🍦 Today's Scoops: How Mithil got through writer's block (Oct 24)

Good morning folks! Here’s what we have today:

1. School of the Day: San Jose State University

2. Hear From Your Peers: Conversation with Mithil

3. TikTok Thursday!

SCOOPS SPECIAL
Free overnight event for high schoolers interested in music production

Audiofeud 2024 is a music production “hackathon” taking place from October 27-28th 11AM-11AM PST (yes, overnight) and is open to high schoolers, undergrads, or the age equivalent in the Bay Area. It is an in-person event and we encourage our participants to bring sleeping bags or energy drinks to work through the night. Attendance is free of cost and all meals will be provided for free. We have $1,500+ in prizes, industry-experienced judges, and we're totally beginner-friendly. An Audiofeud win looks great on a resume and shows a diversity of interests.

*A message from our sponsor.

SCHOOL OF THE DAY
San Jose State University

Every day, we cover a different school, helping you learn something new about your favorite schools or find a new school that could end up being your dream school.

📍 Location: San Jose, CA
🎓 Student Body: 27,111
📊 Acceptance Rate: 80% (lower for impacted majors)
💸 Cost: $8,410 (In-state), $21,010 (Out-of-state)
📅 Admission Options: Regular Decision (December 2)
🏆 Top Ranking Programs: Public Health (#90), Psychology (#141), Business (#169) (Niche)
📈 Most Popular Majors: Business (25%), Engineering (12%), Visual and Performing Arts (7%) (US News)

Pros:

💻 Tech Hub Location – SJSU is located in the middle of Silicon Valley, the world’s tech epicenter. This provides incredible networking, internship, and job opportunities with companies like Apple, Google, and Adobe right around the corner!

📈 Top-Notch Engineering Programs – SJSU’s Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering is one of the best in the nation for public universities. It’s known for its hands-on approach and close ties to industry. Check out the engineering program.

🌞 Great Weather and Vibrant Campus – You can’t beat the year-round sunshine in San José! The campus also offers a strong sense of community, with tons of student clubs, cultural organizations, and events. Explore campus life at SJSU.

💼 Strong Career Services – SJSU is known for its focus on employability, with career fairs, industry partnerships, and dedicated career counseling services. Discover how SJSU helps students succeed.

💵 Affordable Tuition for California Residents – Compared to other universities in the region, SJSU offers excellent value for in-state students, providing a great education without the high price tag. See tuition details here.

Cons:

🏠 Housing Challenges – With its location in the Bay Area, housing around SJSU can be expensive and hard to find. The on-campus housing options can also fill up quickly. Find out more about housing.

🚗 Parking Difficulties – Like many urban campuses, parking can be tough and costly. Many students find alternative commuting options like biking or using public transportation. Read about transportation and parking.

📚 Competitive Majors – Due to its location and reputation, majors like computer science and engineering can be highly competitive, both for admission and within the programs. Explore impacted majors.

🏢 Urban Campus Environment – If you’re looking for a more traditional college-town feel, SJSU’s downtown location may not provide the same experience. It’s more of a bustling urban environment. See more about life in downtown San José.

LINK LOUNGE
Links and resources to help you with admissions

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we will be updating the Link Lounge section with links to great resources such as scholarships and tools during the college application process. You’ll find it at the top of your email on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and near the bottom during the rest of the week.

Audiofeud - Win great awards and recognition at the first music production competition for high school students

Leangap - Become a startup founder before college

Niche Direct Admissions - get accepted to colleges just based off your GPA and/or SAT

Gohar Khan YouTube Channel - MIT grad’s advice on college admissions

HEAR FROM YOUR PEERS
Conversation with Mithil

Hear from your peers is a section we do about once a week, where we interview a fellow high school senior to understand what is going through their mind during this applications season. Here’s a great conversation we had with Mithil, a senior from San Jose.

1. How has your high school experience shaped your perspective on what you want to study in college?

Honestly, growing up, I was that kid who tried everything—whether it was building LEGOs or trying to learn piano for a month. But one thing that really stuck was hackathons. I started going to them when I was 10, and at first, it was all about coding apps, but lately, I’ve been dabbling in building hardware tools too. It’s cool because it’s evolved from something I did for fun into something I want to study in college. Now, I’m applying to schools as a computer science or computer engineering major. But choosing between the two has been a real dilemma! I mean, I compare the acceptance rates, look at the curriculum to see if I can take courses that really interest me, and whether the major is in the engineering college or the arts & sciences college—I definitely prefer it being in engineering. It’s a lot to think about!

2. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced during the college application process, and how are you navigating it?

Writer’s block—hands down. It hit me out of nowhere, and I went from feeling like I was way ahead of the process, thinking, “Oh, I won’t have to stress at all,” to realizing, “Oh no, deadlines are coming fast and I haven’t written anything!” And when it hit, I couldn’t force my brain to come up with anything. I’d stare at the screen or even a blank sheet of paper for hours, trying to brainstorm responses to essays, but nothing creative came out. Eventually, it just started flowing again, and I got back on track. But now I’m working as quickly as possible to avoid that panic again—if writer’s block hits me later, at least I’ll have time to get through it without stressing out too much.

3. How do you think your experiences outside of the classroom have prepared you for life after high school?

Most of my out-of-classroom experiences have come from things I’ve started on my own, like running businesses. It’s been a lot of time and effort, but because it’s on my own schedule, it hasn’t felt overwhelming like, “Oh, I have XYZ Club from 4 to 5 PM every day.” Running a business has taught me that everything is interdisciplinary. I’ve had to know a little chemistry, psychology, even some art just to make things work. So, going forward, I know I need an education that doesn’t box me into one subject but prepares me for all kinds of fields. That’s something I’m really focusing on as I look at colleges.

4. If you could give your freshman self one piece of advice about high school, what would it be and why?

Take the SAT earlier! When I was a freshman, the SAT was optional or test-blind at most schools, so I didn’t think about it much. But looking back, it would’ve been so much better to knock it out early instead of stressing over it later in high school. I’d also tell myself to really stay on top of grades. A lot of schools care about academics more than anything else, and they also look at how your grades stack up in the context of your school. Taking AP classes and challenging yourself matters. Oh, and I’d definitely say to participate in competitions like Olympiads or the Congressional App Challenge—they really help you stand out in the application process.

5. What are you most excited about when you think about your future in college and beyond?

I’m really excited about the college environment. I’ve picked schools where I know the students are fun, spirited, and driven academically. It’s going to be a mix of learning from people who are passionate about the same things as me and also just soaking in that college experience—football games, campus traditions, meeting new people. I think it’s going to be this perfect balance of learning, growing, and having fun, and I can’t wait to tap into that!

INFO ZONE
Upcoming Visits and Info Sessions

Duke Virtual Admissions Session - Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at 1:00 PM until 1:45 PM

Caltech Virtual Coffee Chats - Thursday, October 23, 2024 at 4:00 PM until 4:45 PM

Columbia Engineering Student Q&A Chat - Friday, October 25, 2024 at 2:30 PM until 3:30 PM

UChicago First Things First: Young Alumni - Monday, October 28th at 4:00 unti 5:00pm CDT

TIKTOK THURSDAY
#collegeadmissions TikToks we found on our FYP

DAILY DEADLINE UPDATES
Early deadlines are almost here! Might be time to start submitting…

In the Daily Deadlines section, we will keep you updated on upcoming deadlines in the college admissions world. Remember to not procrastinate and stay ahead of these deadlines!

Most ED, REA & EA Deadlines: November 1
November SAT: November 2

THE ARCHIVE
Looking for past mailings?

You can view all our previous posts at our website at https://scholarscoops.beehiiv.com

IDEAS COME FROM EVERYWHERE
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Is there a question you’ve been dying to have answered related to college admissions? Or, is there something just nagging you about Scholar Scoops that you want to see fixed soon? We want to hear from you. You can submit feedback at https://forms.gle/7Rj2eBCiauEc5oNV8. Thank you so much!