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Tuesday, April 13, 2021
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  • News
    Upper School faculty attend Nonbinary and Transgender Student Workshop

    Upper School faculty attend Nonbinary and Transgender Student Workshop

    New upper school student group encourages valuable discourse on identity and diversity

    New upper school student group encourages valuable discourse on identity and diversity

    New schoolwide faculty committee strives to create a more inclusive TAS community

    New schoolwide faculty committee strives to create a more inclusive TAS community

    Taipei American School Film Club’s Year-Long project

    Taipei American School Film Club’s Year-Long project

    Uncovering Harvard professor’s distorted narrative of Comfort Women

    Uncovering Harvard professor’s distorted narrative of Comfort Women

    Dr. Dodge takes on the role of interim head of school

    Dr. Dodge takes on the role of interim head of school

    Athletes adjusting to constant IASAS changes

    Athletes adjusting to constant IASAS changes

    TAS delegates attend the 2020 IASAS MUN conference online

    TAS delegates attend the 2020 IASAS MUN conference online

    IASAS Film offers new online 48-hour-film competition due to COVID-19

    IASAS Film offers new online 48-hour-film competition due to COVID-19

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    • The Gabfest
    Conversations in these isolated times

    Conversations in these isolated times

    Dear TAS boys, be careful with the curls you get

    Dear TAS boys, be careful with the curls you get

    Deeper connotations beyond seemingly casual greetings

    Deeper connotations beyond seemingly casual greetings

    Style Exploitations: Why unsustainable fashion still exists

    Style Exploitations: Why unsustainable fashion still exists

    Let’s stop shopping at SHEIN, the fashion company that sells affordable clothing but is problematic

    Let’s stop shopping at SHEIN, the fashion company that sells affordable clothing but is problematic

    What I wish I knew before applying to college

    What I wish I knew before applying to college

    Why “test optional” policies should continue on post-pandemic

    Why “test optional” policies should continue on post-pandemic

    Passport strength amidst the COVID-19 pandemic shines light on dual citizenship

    Passport strength amidst the COVID-19 pandemic shines light on dual citizenship

    Exclusive library study rooms further toxic academic culture at TAS

    Trending Tags

    • Features
      Hanlin Tang (‘04): Former Blue & Gold Editor-In-Chief is now a principal scientist at Intel Corporation.

      Hanlin Tang (‘04): Former Blue & Gold Editor-In-Chief is now a principal scientist at Intel Corporation.

      Black History Month needs to be talked about more at TAS

      Darryl Loke (‘17) wins Emmy award for his college film, “Strays”

      Darryl Loke (‘17) wins Emmy award for his college film, “Strays”

      College application advice from 2021 Seniors

      College application advice from 2021 Seniors

      Classes more people should know about

      Classes more people should know about

      Lower school students launch gardening initiative

      Lower school students launch gardening initiative

      Juggling in-person and online classes

      Juggling in-person and online classes

      Chinese New Year traveling has been canceled due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus

      Chinese New Year traveling has been canceled due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus

      Annabelle W. (‘22) participates in triathlon relay in Taiwan and places fourth in her division

      Annabelle W. (‘22) participates in triathlon relay in Taiwan and places fourth in her division

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        niko and… :An underrated Japanese home goods store

        YEN sets an unmatched bar for Cantonese food

        YEN sets an unmatched bar for Cantonese food

        Ideal cafes for studying

        Ideal cafes for studying

        Neighbors Cafe lives up to its name

        Neighbors Cafe lives up to its name

        REVIEW | “Raya and the Last Dragon”

        REVIEW | “Raya and the Last Dragon”

        TikTok’s Three Ingredient Creme Brûlée: Is it Worth it?

        TikTok’s Three Ingredient Creme Brûlée: Is it Worth it?

        A trip to the Cat Cafe

        A trip to the Cat Cafe

        Attemping to make the Korean Minimalistic Cake

        Attemping to make the Korean Minimalistic Cake

        Spend your Sunday afternoons studying at Windows Cafe

        Spend your Sunday afternoons studying at Windows Cafe

        Eco-friendly brands that reduce climate impact

        Eco-friendly brands that reduce climate impact

        Diamonds and Dior lead to deeper conversations in Netflix’s “Bling Empire”

        Diamonds and Dior lead to deeper conversations in Netflix’s “Bling Empire”

        National Taichung Theater: the best architectural phenomenon that showcases musicals

        National Taichung Theater: the best architectural phenomenon that showcases musicals

      • Multimedia
      • News
        Upper School faculty attend Nonbinary and Transgender Student Workshop

        Upper School faculty attend Nonbinary and Transgender Student Workshop

        New upper school student group encourages valuable discourse on identity and diversity

        New upper school student group encourages valuable discourse on identity and diversity

        New schoolwide faculty committee strives to create a more inclusive TAS community

        New schoolwide faculty committee strives to create a more inclusive TAS community

        Taipei American School Film Club’s Year-Long project

        Taipei American School Film Club’s Year-Long project

        Uncovering Harvard professor’s distorted narrative of Comfort Women

        Uncovering Harvard professor’s distorted narrative of Comfort Women

        Dr. Dodge takes on the role of interim head of school

        Dr. Dodge takes on the role of interim head of school

        Athletes adjusting to constant IASAS changes

        Athletes adjusting to constant IASAS changes

        TAS delegates attend the 2020 IASAS MUN conference online

        TAS delegates attend the 2020 IASAS MUN conference online

        IASAS Film offers new online 48-hour-film competition due to COVID-19

        IASAS Film offers new online 48-hour-film competition due to COVID-19

      • Sports
      • Opinion
        • All
        • Editorial
        • Letters
        • The Gabfest
        Conversations in these isolated times

        Conversations in these isolated times

        Dear TAS boys, be careful with the curls you get

        Dear TAS boys, be careful with the curls you get

        Deeper connotations beyond seemingly casual greetings

        Deeper connotations beyond seemingly casual greetings

        Style Exploitations: Why unsustainable fashion still exists

        Style Exploitations: Why unsustainable fashion still exists

        Let’s stop shopping at SHEIN, the fashion company that sells affordable clothing but is problematic

        Let’s stop shopping at SHEIN, the fashion company that sells affordable clothing but is problematic

        What I wish I knew before applying to college

        What I wish I knew before applying to college

        Why “test optional” policies should continue on post-pandemic

        Why “test optional” policies should continue on post-pandemic

        Passport strength amidst the COVID-19 pandemic shines light on dual citizenship

        Passport strength amidst the COVID-19 pandemic shines light on dual citizenship

        Exclusive library study rooms further toxic academic culture at TAS

        Trending Tags

        • Features
          Hanlin Tang (‘04): Former Blue & Gold Editor-In-Chief is now a principal scientist at Intel Corporation.

          Hanlin Tang (‘04): Former Blue & Gold Editor-In-Chief is now a principal scientist at Intel Corporation.

          Black History Month needs to be talked about more at TAS

          Darryl Loke (‘17) wins Emmy award for his college film, “Strays”

          Darryl Loke (‘17) wins Emmy award for his college film, “Strays”

          College application advice from 2021 Seniors

          College application advice from 2021 Seniors

          Classes more people should know about

          Classes more people should know about

          Lower school students launch gardening initiative

          Lower school students launch gardening initiative

          Juggling in-person and online classes

          Juggling in-person and online classes

          Chinese New Year traveling has been canceled due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus

          Chinese New Year traveling has been canceled due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus

          Annabelle W. (‘22) participates in triathlon relay in Taiwan and places fourth in her division

          Annabelle W. (‘22) participates in triathlon relay in Taiwan and places fourth in her division

          Trending Tags

          • Verdict
            • All
            • Food
            • Movies
            • The B&G Book Corner
            • TV

            niko and… :An underrated Japanese home goods store

            YEN sets an unmatched bar for Cantonese food

            YEN sets an unmatched bar for Cantonese food

            Ideal cafes for studying

            Ideal cafes for studying

            Neighbors Cafe lives up to its name

            Neighbors Cafe lives up to its name

            REVIEW | “Raya and the Last Dragon”

            REVIEW | “Raya and the Last Dragon”

            TikTok’s Three Ingredient Creme Brûlée: Is it Worth it?

            TikTok’s Three Ingredient Creme Brûlée: Is it Worth it?

            A trip to the Cat Cafe

            A trip to the Cat Cafe

            Attemping to make the Korean Minimalistic Cake

            Attemping to make the Korean Minimalistic Cake

            Spend your Sunday afternoons studying at Windows Cafe

            Spend your Sunday afternoons studying at Windows Cafe

            Eco-friendly brands that reduce climate impact

            Eco-friendly brands that reduce climate impact

            Diamonds and Dior lead to deeper conversations in Netflix’s “Bling Empire”

            Diamonds and Dior lead to deeper conversations in Netflix’s “Bling Empire”

            National Taichung Theater: the best architectural phenomenon that showcases musicals

            National Taichung Theater: the best architectural phenomenon that showcases musicals

          • Multimedia
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          Home Opinion Letters

          LETTER | I got rejected from my dream school. And it was the best outcome possible.

          by The Blue & Gold
          03/14/2019
          in Letters, Opinion
          0
          LETTER | I got rejected from my dream school. And it was the best outcome possible.

          Christine L./The Blue and Gold

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          By Justin W. (’19)

          Christine L./The Blue & Gold

          Having binge-watched college decision reaction videos and witnessed the success of so many students, I decided to film my reaction to my dream school status update just in case I could become the person on the other side of the screen for future college-hopefuls. I clicked my application status, saw the dreaded words, and froze. “Dear Justin, we are very sorry to inform you…”

          I sat still at my desk for five minutes, unable to accept what had happened. Th

          e next few days were filled with emotions: rage, despair, frustration, and stress from all the applications I now only had 10 days to finalize and submit. At school, I would act unaffected, but at night I would lie awake thinking to myself, “What if I’m not good enough? What if I don’t go to a good school?” I was so anxious that I spent the next few days repeatedly going through each part of the application in my mind. Grades? Good. SAT scores? Strong. Awards? Not bad. Essays? Good. Over and over and over again. I promised myself that I would stop thinking about college altogether after I went through the whole checklist one last time. But every time I went through the essays section, I doubted my assessment of my award section. And every time I reviewed my SAT scores, I doubted the strength of my grades. I was never able to convince myself that everything was good.

          I fell victim to this culture and found myself unhealthily stressed about things that were outside of my control.

          After a stressful winter break, school started again. Talking to a friend about his college application process, I learned that he had chosen his intended majors based on highest mid-career salaries. Hearing this, I felt sorry for him because he was building his entire life upon money without asking himself what he truly loved. I also felt irritated about the culture here at TAS: the emphasis on results and achievement pressures students excessively. I fell victim to this culture and found myself unhealthily stressed about things that were outside of my control.

          Both my own painful experience and my friend’s comments have made me realize that college was making us seniors unnecessarily stressed. Since then, I’ve stopped obsessing over college admissions because I realized that I am not willing to let anyone or any institution deprive me of my self-worth. I’ve also learned to believe in myself and know that I will be okay wherever I go.

          Over the past four years, I discovered my love of bioengineering as a iGEM member and developed mental resilience and grit as a swimmer. I believe this passion and work ethic will one day pave the way to a fulfilling future, not what college I end up attending. Honestly, I have no idea how important where I go for undergrad is, but I know I need to treat myself with respect and adopting this confidence has helped me be less worried. I still have around a month before my decisions come out, and stress or no stress, I still have to live through it. So why would I not choose to believe in myself?

          …I am not willing to let anyone or any institution deprive me of my self-worth.

          To my fellow seniors who are stressing out waiting for results, it’s a tough time, but I am sure that each and everyone of you will be successful wherever you go, not because of what school you attend, but because of the qualities you bring to the table. Getting rejected from my dream school gave me the confidence to believe in myself.

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          The Blue & Gold strives to represent the school as whole, showcasing hidden personalities and covering events and issues that affect the school and community.

          Contact Us

          The Blue & Gold welcomes any questions, opinions, comments, or suggestions. To contact us, please email Natalie S., our Editor-in-Chief, at 21natalies@students.tas.tw. You can also email Ms. Kundel, our advisor, at kundell@tas.tw.

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          All submissions should be submitted by email to blueandgold@tas.tw. Submissions will then be evaluated by the editors and Ms. Kundel, the Journalism advisor. Submissions will either be published online or in the print edition of The Blue & Gold.

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