Letter to Prospective Students
By Mark Hoadley
Editor-in-Chief, Acronym, IMSA's student newspaper
It seems to me that of all the questions burning in the minds of prospective students, the two that surface most are the skeptical "Why IMSA?" and the anxious "How do I get in?" Since you won't need to worry about getting in until you think there's something worth getting in for, I'll address the skeptics first.
First, I should attach the caveat that it is in no way my intention to convince you all that IMSA is the perfect high school. It's not perfect. And it may or may not be the right school for you. My aim is rather to unveil to you the academy in its true form, and to let you decide whether or not IMSA might be the right environment for the next three years of your life. Or rather, I'll unveil to you the IMSA that is true to me, because there can be no question that opinions will vary based on the tellers' experiences.
I won't bother with tackling the more concrete benefits of life at the academy. I've good reason to believe that your tour guides and group sessions will drive them into your head well enough without any help from me. Anyways, this is IMSA, it's all bound to be somewhere on the net.
Let me quell any false notions now: the most prominent athletic event at the academy is not the Science Olympiad (though they do very well); classes here are not limited to math and science; and students here do not spend all their time with their noses in books or their eyes glued to calculators.
That aside, I don't think anyone will be surprised to learn that there are a lot of "geeks" at IMSA, though by no means would everyone here fit that stereotype. It's been my experience that people here work harder and want to learn more than people at normal high schools, and that's the biggest difference. One thing I've never seen here is somebody calling a peer by any kind of pejorative for studying. Well, maybe a couple times, but I promise it was meant in good fun.
In reality, you'll find all sorts of people here, from jocks and class clowns to nerds and musicians, from kids who grew up in cornfields to kids who grew up in cities over the sea. One of the most soothing aspects about life here is that everyone seems to find at least one other person at IMSA with whom he or she gets along just grandly. I never made any friends who shared my love for lacrosse or for Pearl Jam, the band, but I did find something better: people who think like me and can relate to me on a level I hadn't known was possible at my old high school.
The teachers here are equally diverse. Given the nature of scheduling at the academy, rarely does a day go by when a student can't find time to talk with his or her teacher out of class - and I truly mean that. The teachers here, in most cases, want to challenge you, and they've all got different methods for doing so. Be sure to realize that at IMSA, nothing is taught the way it is at regular high schools. This can be both good and bad. Most people have enchanting experiences at some times, and rotten ones at others.
The part I like most is that the teachers care more about how you demonstrate that you've learned and less about what you do out of class. They hardly ever grade your homework. Tests are never multiple-choice and, in history and English, almost every assessment is a written paper.
Some think that IMSA limits your freedom, but I'd vehemently disagree. Once you come here, you're on your own. Nobody is going to tell you when to do your homework, when to eat, or when to go to sleep. Residential counselors may pretend like they're doing things to that effect, but mostly they're just meeting their job descriptions. Bottom line: students here spend the majority of their time in whatever way pleases them.
If you need money for something, I'd recommend a checking account and a debit card, because nobody is going to be around to hand you cash when you need it. Nobody is going to care if your room is clean (except, perhaps, your roommate). Some would call it responsibility. I call it freedom.
It's the combination of this freedom, the diverse people and teaching, and the tangible experiences at the academy that have made my time at the academy a worthwhile experience. It all fits together nicely and helps you to figure out who you really are. Though not everyone does, all who come to IMSA are able to try their hands at a profession with mentorship, take classes that really interest them, and involve themselves in any and every activity that tickles their fancy. The social and academic diversity stimulates me with entirely new ideas and cultural experiences and is constantly providing me with different perspectives on the issues that interest me. The freedom allows me to do things on my schedule and thus get the most out of the IMSA experience.
Of course, it's important also to consider the many things IMSA does not let you do: work a job on academic days; keep a car on campus; walk across the street without signing out in your residential hall; leave your residential hall after ten on weeknights or after eleven-thirty on Friday and Saturday nights; or have privacy with a member of the opposite sex. In my opinion, these are all entirely justified restrictions. I hate them all the same. They are sacrifices, and before students leave the academy, each will invariably, though maybe only momentarily, rue the day they accepted the constraints that come with enrolling at IMSA.
I warn you, if you seriously consider IMSA, not to underestimate anything you will give up in attending the academy. Decide how much everything is worth to you, and go from there. I'm not trying to frighten anyone; I consider those sacrifices well worth a small fraction of what I've gained by being here. Just don't forget to deliberate your decision.
So, now that I've given you some reasons why you might want to spend the remainder (or for eighth-graders, the entirety) of your high-school years at IMSA, I'm sure some of you are wondering how you can deliver that killer application. At IMSA, admissions uses a three-pronged formula for picking its students.
A third of your application is your SAT score. Don't let anyone fool you, this test has everything to do with study and practice. You don't have to be brilliant to score well on the SAT, you just have to have mastered the test.
My suggestion, if you think you need to boost your score, is that you get a few books on SAT prep from either the library or a local bookstore. Browse through a couple of them and get a good feel for how the test works, what the problems are like, and what kind of vocabulary it tests. Then practice the test - I highly recommend "Real SATs," all the other practice tests are inferior imitations. Take as many as you can, and after each test take the time to compare your choices with the right answers patiently - even the ones you answered correctly. Whenever you come across a new word anywhere in the verbal sections, consult a dictionary and try to register it to your memory by remembering its context. You'll also be able to figure out how much time you can afford on each problem and be able to devise a test-taking strategy that works best for you - don't trust in the book methods.
The next third is your grades, and my advice can't help you much there. Um, work really hard.
The last third of your admissions "score" is based on personal essays, recommendations, and your activities. On the whole, you should just try to be yourself. If you love science, show the readers by example how you manifest that love. If you have passion for playing videogames, explain when it all began and just what it is about those games that excites you.
If you are passionate about certain activities and studies, then you ought to be developing and focusing your abilities in those areas. If you are passionate about some sport, you should find ways to improve your skills. IMSA doesn't expect its applicants to be prominent figures in their communities already. IMSA expects them to have taken advantage of their opportunities. It would be unreasonable to expect a freshman to have had the opportunity to become captain of his sports team - so don't worry if you're not.
The key is let the true you show through, to make yourself a person on that application. The people who are going to read your application want to read about real people. I know I would. Don't be a collection of papers - be a real person, full of all the abilities, ideas, and faults that make a person. It's difficult to put the real you into words, but you have to realize that the real you is undoubtedly more interesting than an application that could have been written by anybody. Put your best feet forward, but make sure they're your feet, if you get my point.
Just let yourself shine. Oh, and good luck.