u/FormalTall1800

Basically the title— my family is super busy. Parents both work full-time jobs, I’m a high school junior in five APs this year, my siblings both do sports and plays (and aren’t to be trusted in the kitchen), and no one wants to do dishes at the end of a long day.

I was thinking that, once we clear out some more freezer space, I could get some of those Souper Cubes (or a cheap knock-off) and start prepping meal components so we can just throw dinner together in the microwave at everyone’s own pace.

Problem is, I don’t know how I should go about it or what to make. We like to do themed meals sometimes, so easily adjustable foods would be great, but I can’t come up with anything aside from beans, rice, meat, and sauce, but I’m pretty unimaginative right before school starts anyways.

I’ll take all suggestions! We have no common dietary restrictions, so pretty much anything goes. Thank you!

***CURRENTLY A RISING JUNIOR***

Demographics: U.S. Citizen (IL resident), Female, White, upper middle class income, Private/Catholic/all-girls/small (<250 students) high school, and legacy at University of Delaware, University of Florida, and University of Cambridge

Intended Major(s): Architecture/Historic Preservation (Art History if Architecture is not an option at select schools)

ACT/SAT/SAT II: PreACT 10 was 32, PSAT 10 was 1320. No studying for either of those, but I will be in prep this fall

UW/W GPA and Rank: GPA is 3.81 UW/4.52 W (cumulative), rank is N/A but I’m definitely top 5%

Coursework (I’m only listing Honors/AP here): 

• Freshman Year: AP Human Geography (4), Honors Biology, Honors Algebra II/Trigonometry, Honors Literary Genres, Honors Spanish II
• Sophomore Year: APUSH (4), AP Pre-Calculus (4), Honors Geometry (online summer course), Honors American Literature, Honors Spanish III, Honors Chemistry
• Junior Year: AP Spanish Language & Culture, AP English Language & Composition, AP Calculus AB, AP U.S. Government & Politics, AP Art History (online course), Honors Physics, Honors Advanced Studio Art, Honors Engineering Foundations, Honors Global Studies (trying to transfer into). I also think my theology courses (taking two this year) are honors level, but I’m not sure.
• Senior Year: No clue yet. Hopefully gonna take around six APs and may be in Dual Enrollment depending on whether or not I get into a specific program.

Awards: 

• Leadership Badge (all four years)
• 4th place in State for Sophomore-year NHD project (which is going on display at the Chicago History Museum)
• 2nd highest entrance exam score for my school ig
• AP Scholar, classic
• Honor Roll, classic

Extracurriculars: 

• Local Historic Society Work: 3hr/week; giving tours at a 200 year old pioneer cabin, helping maintain it, and digitizing local architecture records and documents. Started this year, will keep going (11, 12)
• D&D Club: 2hr/week; co-founded it; 9, 10, 11, 12
• Varsity Bowling: 17hr/week, November-February; idk man i bowl a lot, I’m trying to become captain; 10, 11, 12 (was JV freshman year)
• Art Club: 2hr/week; vying for leadership positions; 9, 10, 11, 12
• NHS: 2hr/month; also joining NAHS, Rho Kappa, and maybe SHH this year.
• NHD: too much time; researching a historic topic, creating a project, and presenting it. Mentioned this in the awards section. I’m gonna try and do it again this year. 10, but maybe 11 and 12 as well
• Student Ambassador; 9, 10, 11, 12
• Leadership Scholar; 9, 10, 11, 12
• Merit Scholar; 9, 10, 11, 12
• Model UN: 1hr/week; I go to a separate school for this after school; 10, 11, 12

Essays/LORs/Other: 

• LORs: I’m pretty close with most of my teachers– benefit of a small school. I could probably get the school’s principal or president to write one tbh.

Schools (just gonna list some of my reaches/high targets, I swear that I have safeties): UCL Bartlett, University of Cambridge (would apply to Queen’s and St. John’s), MIT (applying just for kicks), Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Barnard College, University of Notre Dame, Tulane University, University of Florida, University of Delaware, University of Virginia.

Notes: Honors Chemistry and AP Pre-Calc killed me last year— I got a B- and B+ respectively as my end grades. Teachers were bad (Chem is just notoriously terrible at my school, Pre-Calc teacher is still getting his Master’s and didn’t even get through the entire course before the end of the year) and I disliked the content. Pinky promise that I'm locking in with different teachers and a better GPA this year.

Ik that this is hard without a portfolio for architecture, but yeah.

***CURRENTLY A RISING JUNIOR***

Demographics: U.S. Citizen (IL resident), Female, White, upper middle class income, Private/Catholic/all-girls/small (<250 students) high school, and legacy at University of Delaware, University of Florida, and University of Cambridge

Intended Major(s): Architecture/Historic Preservation (Art History if Architecture is not an option at select schools)

ACT/SAT/SAT II: PreACT 10 was 32, PSAT 10 was 1320. No studying for either of those, but I will be in prep this fall

UW/W GPA and Rank: GPA is 3.81 UW/4.52 W (cumulative), rank is N/A but I’m definitely top 5%

Coursework (I’m only listing Honors/AP here): 

• Freshman Year: AP Human Geography (4), Honors Biology, Honors Algebra II/Trigonometry, Honors Literary Genres, Honors Spanish II
• Sophomore Year: APUSH (4), AP Pre-Calculus (4), Honors Geometry (online summer course), Honors American Literature, Honors Spanish III, Honors Chemistry
• Junior Year: AP Spanish Language & Culture, AP English Language & Composition, AP Calculus AB, AP U.S. Government & Politics, AP Art History (online course), Honors Physics, Honors Advanced Studio Art, Honors Engineering Foundations, Honors Global Studies (trying to transfer into). I also think my theology courses (taking two this year) are honors level, but I’m not sure.
• Senior Year: No clue yet. Hopefully gonna take around six APs and may be in Dual Enrollment depending on whether or not I get into a specific program.

Awards: 

• Leadership Badge (all four years)
• 4th place in State for Sophomore-year NHD project (which is going on display at the Chicago History Museum)
• 2nd highest entrance exam score for my school ig
• AP Scholar, classic
• Honor Roll, classic

Extracurriculars: 

• Local Historic Society Work: 3hr/week; giving tours at a 200 year old pioneer cabin, helping maintain it, and digitizing local architecture records and documents. Started this year, will keep going (11, 12)
• D&D Club: 2hr/week; co-founded it; 9, 10, 11, 12
• Varsity Bowling: 17hr/week, November-February; idk man i bowl a lot, I’m trying to become captain; 10, 11, 12 (was JV freshman year)
• Art Club: 2hr/week; vying for leadership positions; 9, 10, 11, 12
• NHS: 2hr/month; also joining NAHS, Rho Kappa, and maybe SHH this year.
• NHD: too much time; researching a historic topic, creating a project, and presenting it. Mentioned this in the awards section. I’m gonna try and do it again this year. 10, but maybe 11 and 12 as well
• Student Ambassador; 9, 10, 11, 12
• Leadership Scholar; 9, 10, 11, 12
• Merit Scholar; 9, 10, 11, 12
• Model UN: 1hr/week; I go to a separate school for this after school; 10, 11, 12

Essays/LORs/Other: 

• LORs: I’m pretty close with most of my teachers– benefit of a small school. I could probably get the school’s principal or president to write one tbh.

Schools (just gonna list some of my reaches/high targets, I swear that I have safeties): UCL Bartlett, University of Cambridge (would apply to Queen’s and St. John’s), MIT (applying just for kicks), Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Barnard College, University of Notre Dame, Tulane University, University of Florida, University of Delaware, University of Virginia.

Other: Honors Chemistry and AP Pre-Calc killed me last year— I got a B- and B+ respectively. Teachers were bad and I hated the content. Pinky promise that I'm locking in with different teachers and a better GPA this year.

Ik that this is hard without a portfolio for architecture, but yeah.

Title is it. My project’s going to be on display for a special event at a big museum near me. I’m so excited!!

I’ve tried making sourdough starters a few times, but for a couple of years. I’m thinking of starting one up again, but I do have a question— how much do you need to change your “care schedule” during seasonal changes?

I live in a place where it gets to be 100F/38C during the summer and can be -10F/-23C in winter (just average extreme temperatures, it’s been hotter and colder frequently).

I’d start the starters in summer, but by the time it was fall, my starter would go bad one way or another (sometimes it just went rancid, sometimes it just stopped rising altogether, sometimes it simply got moldy and I‘d have to start over). When I started it in the fall, it’d be dead by the time the temperature outside hit 20F/-7C.

So, how do you do it in a climate like this?

I can’t remember how often I fed it or how much I kept (it’s been 2 years since I last had a starter), but I’m wondering if you have to do anything different when it comes to weather changes and I just messed up.

Please let me know if there’s some actual science behind this or if I’m just stupid, thanks!

Hello from a Healpool main!

I just started playing Magneto today and am absolutely loving it (was, at least… we’re having a nasty storm and my game shut down).

I only have 30 minutes on him so far, but I already got an MVP and a new Vanguard go-to (used to go for Groot).

What other characters do you really enjoy playing? My favorite so far has been Deadpool, but I‘ve also enjoyed playing Wolverine (for the 15 minutes I have on him) and Blade.

I’m still a pretty new player (I probably have around 25 hours in the game? I can only play for an hour a day, so I’m limited in trying out new characters), so any other tips you have are welcome!

Thanks again :)

I’m a rising Junior, and I know this is super early, but I’m trying to sort out personal statement ideas before I get back to school.

My favorite one so far is this:

>“The hardest part about losing 50lbs was learning how to stop making fat jokes about myself.”

It’s about taking up space both physically and socially. I used to make a lot of self-deprecating jokes about myself and made myself seem “lesser” because I truly thought that I was, but it wasn’t until I had already built up a friend group, gotten healthy again, and began “taking up space” when I actually realized it.

Sort of an observance/personal growth/empathy essay. I didn’t realize that I needed to stop making myself small until I’d already become huge in other peoples’ lives, connecting others and making people happy just by being around.

Does this make any sense? Is it a terrible idea? I think it’s super unique and interesting, but idk.

I’m going into my Junior year of high school, and I’m wondering what my portfolio should look like for college applications.

Half the advice I find online is for applying to a Master’s, and the other half is portfolio reviews which don’t specify why they helped the applicant get into their schools other than “art good.“

What skills would AOs look for in my art? How much diversity should I have in material and subject? Are there any technical skills I need to show off?

Thanks!

Edit: Added some images of stuff I’ve done in the comments.