Herman Said:

Is this a good high school schedule for college and dental school?

We Answered:

It looks really good, but I would take all the honors classes. It looks better and may even help you get scholarships. Also, you may change your mind so it's better to be safe than sorry.

Gladys Said:

Soka University of America?

We Answered:

Hey Megs,

Your concern is very valid as many people have asked this question before. Since not many Americans know about Buddhism or even the SGI, a lot of assumptions are being made about Soka University of America, especially since it is also a fairly new school. But even though it is only 10 years old, statistics has shown, with the recent Newsweek/Kaplan released that SUA is slowly gaining recognition as one of the top 25 small schools in the entire US.

I can also assure you that SUA is quite a typical American school. I'm a Senior currently studying in SUA and I can tell you without doubt that this is the most amazing school ever. I chose this school because of its philosophy and mission statement, which is to foster a steady stream of global citizens to lead a contributive life. It is founded on the Buddhist principles of peace, human rights and the sanctity of life. So yes, it is true that the school is built upon Buddhist principles and the founder of the university is a Buddhist himself but the values and philosophy associated with it are what makes this university such an amazing school.

There are no Buddhist classes on campus and it is not part of our curriculum (if you're wondering). Though we have many Buddhist students on campus, there are also a wide range of students who come from different nationalities, religious backgrounds and cultures.

As for life after graduation, a Liberal Arts Degree will definitely open doors for whatever field that you may be interested in. The intense writing and reading that we do will definitely prepare a student towards graduate studies, if that's what you're interested in. I'm in the midst of applying for law schools right now and I really appreciate my education in SUA because the small professor to student ratio has allowed me to really get to know my professors well enough for them to write me good recommendation letters. Also, the opportunities given by SUA is unparalleled to other universities. I did my study abroad in the sister school, Soka University of Japan in Tokyo for a semester. I traveled to Peru and Colombia for 2 weeks each to conduct a research in the Amazon with 10 other students and a professor during what we call Learning Clusters, which is held in January. During the summer in 2009, the Pacific Basin Research Center gave me the opportunity to travel to Seoul to attend the Harvard Project for Asian International Relations, all expense paid. And finally in March 2010, I had the opportunity to visit the UN Headquarters in New York during spring break and have a chance to meet with UN headquarters staff and listen to their daily experiences working in the UN.

You wont be able to find the opportunities that SUA gives to students in other universities. There are still internships and work experiences that you can do to build up your resume before you go out into the real world. You just have to grab the opportunities given to you and use it to the fullest. That way, you know you will be a competitive candidate in the job market in the future.

So, as a senior about to leave this school, I really sincerely encourage you to apply to SUA and see how it goes. You never know, you may receive a wonderful opportunity to study in a great school for the next four years.

Good luck!

Janet Said:

What are my chances on getting into college?

We Answered:

colleges are not going to care as much as you think about the nationally ranked school you went to becuase they know most people can't afford or just don't have that opputtunity. try to take more AP classes.

Sandra Said:

Am i applying to the right colleges?

We Answered:

Yes, you can get into college, including some of the schools on your list. You've taken challenging courses your last two years, which colleges will take into account. Your SAT scores range from low on the math portion to respectable on the CR portion and they should rise the next time you take the exam. And you're black, which will help you with the schools on your list. I'd estimate that your chances are pretty good at most of your schools.

Duquesne -- reach
Temple -- reach
Frostburg -- match/safety
U. of New Haven -- match/safety
West Virginia -- safety
New England College -- safety
Western New England College -- safety
High Point U. -- safety
Suffolk U. -- safety

Two other reach schools to consider are Howard and U. of Delaware.

Dana Said:

Is this possible? some bq's?

We Answered:

It means you can design your own major, but you can't just pick random classes. There has to be some sense to it, some name you can give it that ties it all together. And they can't all be introductory classes; you'll need a certain number of them at the junior and senior level.

Claudia Said:

Is there an answer and/or preventive measure to the Virginia Tech. shooting to hope it won't happen again.

We Answered:

We know now that Cho was taken by police for a mental health evaluation, and was involuntarily hospitalized for one day in Dec. 2005. Whenever someone is involuntarily hospitalized to evaluate mental illness, they have to have a court hearing to determine whether they should stay in hospital, or be discharged with further court instructions. So upon discharge from hospital, Cho was court-ordered to outpatient counseling as the result of the hearing. We don't know where he was ordered to go for counseling, who counseling him or medicated him, whether he followed up as mandated, and if not, whether the courts even registered his noncompliance. If someone is noncompliant with court-ordered counseling, they are at risk of being *arrested* and taken to hospital again. For me, these are the critical questions that need to be asked.

Of course, counseling records are confidential, even in cases where the patient has died. So I would want to seek answers from the legal system. I wonder why Virginia Tech's Judicial Affairs office didn't expel or at least suspend him after the 2 complaints of stalking/harassment. What was the outcome when he went before their disciplinary board? It seems to me the legal system (the district court that ordered him to treatment, and the university Judicial Affairs office) may have minimized the seriousness of this young man's condition. Why? - maybe because he came off as so quiet and meek, maybe because they were operating from stereotypes that "Asians are the model minority," maybe because they were busy and he just dropped off their radar. I don't blame anyone - it's a heavy load for anyone to bear, knowing they may have had a hand in this man's ultimate collapse. But if we can get answers to these questions, I think we can learn a lot of lessons for preventing this kind of tragedy in the future.

Bobby Said:

MLA in-text citation help? Is this right?

We Answered:

So far this is what I've done for my essays and I haven't been penalised for anything (yet).

'Virginia Hamilton Biography' should be italicised within the parentheses (book title, right?) and a comma should separate the source and the page from which the source has been derived from. And for instance, (Mikkelsen 10) should be (Mikkelson, 10) that sort of thing.

Also try not to link words with apostrophes in formal essays, eg. 'she's' should be 'she is', and as such.

Hope that helps :)