sleep in garbage bins, they eat what I throw away, and dogs piss on 'em. They got a word for 'em, they're called bums. And without a job, residence, or legal tender, that's what you're gonna be-- a fuckin' bum!

For those who prefer to hear Vincent say it (instead of reading it), here you go.
You're Going To Be A Fucking Bum

So yeah, just some thoughts on what's been spinning on my mind lately. The thought that in my opinion, being a bum is one of the worst things that can happen to anybody.

Stay safe in the nor'easter, everyone. And remember the bums who have nowhere to stay.

Site Changes

As viewers of this blog may have noticed, there have been some recent changes to the appearance and schematics of this blog, and I am happy to report that there will be more changes coming up. First off, appearance- the blog has been redesigned with a sleeker, more modern appearance that allows for faster loading on web browsers and less bugs, thus making your stay here more enjoyable. Post views have been reorganized to allow for easier reading, and the appearance of videos on Opinions has been worked out. Now, there will be two important changes on this blog that will take effect at 7:00 PM tonight, Saturday, November 12, 2011. First, the title of this blog will be changed from Opinions to Points of View, as differing points of view are being offered on this blog, and in the upcoming weeks, it won't just be me posting here- a number of new contributors will offer different perspectives and points of view on a variety of topics, and topics won't just be limited to politics- you'll see more posts not related to politics being brought for discussion here, such as sports, technology, culture, and more, but they will be related to the central mission of this blog- to provide differing points of view for you amusement and knowledge. But don't worry, my politically inclined viewers-politics will still be a central part of this blog. Lastly, and possibly the most important change to be made, this blog will be moved from it's current website, opinionsbz.blogspot.com to pointzofview.blogspot.com as we wrap up the numerous changes to this blog, all designed to make your stay here more comfortable, more enjoyable, and more informative. These changes might seem all too confusing, as they are all culminating at once, but I (and soon we) thank you for cooperating with us, as we move on and get ready to offer you a unique point of view on the upcoming election, and life in general.

Just a head's up.

In a few days time, I will be writing a blog post about Alabama's new, and extremely tough immigration law that will encompass a very broad swarth, that will have me offering up a solution to the immigration dilemma. In the time, if you interested to see that exact provisions of this law, of you just have nothing to do, here is the whole text of Alabama's immigration law, cynically called the Beason-Hammon Alabama Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act. Yep, that's right, all 70 pages, the whole package. If you want a preview of what I might write, check out this older blog post from yours truly.      

Stay safe, people.

Yes, my opinions regarding misinfomation can be explained via The Daily Show.

As a liberal, it often pains me when misinformation is spread around the American public, especially about American politics. Now, I could write a whole blog post about this (Looking at you, Fox News), but instead of going on and on and possibly boring you guys, I have decided instead to post two clips from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. You might ask yourself, why I am posting this? Well, it makes the same points I intended to make, only in a funnier and more charismatic way, and it will explain it more fully and more clearly. All credits regarding political points and jokes are attributed to Comedy Central & The Daily Show, as well as Jon Stewart.

For the first video, skip ahead to the 1:45 minute, and watch from there on if you want to see my point.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Fox News Channel - Fair & Balanced
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

The Second Video (below) gets straight to the point- and in a comical fashion.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Fox News False Statements
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

As Jon Stewart said at the end about Fox News, "They got a lot of f**king correcting to do."

Topics Up for Discussion

As you may have noticed by the recent piece posted below, I have returned after 10 months and 23 days of hiatus. So much to talk about, where should we start? Well, to give you a basic look what I'm going to write about for the next couple of years, here are the topics-

• The Tea Party
• New York Politics
• Health Care Reform
• The U.S. Budget & Economy 
• U.S. Politics
• The MTA
• Abortion
• Gay Marriage
• Hydrofracking and the Water Supply
• Immigration

Of course, as time goes by, more stuff pops up, so there are more topics to talk about, but this should give a general idea on what I aim to do for the next couple of months. Ambitious? Yes. Is it wrong for me to set goals as ambitious as this? No. Is it possible I might spend more time on one topic then the others? Probably. Is it likely that I might not get to discuss all these topics? Maybe. But this should give you ideas on what to expect as time goes on. As for updates, I will try to be more consistent with this blog by attempting to update it at least 3-4 times a week, but as I am a student, schoolwork will get in the way, so there be times where I won't be able to post 3-4 times a week. Other than that, this blog is now resumed.