It's Time To End the Madness

It's the last day of March. To be honest, I'm not much of a collegiate basketball fan but it doesn't mean I haven't been feeling crazy this month. This past week has been quite emotional. It's been hard to focus in class and it felt like the world was moving in slow motion. This past week I heard from the last few colleges. I was rejected from Dook. (I was expecting that one to come though. I would have been honored to have been waitlisted.) Also, I was waitlisted at Wake Forest. This one really surprised me. I was happy to be waitlisted but I knew I couldn't go there because of the price. Then I found out about Davidson College. Upon opening the email, I discovered I was rejected. It was highly disappointing. Davidson College was one of my top schools. Everything about it was perfect. I knew it was going to be tough, but I still had some hope that I would be one of the 490 chosen out of 4800 people who applied. Reading the admissions letter was one tough pill to swallow. Perhaps though this was a blessing in disguise. The last three schools all have something that would prevent me from attending even if I was accepted: the price tag. The only possible way I could have attended any of these schools was through some sort of merit scholarship. Also, if I was to be accepted, I would have been pretty hard headed about attending the school and much tension would have occurred between my parents and me.

 

The night I learned of my painful rejection turned out to be a positive evening. After discovering my rejection, I finally made a choice. I finally decided where to spend the next four years of my life. I decided to become a Tarheel. Everything felt so surreal. It hadn't hit me yet (and still completely hasn't) that I didn't have to wait anymore. I didn't have to mark the days of a calendar. I could finally just sit back and say, "Yes! I'm going to be a freshmen next year!" My family was so excited when I pressed enroll on the computer. I still haven't been able to completely accept the fact that I'm started a new chapter of my life in the next few months. The past two days I've signed up for orientation (June 18-19 anyone?) and completed housing registration (I mainly chose all female dorms and also applied for a living learning community. Oh I'm going potluck!) Today, my mom bought my siblings and me some Carolina apparel since I currently didn't own any. 

I've also been researching more and more about all the academic opportunities at UNC. I recently discovered that Carolina has a Cognitive science minor. This sparked great interest in me because I've also been interested in how music, learning, and the brain correlate with one another. I think it would be awesome to pair this up with my music major. 

I have five more weeks until my college classes at LRU are done. FIVE MORE WEEKS. It will be probably the most stressful last weeks of my entire K-12 year. I have to prepare, practice, and prepare for the Science Olympiad State Competition, my Senior Piano Recital, Prom, College Exams, AP Literature and Composition exam, Music Festivals, and Band Concerts. It's time to end the college March madness and push for the finish line. I have to be consistent and intense (my swim coach would love me saying this) in my academic studies in order to successfully finish. I'm ready to finish this year with a bang. I'm not going to let anyone ruin it for me. All I'm going to do is try my best and ignore distractions. I'm not going to let anyone's opinion or sarcastic comments effect me. I'm going to do my best in whatever I do and if anyone has a problem with that.. well, maybe they need to to take a good look at themselves before they attempt to hurt me. Guess what? It's time to make the impossible, simply possible.

Happy Spring!

When I actually find free time, I create wordles.. check out this website at 

http://prezi.com/0syxtn54s7bm/word-artwork/

I was dismissed from my Sociology Class at LRU early today! I took some time to take some picture of the blossoming trees and flower petals that were falling everywhere! I think Spring has started off very well! I am loving the warm weather. Right now, I am typing this in the comfort of my porch outside in the shade. I love the feeling of the wind passing through my air and the melodic harmonies of the birds. The clouds move slowly above as I take a deep breath and just appreciate everything around me. 

Yesterday was officially the first day of spring. So of course, on the first day of spring it was thunder storming at around 5 pm. Wait did I say thunderstorming? Why, yes I did. It is quite rare that a storm occurs  exactly at that time. It is at that time my swim practice takes place. Thanks to the lovely thunderstorm, I drove my friends from the pool to Rita's! Rita's celebrates spring by offering free Italian Ice on March 20th! Pretty Awesome, right? First it's free and second swim practice was cancelled.

 It looks I'll be spending my first weekend of spring with lots of band people on Friday and Saturday and with lots of swimmers on Sunday. It will be a busy weekend for me doing the things I love.

Thought of the Day: I miss who I thought you were, not what you actually ended up being.

I think I really enjoying blogging now. Hopefully its something I can be consistent with and not just a phase I'm going through. To anyone who reads this whether I know you or not: Have a blessed day!

Kirsten

Preparing for a Performance

Yesterday, had his spring solo recital. He did very well on his violin! Performing in front a crowd is not a very easy thing to do especially when you were up to midnight the night before cleaning up after a party.

Performing is something you think I be used to now. I have been playing for eleven years now on piano so I've always dealt with having solo recitals during Christmas and after Easter. I even perform with my high school band at MPA's, music festivals, marching band competitions, jazz band gigs, etc. I even used to dance for a couple of years. I guess swimming at a swim meet is some what of a performance as well. So, performing should be no big deal right? Not really, I still get nervous. I think as I have become older they way I approach a performance has definitely changed. When I was younger, I was so nervous before the performance. I would shake like crazy. I would just want to get over with it. I was more nervous in the beginning but after I started playing everything was find again. Now as I look at it, my perception of becoming nervous has changed quite some bit. I'm not nervous at the beginning of a performance. Not one bit at all. I can basically start performing a piece with the greatest confidence until I really get into it. For some reason, I become nervous in the middle of my playing. Maybe I might lose my focus or start having weird thoughts in the middle of my piece. I don't know, it's something I've notice it more recently going through college auditions and sorts.

With a performance you only get one shot to perform and show your talents. What a performance truly shows is how well you have prepared for it. In my opinion, it is obvious when you are under prepared for a performance. You all ready become nervous before you perform automatically knowing which parts of the piece are going to need a miracle from heaven above.  You might tend to rush the piece just so you can leave it alone. Putting forth in any musicality or expression is hard to do because you are so focused on notes. It might be obvious if you are overprepared as well. The piece might be rushed or sound very robotic. On the other hand, prepare yourself just right and you are on your way to a wonderful performance. I love it when I prepare for my performances just right. I feel like I'm on top of the world. It's obvious when  I've perfectly prepared for a performance. My smile  is so wide and I can't stop smiling what seems like for days.

As the days continue on I have multiple performances to prepare for. With my high school, we will be preparing for our spring concert, a possible Jazz MPA performance, and jazz band. We are also hosting a spring festival. I'm not completely sure what the Spring Festival is about but I think it's an idea from my band director. I am also preparing for my spring and senior piano recital! I've worked since last year memorizing and rehearsing my repertoire for this very special occasion. I am also rehearsing with my Filipino friends for our 2nd appearance at the International Festival in our town in May.

Time is getting closer and closer for these upcoming performances. Most of them will be in May. I know for sure the first week of May will be the most stressful and hardest week ever. On that week I am preparing for an AP exam, and three additional exams in my college classes. Once that is over, I will be performing at the International Festival and then have fun at prom! I know I can do it though.. All I have to do is prepare and breathe. And breathe again...

The Pursuit of Happiness

There is nothing that tastes better than some lovely custard or ice cream on days like today! I think I can get used to the eighty degree weather. It makes eating sweet, delectable food even more sweet and delectable. The photo you see was taken at a cute little shop on Franklin Street at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. The flavor of the ice cream had the university's name on it so I thought it would be appropriate to try some. I spent my day on Monday meeting the saxophone professor and checked out their jazz band. UNC is definitely different during the school year than over the summer. The music building was on the opposite side of campus where they didn't take us on tour so I was holding my map with my mom struggling to find the building. A very nice student was able to point us in the general direction.

The saxophone professor and I had a sample lesson and he was able to give me tour of the recently built music building which is very beautiful and impressive. He was a really nice guy. I also was able to meet the jazz band director. My mom and I were able to watch a rehearsal. He was a very tough and strict guy towards his students. I came to realize though that the students had just gotten back from spring break and were probably out of it explaining the lack of enthusiasm. The director came over to talk to me after rehearsal with an excited voice to meet me and explained how he was going crazy because they were having a performance in two weeks. I was fine with seeing him act like that. It gives you a good idea what a rehearsal may be like when things aren't going so smoothly. 

So, have I made a college choice yet? Nope, not yet. But maybe I can get closer to a decision in about ten days. My spring break is coming to end and it's time to get back to business. As soon as I get back, I only have 7 more weeks full of reading, writing, and studying until I am finally done with this semester. It's like I'm a baseball player running from third base to home plate starting on Monday. I need to make that home run.

To add to that, here's an inspirational quote from the Pursuit of Happiness that is currently on my laptop wallscreen at this moment: "Don't ever let someone tell you that you can't do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. When people can't do something themselves, they're gonna tell you that you can't do it. You want something, go get it. Period."

Oh, and by the way Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Love,

Kirsten

Spring Break

Woohoo! It's spring break for me with my LR classes. It's nice to have a little break from my professors. My schedule is a bit wacky though because I am still following the Catawba County School Calendar with my Symphonic Band class. This upcoming week I will be performing at MPA with my high school at LRU so I'm not really escaping from campus. It's okay though, it's part of my decision of deciding to do my senior year at LRU. The program has allowed to take challenging courses that I would have been unable to take at my high school due to scheduling conflicts. Even though it's distanced me from some of my friends, it's help me realize who I am and what I'm capable of.

Going back to the topic of spring break, I feel like this week is more of "prepare for the last home stretch" week. After spring break I have about 7-8 more weeks of school left until my high school education is over. It looks like I'm more busy catching up with all my classes even though I do look forward to sleep in a couple extra hours. So as a reminder to myself, here's everything I have to do during spring or else! Or else stress will reach as high as Mt. Everest.

1.  Time to buckle down for Senior Piano Recital!

• I've been preparing for this shindig since last summer. I'm playing pieces from the Baroque Period to the Contemporary period. My repertoire consists of about two pieces per music period. So, I think it is a total of 9 pieces which includes a duet. I have so far memorized 5/8 pieces I want to memorize so I still have a lot of work to do! I also have to prepare for the public speaking part of the recital which makes me feel like this whole thing is a huge fury ball of anxiety. All this performing and public speaking will make my heart pop out! Just kidding, but seriously.

2. Read, Read, and Read

• Okay. So I have a lot to read for my AP Literature and Composition class (figures) in fact I have to try to get through two books. One of them is The Eyes Were Watching God and Invisible Man. I'm honestly not a big fan of literature but I'm starting to appreciate it a little bit. I've really been trying to improve my writing. I tend to have writer's block way too much so hopefully writing more blogs and attempting to focus might help. I also have to read a book for biology (who knew?). I chose a book that I hope would find somewhat enthralling so I chose a book Bombardier Beetles and Fever Trees. This book is about how animals and plants were used as a weapon in chemical warfare. Yeah, not the best book morally but I find it more interesting than reading an extremely detailed novel on the evolution of everything.

3. Try to apply for more scholarships

• As exciting as college sounds in the distant future the money factor isn't that hot. It's easy to say that my family is pretty well off (which I am entirely grateful about) but being the first one to go to college in America in my family can be frustrating. They don't completely understand the financial process. I don't completely understand the financial process. So when the word tuition is brought up, I can feel the tension behind each and every word. I can try to apply scholarships as much as I can but honestly there's not a lot anyone can offer me since a majority of the scholarships require proof of financial aid or if a merit reward requires a perfect SAT score and a bajillion AP credits. I think it's the downside of being more in the upper-middle class family in America. College is just expensive. Upper classes can afford it and lower classes are able to receive financial aid help from the government or through the college's financial aid department. 

Yep it's looks like my break won't be much of a break! But I can look forward to a few things though. On Monday I will be taking a visit to UNC-CH to meet the saxophone professor and visit the Jazz Band. I know it falls like two days before MPA but first off I've been trying to plan this for over a month now and it's one of the few times one of my parents are off work. Also, I'm not missing my college classes. 

Well I think I might end it just here. I have to wake up early since I decided to be a good consistent swimmer and head to swim practice. I am also waking up early because I am such a loving sister to bring my brother to his violin audition tomorrow. Oh my sister is having her MPA performance at LR tomorrow too! Hopefully she can earn a Superior! Being in that process for nine years I completely understand what's she's going through. I know both of my musical siblings will knock the judges out! 

May everyone have a blessed upcoming week! Thanks for reading from the outside looking in...

Kirsten Nicole Zaldarriaga Consing

An Idea

How does an idea form? Is it gathered through the responses of other people or puff up like smoke? Does it originate in dreams? If it does, I wonder how original the idea is. From what I know we only dream the landscapes our eyes have seen from our life and only dream of any person we have met. There is no such thing as encountering a stranger in a dream. So again, is the idea original or does it come to our mind by a miracle through the grace of God? I do know this. Once we come with an idea, it sticks in our head. It's like a scar embedded into our skull. We can take this idea and make it into reality. We can improve or explore it. It can lead to more questions that result in curiosity and a thirst for deeper knowledge. It can be small. It can be big. It can spread like wildfire across a dry plain.

The ways a simple idea can tug the heart.

Yeah, I know. It's been awhile..

The last time I think I blogged on this thing was during the summer as I relived my childhood memories. Also, I think I talked a little bit about my college tours. Well, look where I am today! I'm not just doing college tours but I've been busy sorting things out. I've been tearing my hair out, practicing music, and have been consistently checking my email and mailbox everyday.

I've applied to lots of colleges. It's funny when people ask me what colleges I've applied to because they look at me in awe of my long list but it's because I've been able to picture myself at each institution. The colleges I've applied to fit my checklist in what I'm interested in and what the institution can offer me the next four years of my life. So what is my checklist? Well I'm searching for the college that has

1. an extraordinary premed track... Studying science has always been my niche. I want to make sure that I will enrolled at an institution with a strong premed program that can help me reach my future goal of attaining a medical degree. Even though I'm not 100% with this career decision, I know that if I choose to pursue it I want to make sure that I meet professors that are intelligent and caring. I want to know for sure that the professors I will meet will be more than just teachers but individuals that can inspire and challenge me. I want it to be somebody I can form a great relationship with.
2. A fabulous music program so I can major in Music... I've been studying music for 11 years. It's something I just don't want to give up just yet. I've been busy all of my life living the life of your typical well-rounded student. There was a time where I seriously considered not continuing music after college. I even considered giving it up to focus mainly on athletics like cross country and swimming. I realized though that I could not disconnect myself from the one thing that I highly excelled in. I could not let go of something that help change the old introvert me into someone a little bit more extrovert. I am mostly considered majoring in the B.A. in music in order to follow along with my premed studies. Currently, I have been busy auditioning at different schools and trying to meet with applied lesson teacher on my primary instrument. In meeting with the teachers I am looking for someone I can spend the next four years of my life with and can help me develop into a mature musician. I am hoping to continue studying saxophone in college as well. I know it's a little strange, an Asian female wanting to pursue such an instrument but I enjoy it. I have been confronted many times and have always been asked why I chose the saxophone and not the piano. I must say I truly have embraced my experience with piano the past eleven years earning lots of positive critiques and earning nine straight superiors in a row but I want something different. I want to change things up a bit. I want to continue studying music with the instrument that helped me break out of my comfort zone and helped me express my emotions the most. I might have only studied saxophone for six years and haven't had any private lessons but I know I can succeed in anything if I put my mind to it. It may look like I'm wasting my years of piano but I say I am putting them to my benefit. Thanks to my experience in piano, it has helped me so much in becoming a saxophone player. Plus, all the colleges I'm applying to are looking for diversity and I think I can offer that.
3. Students who are as motivated and willing to work... This is one thing on my checklist that will be taken  into great consideration. As a high school senior spending my year at a university I've noticed how important this is to me. In high school, I was used a lot. The relationships I formed really with anybody, with the exception of a few, were only formed because I was beneficial to them. They I knew I was smart, be willing to do most of the work, and could search to me for answers. To be honest, I didn't mind this at all except for the fact that they do anything for me in return. I know this happens anywhere I go but I want to make sure that the institution I go to will have students who have the same mind set as me. I consistently get annoyed when people say I over achieve when actually I'm just setting my expectations high why because other people's expectations are even higher. A lot of people just don't understand this concept but I want to find a college where the majority of the student body does.

It's only three things on my list but it's a lot behind each point. So, you're probably wondering exactly what colleges I've applied to and where I've been accepted so forth and so on.. So.. here's where I've applied to college this year.

Lenoir-Rhyne University
Status: Accepted
I knew from the beginning I would be accepted to this school. I was accepted into the High School Scholars Academy in my junior year so this was no surprise. There are a lot of things I like about LRU. I have been able to meet lots of professors and particularly enjoy a lot of the professors in the biology department. Also, I am very familiar with the music department considering the fact I take piano lessons there with Suzuki. I have also been offered a couple of scholarships here. Among the positives, I do have some negatives. LRU is a little bit too close to home for me. I love my family so much but I need to do some soul searching on my own away from them. I want to experience dorm life, surviving on my own, etc. Also, as a student here myself, I know there is not much interaction on campus. It seems there's not much for the students to do here on the weekends and everyone usually just goes home. For example, in sociology class we had to go out around campus and do something out of the social norm but there was very little people on campus to act awkward around. Also, LRU is just not ranked as highly as other institutions I've applied.

Meredith College
Status: Accepted
Meredith College is a beautiful small woman's college in Raleigh. It is about five minutes away from NC State. I got hooked into Meredith when I toured their campus. They seemed inviting and ever since I have applied and the administration has been interested and informative to me. They gave me so much stuff. As soon as I received my admittance letter I received a congratulations note and photo frame from my admissions counselor. I even received a hand written letter from the President. I also heard of how great the premed program was and how it was nationally ranked. It didn't really matter to me that this was an all female student body. If you're willing to learn and have the motivation to do it, the gender of your classmates should not matter. The negatives, it sounds kind of hypocrite but it is an all women's college. On my tour and on my invitation to scholarship weekend, I felt like the students who attended were mainly reserved and a lot lived close to the campus. Another negative is the music department. The music department has a woodwind applied lesson teacher but they are mainly an orchestral school. Talking with the music professors, they told me I had the opportunity to perform with ensembles at NC State but I'm not so sure about it.Also, I met with the department head of music. My overall experience of Scholarship Weekend and my audition were under average. Let's just say Meredith was not as organized as I thought with the fact that I was not just solely a music student but a student interested in the honors programs as well.  I feel that if I did go to this school I could not continue my passion effectively because of certain people that I prefer not to mention. For now this college has reached the bottom of my list.

Elon University
Status: Accepted
When I visited this campus it was really pretty. The whole application process was different from other colleges, so I was really excited to be able to get in under Early Action. I don't know if this is the school for me though. You have to audition on a Friday afternoon and at this point with my course load and assignments I can't afford to travel down on a Friday to audition 2 hours away from home with all the tests that are always held on Fridays. I also applied to there Honors Fellows College and a couple of scholarships but it was a no go for me. They seem not to have a lot of financial aid. I am getting lots of reminder letters from their multicultural director to send in my first down payment but I don't just don't yet about this school. I've randomly heard rumors that this school was basically the place where students who were rejected by UNC Chapel Hill go to.

East Carolina University
Status: Accepted
So, I know ECU has been mentioned as a huge party school. But I know for sure I'm not a big partyer or anything like that. I was accepted into their honors college and given a scholarship that covers the instate tuition. It has a fantabulous music school. I also applied to there school of music therapy. I've all ready been accepted into their music program through a CD audition. As much as I enjoy the things I have received so far I am not so sure how this school lines up academically. The main reason I applied to this school was in hope for receiving the Brody Medical program where a freshmen is saved a spot for their medical school and their full ride scholarship EC Scholars program but I did not get anything from that. Also, ECU is 4 hours away.

Wake Forest University
Status: Waiting
When I toured this school I thought it really nice but it was really hilly. To be honest I thought I was climbing a mountain at points haha. I know for sure it has strong academics but I'm not sure about the music part. I should probably try and meet the music teacher. The only thing though is that there is no exact saxophone teacher. The one who teaches it mainly plays clarinet. In my opinion, I prefer a saxophone instructor.

Duke University
Status: Waiting
The first time I stepped onto this campus I thought of Harry Potter and his school of Hogwartz. It was a wonderful campus with excellent classrooms and up to date technology. I would love to go to this school if it wasn't so pricey. It is a private school and one of the most prestigious schools in the country. I know my test scores and my class choices don't exactly match so it is kind of a reach school. I need to apply to these types of schools though. I feel like I'm in the middle with all these colleges. I'm not exactly up there with the ivy leagues but at the same time I know a majority of other colleges I could easily get accepted into. I haven't really looked up much information about their music program because I really don't know if I could be accepted there. I know with my application I turned in a Common Arts Supplement to display my talents but that's about everything musical I have done. Also, it is one of the most expensive schools on my list. I mainly applied to this school just to see if I could get in.

Appalachian State University
Status: Accepted
It was pretty exciting getting accepted to this school because it released my decision at least one or two months before I was supposed to know! I know a lot of my friends who have gotten into this beautiful school. Of course this place is hilly for the fact that it is in the mountains. The weather there is expected to be cold and I get to experience lots of snow. I recently auditioned for their amazing school of music which I am still waiting to hear results from. So far this my third ranked school overall. I've heard the academics are very good and the music is extraordinary. I was able to meet with the saxophone professor during my audition and he was a very relaxed chill gentlemen. Some negatives about this school is that it is a fairly large school. The classroom sizes are large. Also, the school of music has a lot of music majors in it. I know that the professor would have lots of students and I am concerned of how this might affect me. Another concern I have is being able to maintain my music classes and academic classes together. Since it is separate from the General College I don't know how well I could work my classes out together.

University of  North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Status: Accepted
When I found out I was accepted to this school I was ecstatic! That one word does not even completely encompass the way I fe about receiving the acceptance letter. UNC is considered one of the best public schools in the nation. It can be extremely hard to get into. My acceptance to this school gave me a surge of confidence that even more prestigious schools may consider me. UNC has everything I want on my checklist they have a strong music program, excellent academics, and motivated students. It is place where passion and spirit drive down deep. Since it is a prestigious school, it is harder to earn scholarships there. I tried applying to multiple full rides but I've been turned down by all of them. It is a big school though and I don't know how well I can handle some classes with more than 100 students in them. I heard though there are recitations in those type of classes where you meet with a graduate student and discuss the lectures so the size is kind of a plus and minus. In two weeks, I will be meeting with the saxophone professor which I am quite excited about. His meeting will be one of the final factors of my decision.  It is a very strong possibility that I could be attending this school.

Davidson College
Status: Waiting
Finally, the last college I've applied to. This college is a hidden gem about one hour away where I live. The first time I heard of the institution was in the eighth grade as we were determining the results of the NCAA Basketball tournament. I didn't really cross my mind as an institution I would be greatly interested in. My mother encouraged me to tour their over the summer and I agreed. On the tour, I fell in love with Davidson. At first I was a little intimidated and noticed how selective of a school it was but I love everything about Davidson. It the perfect size, has a great academic program, and a strong music department. The only negative thing about it is the price. I have applied to multiple scholarships and so far have been denied to the ones I've heard so far. I'm still waiting on the results of other ones though. The best thing about Davidson in the Honor Code. I experienced the Honor Code first hand when I visited the music department and professors there. The Honor Code is basically a trust formed between the students, faculty, and community. You can take tests unproctored wherever you want and leave your stuff anywhere without the worry of it becoming stolen. I understood this code but I really noticed when one of the ladies told me at the music department that I could leave my saxophone while she took me on a tour of the music building. That really meant a lot to me. My saxophone is like my child to me and the fact that I could leave it there without the worry of it being taken away from was truly something. I also was able to meet the saxophone instructor. I have heard him play at various concerts and he is truly one talented individual. He is also very caring gentlemen who is really interested in me. I really liked that a lot. Davidson is so far my top school and my dream school. It is a reach school for me because of it's low admission rating. The thing is this the best school I could picture myself here. Thanks to the strong emphasis on the Honor Code I know that the students are motivated and willing to work hard. Davidson basically checks off everything on my list.

So, that's basically the whole schpiel on my college search right now. The next few weeks are going to feel like the longest thing I have waited in my life. But for now I sit here, live life, and patiently wait on the outside looking in. I pray for the best for everyone in the midst of their college search and hope they find the perfect college.

Love,
Kirsten