A Bunch of TJ Test Info (Hopefully) For the Last Time and Getting To Know Danielle's Loving Friends

Yello family members. So, this blog feels a little outdated already, which is only because I am forced to talk about the TJ Test and such...since that would only be UNFAIR of me to not tell you about. (When I say you, I pretty much mean my mother, my father and occasionally an uncle here and there.) I'm going to try and make it as short and simple as possible, because I seriously feel like wasting your time writing about Christmas instead of school much more.

Alrighty. Saturday morning, wake up at 6:30 a.m., get ready, eat large breakfast (I can already tell this is going to be a very overly-detailed-"short-and-simple"-typical-Danielle sort of post.) drive to Harper Park Middle School, place of my testing.  Father drops me off, I go in...sign in sort of...go to the classroom I will be taking the test in.  Luck does not fail me and one of my good friends who has also applied is in my room (yay!) though it didn't make much of a difference since we were watched like PRISON INMATES and were not allowed to speak, sniff, or breathe.  This was basically the case for the entire time we were held captive- I mean, waiting inside that room. We were given the test (which had a lock and chain around it...just kidding...it had an official seal from her Majesty, the Queen) and the rules and stuff were explained.  Two hours to complete a 95 question test, 45 verbal (English) and 50 math (vomit). We could start at any section in the test we liked, we could go back any time during the two hours, and we would be told when half our time was up.  This was all explained very convincingly to us by the nice woman with a whip and nunchucks in her hands. 
My strategy was this: start the math section first. Do as much as I can until half-time...then switch to the verbal section, finish before time is up, and go back and do questions I skipped or wasn't sure about.  This seemed like a good plan to me, since I am a lot stronger in the English department than the math one, and doing the math one first gave me more time and less stress to work on it.

Ha Ha hA.

Let me put this lightly people: I Sucked.  I know that may seem harsh, but honestly, there is no other word for it.   I was in no way prepared for what came once time began.  For starters, in the midst of all the anticipation and anxiety, I started on the verbal section first, instead of the math one, like I had previously planned to.  Halfway through my third question, I realized my mistake, and flipped to the math section.  There I did less than 22 questions until the announcement went up that HALF THE TIME WAS GONE. I can tell you right now, that was the quickest two hours in my entire life, because before I knew it, all the time was up.  I completed the verbal section...except for like, 5 questions, because I was rushing so much to try and get more math questions done I accidentally skipped them.  In the end, I didn't complete 28 questions out of 50 on the math section, because of the time limit. Here was my biggest mistake:
When I thought I knew how to work out a problem, I spent time on it, and sometimes ending up getting an answer that was not one of the choices.  Instead of taking a guess on the closest answer or best estimation, I SKIPPED THE PROBLEM, thinking I would have time at the end to go back and work it out again. But what I DIDN'T think of, was that I had already wasted time on that problem, with no result.  At least if I had guessed, that problem would have been completed and I'd have a 25% chance of getting the answer correct.  Instead, it was left blank, and no credit was received. This was the case for alot of the problems.  It wasn't that they were exceptionally hard...in fact, the ones that I did do were pretty easy...it was the fact that I made bad testing strategies and needed for time.

Anyway, it was quite stressful, all of it, though I'm very glad it's all done and over with.  I will NEVER apply again, not because I do not wish to redeem myself and try the test again (I definitely would) but I would never do that to me...apply to a different high school while I'm a high schooler in a high school...wait, let me re-phrase that.  I am quite obviously not getting in this year, which of course I am a bit disappointed, but I was a lot worse last week, and now I've come to terms with it. I can't say I'm not a little bit happy to know I will continue going to school with all my friends and classmates.

*I INTERRUPT THIS MOMENT WITH AN IMPORTANT NEWS REPORT! IT IS SNOWING RIGHT NOW FOLKS, I REPEAT, IT IS SNOWING AND STICKING TO THE GROUND RIGHT NOW! WHOOOOOOOP! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!  DO THE CHICKEN! DO THE ROBOT! DO THE JERK!  KISS YO MAMAS AND SLAP YOUR KNEE, IT'S SNOOOOWING!*

Which means that I will be attending Tuscorora High School, and other than the friend benefit, it is also a much much much shorter commute, which my parents (and me) like.  But I would never, as a freshman next year, apply again to TJ, just because that would be 100 times harder to switch out of a school that I have already adapted to and began to feel comfortable in.  I know my education is very important, but quite honestly, if I have the ability to get into the university I want to go to when I'm older, I'll be able to do it with or without TJ.  TJ was an opportunity, but not a requirement for me.  Obviously it wasn't meant to be, and that's really ok with me.

And trust me, my friends couldn't have been anymore supportive.

I quote:
"If I'm honest, I was praying you wouldn't get in."
"YESSSSSS!"
"Not to sound inconsiderate or anything, but I can't say I'm not glad."
"I didn't pray for you at all."
"Huh? You applied to TJ? Who the heck does that?"
"Do I know you?"

Yeah.

Love,
Danielle