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Getting into a College

What affects your chances?

By Daria Serheyeva

According to research.com, the average college acceptance rate in the U.S. is 68%. That seems relatively high, but more prestigious colleges have much lower rates, so it might be helpful to start preparing for the future. This article has some advice on what to focus on and information on things that usually affect the final decision to accept a student.

College Essays

The essay is one of the only parts of a college application where the student can show their values or personality. According to College Essay Guy, 25% of top-tier colleges give essays considerable importance in the application. That means it affects the college’s decision significantly and might be why someone’s application is chosen over another with equally good grades. There are also supplemental essays that can help colleges learn even more about the applicant.

College Essay Guy says that an essay listing different achievements is not the best idea, as well as other common topics like “a big performance” or “sports injury.” If the issue is unique, colleges won’t have that many other essays to compare it with, making the application stand out more. To sum up, a well-written essay can make the whole application better.

Extracurriculars

Extracurriculars are not only some of the critical parts of a college application, but they can also show your interests and level of involvement in the community. A lack of extracurriculars can make even a great student’s application weaker.

According to PrepScholar, colleges look for three things in extracurricular activities. These three elements are passion, leadership, and impact. If someone’s involvement in the activity includes all three, their application will be more robust. Since weak participation in many extracurriculars does not usually include these three things, it is less valuable than doing something significant in a specific field. Overall, extracurricular activities can show how much a person does for the community and make them more useful for colleges.

GPA

GPA is one of the main things that colleges look at. It shows the overall academic performance of a student. Usually, GPA is counted using a scale from 0 to 4.0, with 4.0 considered excellent. According to StudyPortals, another scale is also used for weighted GPA, where the difficulty of different courses is considered. A weighted GPA uses a scale from 0 to 5.0, and an A in a more challenging class will add more points, unlike an unweighted GPA.

The previously mentioned website says that a GPA of 3.0 - 3.5 is considered good enough at many high schools, colleges, and universities, but most top colleges require more heightened than that. You must study and do well in classes to have a high GPA. Most of the time, it is tough to change a lousy grade near the end of the semester, so it is better to start strong, and if the grade is high enough, even a couple of missed assignments will not affect it too much. To have a high GPA, you have to study and complete class assignments.

Exams

Two main exams that colleges look at are ACT and SAT exams. Students can choose one to take, and since it’s easier to prepare for only one, many people take either one or the other. The highest score for ACT is 36, and the highest score for SAT is 1600. The main difference is that ACT focuses more on the school curriculum and has a science section.

According to U.S. News, the science section of ACT is why those who are strong in science and math sometimes prefer that test. The article also recommends taking a practice test to decide which exam to handle and prepare for. Colleges do not have a preference for one exam over another. The primary strategy to pass successfully is to prepare in advance and study a lot, and that should be enough to do well.

Abbreviations and vocabulary:

GPA — Grade Point Average

SAT — Scholastic Aptitude Test

ACT — American College Test

College essay — personal essay that tells an engaging story in 650 words or fewer.

Extracurriculars — An extracurricular activity or subject is not part of the usual school or college course.

Oscar Schindler

Righteous Among Nations

By Simone Simantob

Many people know that the Holocaust was a horrific period where over twelve million people died, half of whom were Jews. During World War II, people who helped save Jews were called Righteous Among Nations. One of these people was Oscar Schindler, a German industrialist and humanitarian who owned many factories, which he used as a way to save 1200 Jews. Although he was a member of the Nazi party, witnessing what was happening to the Jews led him to believe that what the Nazis were doing to the Jews was unfair and that they were evil, prejudiced people. He helped get Jews working in his factory new identities and passports to safe counties. He repeated this cycle often, which helped him save so many lives.

Another man who saved many lives was an Italian named Gino Bartali. He was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice, in 1936 and 1937, and the Tour de France in 1938. He disagreed with the doing of the nazis, so he decided to use his bike for the better of the world. According to Yad Vashem, following the German occupation of Italy in September 1943, Bartali, a courier for the resistance, played an essential role in rescuing Jews through the network initiated by Rabbi Nathan Cassuto, whom Dalla Costa then joined. Bartali, known to cover large distances with his bicycle for training purposes, transferred forged documents from one place to another. He hid fake identity papers in his bike and unscrewed the cap when he got to his destination. His participation in the resistance movement helped save 500 Jews, so he is a Righteous Among Nations recipient.

These men were willing to risk their lives to save hundreds of people despite the risk to themselves.

Source: yadvashem.org

Gino Bartoli

Ole Kirk Christiansen

Lego's Origin

By Aaron Bohbot

Ole Kirk Christiansen (April 7th, 1891 – March 11th, 1958) was the creator and founder of the big and beloved company Lego founded in 1932 in Billund, Denmark. He was born in Denmark, where he met and married his first wife in 1916. They had four children together. After she died in 1932, he married again and had another child. The same year he married his first wife, he bought a wood shop that produced lovely wooden ducks and cars. As a carpenter, he made toys from the leftover wood from his carpenter job. In 1934 he started a company called LEGO after the Danish phrase leg godt ("play well"). In 1942 his wooden toy factory burned to the ground, and Ole almost gave up. In 1944 Ole rebuilt the factory with an assembly line. In 1947, the Lego company was the first toy manufacturer in Denmark to purchase a plastic injection molding machine, which was so expensive that it cost more than twice the previous year's profits. By 1949 LEGO produced its first plastic brick, a precursor to its signature brick with interlocking studs on the top and tubes on the bottom. It was patented in 1958 by Christiansen's son Godtfred Kirk, who replaced his father as the head of the company.

At first, Lego made teddy bears and cars, but he then realized the potential of the brick, so he fixed a few things and made many copies of the bricks! After two years of selling, he realized there was no system; the bricks, houses, cars, and toys had to be pre-made! Ole started making Lego sets, but the kids had to build them themselves instead of getting the toy immediately.

Sales started to boom, and Ole was also selling outside of Denmark! However, Godfrey could not stop but noticed that the bricks would not stick, so he made tubes at the bottom of the brick, and that one change made what we know today as a Lego brick.

After Ole died in 1958, his son Godfred took over the company. According to Brittanica, in 1969, the company started selling the DUPLO line of more giant bricks for children who had trouble handling the regular LEGO bricks. Nine years later, LEGO introduced Minifigures, the typically smiling yellow humanoids that became regular presences in the company's themed play sets. In 2022, the LEGO brand was valued at approximately 11.8 billion U.S. dollars, which is pretty good for a company that started in a wood shop.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com and youtube.com

Why You Must visit Rome!

By Halo Jenkins

Are you in need of a holiday? Are you interested in culture? Do you like yummy food and sightseeing? Well, if you are, I have the perfect place for you, and that place, my friend, is Rome, Italy! Rome, Italy, is a major holiday destination with millions of sights, such as the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel, and the Trajan Markets. However, the most exciting thing is the food. Italy has the best Italian food in the world.

Food

As we all know, Italy is known for its food. It has some of the best food in the world, and the city of Rome is no exception. Rome is known for its impeccable carbonara, which is not the only yummy thing. In Italy, a significant thing is a gelato, and Rome has much tasty gelato. Rome is also known for its seafood. If you go to Rome for a holiday, check out these restaurants Pasta e Vino - Torre Argentina. This restaurant is known for its delicious pasta and has 5-star reviews. Now if you do not just want to eat pasta all day, I could recommend "DOC" Cruderia EnoBistrot, this restaurant is good if you want some fresh pizza and yummy desserts. This restaurant also has five-star reviews. If you are stuck on breakfast ideas, I recommend Bar Gastronomia D'Angelo, which is suitable for pastries and coffee; however, if you want more of a bigger meal, I suggest La Nicchia Cafe. You may be thinking, well, I don't want to spend fortunes at the restaurants, which is a good point, but these restaurants are very affordable, and everything in Rome tastes good, so you can find cheaper options.

Destinations

Rome has a lot of unique places to see because it has ancient ruins and other cool places like the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican City, which is in the city of Rome. Rome is also so beautiful you could walk and see many beautiful buildings or parks. As I mentioned, Rome is home to many ancient ruins such as the Colosseum, The Roman Forum, the Arch of Constantine, the temple of Hercules Victor, and many others. The Temple of Hercules Victor is the oldest ruin in Rome, as it was built in 120 BC. The Colosseum is the most visited ruin in Rome, with five million visitors each year; the Colosseum is said to be where Gladiator battles were held. I suggest visiting some ancient ruins in Rome because they are fascinating. However, ruins are not the only thing to see in Rome. As I mentioned, the Sistine Chapel is in Rome, located in the Vatican Museum in the Vatican City, but it is in Rome. The Sistine Chapel is a famous location in Rome. Just like the Colosseum, it also has five million visitors each year. I recommend seeing the Sistine Chapel because it is beautiful, and two are located in the Vatican Museum, which is also an excellent place to visit, so you can kill two birds with one stone which is always lovely. The Sistine Chapel looks one hundred times better, so I highly recommend going there. Lastly, you have to see the iconic Trevi fountain. I have no idea why this fountain is so famous, but it just is, and it is beautiful now. Be careful because it has been said that if you throw a coin in the fountain, you are destined to return to Rome, but who does not want to return to Rome?

Culture

Rome, by far, has the most culture out of Italy purely because that is where the Romans originated. Rome is also where Vatican City, also known as the smallest city in the world, is located, which is also a significant part of their culture. The pope lives in the Vatican Palace and heads the roman catholic church. Catholicism is a significant part of Rome's culture. About 78% of the population is Roman Catholic. Much of Rome's culture is based on the Greeks; however, they have some of their own cultures. For example, Rome also follows Italian culture, mainly the food; Rome is known for its carbonara. Rome is also known as the most romantic city because everything there is so beautiful. Considering Rome was where the Romans originated, there is much Roman architecture; however, it has now turned into ancient ruins, but these ruins have a significant part in doing with early Roman culture.

In conclusion, Rome is beautiful, and I highly recommend visiting it at least once. Everything is beautiful, all the food is delicious, and there is so much fantastic culture and exciting places to visit.

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