Rhod Sharp's Smallville
Props for my friend Julia. Finally she has learned she is going to the college of her dreams. It's , a small and well-regarded liberal arts university a few miles from downtown Los Angeles between Glendale and Pasadena. Occidental boasts a 10:1 student-faculty ratio, which is smaller than most high schools. Julia is downright thrilled, as well she should be.
It's been a long journey.
It began in the fall of 2009, when Julia and about two million other high school juniors (ages 16-17) took the standardized SAT. Now it's the SAT Reasoning Test, no longer known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, but the intent and the ordeal are the same.
For three hours and forty five minutes of a Saturday morning, students take multiple choice questions in 3 sections - Mathematics, Critical Reading, and Writing. All are marked out of eight hundred with a possible maximum of 2400. The current test costs $47, which is truly the thin end of a big fat wedge.
Then they commonly take two further SAT single subject tests in their strongest subjects. Each test lasts an hour, and each one costs a further $71.
SATs can be re-sat. Many people do, to ensure the best possible score. Here's a question from the World History section of the 2006-7 test:
In early modern Europe, governments sought to increase their national wealth and to
maintain a favorable balance of trade through government intervention by advocating
(A) Liberalism
(B) Capitalism
(C) Socialism
(D) Utilitarianism
(E) Mercantilism
Julia took her SATs twice. In between she took the (American College Testing). "You really have to" she says. More students on the coasts take SATs, more students in the middle take ACTs. Go figure. "They're more for math and science" says Julia. ACTs are graded from 1-36 and the minimum most colleges require is a 29.
Back in school, Julia was carrying a full course load, including two Advance Placement classes, to boost her . Excellent students achieve a 4.0 Grade Point Average. Julia, a self-described B+/A- student, made 3.6.
In spring of her junior year, she and her mother took a series of road and air trips to check out the colleges she was interested in. They saw eight, as far south as Washington DC and as far west as Los Angeles. At every stop she took a pre-admission tour led by a current student and at several, including Occidental, she arranged to have an interview with notes to be included in her admission file, should she apply.
In the fall of senior year, Julia ground out applications to all eight schools, and her mother had to complete an intricate financial needs assessment form. Her friend Olivia applied to 13, and most kids in their year applied to between 10 and 15. One applied to 30. "That was kind of over the top," she says. With each application she enclosed references from two teachers and a standard fee of $80.
For each she wrote an essay, striving to highlight the non-academic parts of her resume. She was on the women's relay team, which reached the national finals. She was on the mock trial team who got through to the 's semifinals. She was president of the , she acted her heart out in the . And so on. "I couldn't put everything I was involved in on my resume" Julia says, "because they wouldn't believe it."
In March she heard from her 'safety school'. Most kids have at least one of these because they don't want to be the one of all their friends staying at home. Julia's research indicated that they of all were most likely to take her based on academics, and she was right. Finally, she was accepted at three. But Occidental held back. She was placed on their waiting list, and would spend five more weeks in limbo.
She launched a campaign, soliciting friends for letters of recommendation and pressing all the buttons she could think of. "This was not a shock," she wrote to them, "but it was still a disappointment. And so the battle continues..."
April 30th came, and with it the colleges' deadline for accepting offers. According to custom, she sent acceptances to two of the three universities, including her safety school, along with a non-refundable deposit of $500 a pop.
The seniors at are an exceptionally bright class. Seven were accepted at , and three at both Harvard and . All of them said yes to MIT. Others are going to the Universities of and and a clutch to , a small liberal arts university in North Carolina. Julia's friend Olivia got into her first choice, in Washington DC.
Still she waited. When it finally came, last Friday evening as she was running box office at the high school's annual beach carnival, it was in a phonecall from the admissions office telling her she had 24 hours to make up her mind. 400 students were on Oxy's waitlist and fewer than 40 of them were made an offer.
Within hours, she emailed to say yes, and it was over. "Some private schools run a class in the college process" she says. "I absolutely would have taken it. Some people have a big brother or sister, so they've been through it before. But for my mum and I this was our first time, and it was hell."
Rhod Sharp presents Up All Night on Radio 5 live.
Comment number 1.
At 17th May 2011, carrie wrote:Fact is many of us think Rhod is the best person on the entire station. Just wish you could repeat some of his UAN pieces so that the rest of the listeners could discover what they have been missing.
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Comment number 2.
At 17th May 2011, ryanw wrote:Hear hear. Rhod is the best person on the station. I agree Carrie, it's a shame that some of the excellent features UAN don't get a wider airing. It's a joy to listen to him.
Even the most mundane timecheck are finessed with clever vignettes about places and people. You don't stop learning on Rhod's programme.
A brilliant broadcaster.
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Comment number 3.
At 17th May 2011, Binkie wrote:If only the rest of them could aspire to the most affable of presenters in the form of Rhod Sharp.He actually treats his listeners as though they have some intelligence and no ego on display.A marvellous broadcaster and forget the rest HE actually deserves an award !!
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Comment number 4.
At 18th May 2011, ryanw wrote:A mark of the class of the man is whenever I have emailed the man, admittedly to thank you for his programme, he has always sent me a personal and thoughtful reply.
I don't think it's a coincidence that Rhod's programme is not only consistently the best on the station, it is also the one that makes the least use of facebook and twitter.
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Comment number 5.
At 18th May 2011, lovelistening wrote:I love Rhod Sharp and agree wholeheartedly with all you have said above. He doesn't get the appreciation he deserves. I have now given up on the the breakfast program where we learn absolutely nothing from the person who has replaced Shelagh but I hope never to give up on Up All Night - it is wonderful - especially Rhod Sharpe who loves people and takes time to help them shine through the air waves. Thanks to the great science programs and Dr Karl I learn a lot in the middle of the night - even though I forget most of it! I must admit I also thoroughly enjoy the world football phone in - no Rhod admittedly - but the quality of the guest journalists is unbeatable.
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Comment number 6.
At 18th May 2011, carrie wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 7.
At 18th May 2011, carrie wrote:No @6 was nothing to do with Rhod. Thank goodness he hasn't been dropped for refusing to leave Boston.
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Comment number 8.
At 18th May 2011, TrifectaCJH wrote:Would it be beyond hope for Bacon, Derbyshire, Livesey, Dame Nikki and the rest of them to spend an hour a week just listening to Rhod Sharp and learning? Wonderful broadcaster.
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Comment number 9.
At 18th May 2011, DaPonte wrote:If only, Trifecta. If only. Rhod is a real asset to 5 Live, and, has been noted above, one of the reasons is that he doesn't treat his audience as if they were simpletons.
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Comment number 10.
At 20th May 2011, carrie wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 11.
At 21st May 2011, ryanw wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 12.
At 21st May 2011, lovelistening wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 13.
At 21st May 2011, carrie wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 14.
At 21st May 2011, carrie wrote:Don't you want comments? Don't you want feedback? Don't you want two way interaction? Don't you want to learn from what people think and if necessary put them right if you don't agree? Don't you want to discuss matters with the people who pay their licence fees?
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Comment number 15.
At 21st May 2011, ryanw wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 16.
At 22nd May 2011, Jackstumps wrote:We could have a blog titled 'Hasit goes mad in the censor room!' Oh hold on, this is it.
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Comment number 17.
At 22nd May 2011, Binkie wrote:Yes this a real shame that so many posts are being removed.A bit of an own goal by the ' most democratic ' of radio stations as AVK likes to call 5live.Still I suppose the many who visit these blogs will only draw their own conclusions on that one.
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Comment number 18.
At 23rd May 2011, Hasit Shah wrote:Posts are removed because they break the House Rules, not because anyone here has a problem with criticism. It's therefore not censorship, Jackstumps, nor am I personally responsible for moderating comments.
I appreciate some of you would like a message board, but there are no plans to reintroduce one. For our part, we will try to post relevant blogs, so you do get a chance to have your say about 5 live, in the proper context.
Rhod has kindly agreed to write regularly for the blog, so you can expect another piece soon.
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Comment number 19.
At 23rd May 2011, lovelistening wrote:You are completely closed to criticism otherwise you wouldn't have taken down the message boards. We are very happy that Rhod will write more for the blog - he is a great presenter and journalist - unlike a couple of people who work for you and about whom you don't want to hear our remarks. THAT IS NOT THE POINT. You take down our posts for really silly reasons - All I had said in mine was that I agreed with Carrie and was furious about the messageboards not existing anymore. It is long and complicated to complain and we get very standard replies. I love radio five and that is the only reason I want to complain sometimes - you have ruined the breakfast show and it breaks my heart - that's all. But we have no place to discuss our opinions. The Ö÷²¥´óÐã has really become unbelievably undemocratic. I guess this post will get censored too.
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Comment number 20.
At 23rd May 2011, Fedster wrote:Why are so many people obsessed with this theory that some how 5live are afraid of criticism, and that is why the 5live messeboard was closed.
This theory is complete and utter rubbish, the facts are the 5live station board was unpopular with only a small core of unique users posting every week, with the vast of those posting cynical, tedious nonsense.
It would have been a waste of money to keep it going, lovelistening how can you justify to reopen it?
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Comment number 21.
At 23rd May 2011, carrie wrote:"This theory is complete and utter rubbish, the facts are the 5live station board was unpopular with only a small core of unique users posting every week, with the vast of those posting cynical, tedious nonsense."
Pot and kettle Fedster
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Comment number 22.
At 23rd May 2011, Hasit Shah wrote:Sorry, but I'm going to close this post now. It's really not the place for personal disputes that are nothing to do with the topic of the blog.
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