Sunday, April 17, 2016

My 10 Tips for Incoming High Schoolers

Your primary goal throughout high school should be to set yourself up for success in your college years and adult life. With that in mind, the majority of the tips I've outlined below are dedicated to making you a more well-rounded person and presenting you with opportunities to participate in activities that will nurture interests and build your character in ways that would attract potential colleges.

10. Join at least three extracurricular activities (clubs, sports, etc.) and remain committed to them throughout your four years.

9. Attend as many events, trips, and conferences as you can fit into your schedule.

8. Explore new hobbies and interests throughout your time in high school. Whether its trying out beatboxing, teaching yourself how to code in a given language, or becoming a fitter individual, use the free time you get to not only enjoy your current hobbies but also to pursue a wider variety of hobbies. Who knows, you might learn something interesting about yourself!

7. Prioritize effectively. Make sure you know what is most important to you. Do not commit yourself to more than you can handle, and ensure you have some kind of hierarchy to distinguish important things (core subject tests, major athletic conferences) from less important things (lunch club meetings, unimportant field trips).

6. Have some fun! Go out to malls with friends, spend your free time getting to know your peers better. Social development is just as important as educational development.

5. Stay organized. Use your large breaks to plan a system of organizing yourself (binders, sticky notes, planners, etc.) or to ensure all your files and commitments are well planned out.

4. Do not ever be late to class without a valid excuse, and do not ever skip class. If you just happened to be late, apologize (without coming up with fake excuses) and quietly take your seat. When the block ends, make sure you let your teacher know that it won't happen again (and keep that promise).

3. Develop good relationships with your teachers, and be genuinely participative in their class. Maintain your integrity (See Tip #4); teachers notice these things and will be more understanding when emergencies actually do occur. While your goal shouldn't be to suckup to get a higher grade, teachers enjoy teaching students who legitimately care, and will be more willing to help you out if they see you are struggling.

2. Always ask questions, and take advantage of free blocks to schedule (in advance!) sessions with your teachers when you can catch up on material you don't understand as well.

1. READ YOUR TEXTBOOKS. Even if you somehow pay attention to 100% of class lectures for 100% of your classes, a lack of follow up renders any learning meaningless. With the exception of math (purely practice) and language subjects, the textbooks are indescribably helpful and incredibly well-written. I guarantee you will never get higher than a B+ if you don't regularly read your textbook for subjects like Physics, Economics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Psychology, etc.

And now...the most important tip of all. You could mess up on every single of the above 10 tips and still be extremely successful as long as you do the following. I GUARANTEE you will have no problem at all if you can do this right. Additionally, this will make following the above 10 tips a cakewalk.

And yet, no high schooler in the history of humanity has ever successfully done this.

ULTIMATE TIP: Do not procrastinate.

There's nothing I can say that will make you not procrastinate. Almost every video, self-help book, online tutorial, etc. I found to help with this was completely useless. Everyone will tell you to make a schedule, reward yourself with breaks, etc. but that is all meaningless advice you won't do.

However, I found this one three-part series of blog posts that completely changed my work ethic (and my life, no exaggeration). I highly recommend you read this. If I could change one thing in my high school career, it would be to have read this before my freshman year. It's a bit long, but extremely funny and interesting to read.

Part 1: http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html
Part 2: http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/11/how-to-beat-procrastination.html
Part 3: http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/03/procrastination-matrix.html 

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Who Should Be Able to Vote?

Throughout my childhood and teenage years, one of my favorite thought exercises for sleepless nights or long showers has been imagining a perfect society. Perhaps the most important component of that concept was the political structure of the society, and this is something I've even written about in my college application essays. Despite the apparent flaws in a representative democracy, it is a generally accepted ideal that it is the only viable form of government in today’s world, a conclusion which isn’t entirely inaccurate based on the repeated failures that authoritarian governments have suffered. Monarchies, dictatorships, oligarchies, etc. have all revealed fundamental flaws that prevent them from working. And yet, democracies have their own issues. We just have to look at the current Republican front runner for a "real life situation." Winston Churchill, the legendary Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, made two famous quips that come to mind.

"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others."

"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."

To add on to the second quote, one of my personal favorites from one of the greatest comedians in history, George Carlin:

"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."

It is clear that the only system that works is democracy, and yet it has flaws that stem from the issues with the people that vote. Widespread ignorance, an overpowering media and propaganda machine, and multibillion dollar political lobbying all play roles in what some people call "the excesses of democracy."

As a result of this situation, some people have bought up the idea of limiting voting rights. The world's first ever democracy, that of Ancient Athens, only granted free, adult, male landowners the right to vote, who represented roughly 15% of the population. Some people believe that only "special" citizens should be allowed to vote; those who've demonstrated intelligence, an understanding of sociopolitical, governmental, and economic theory, an awareness of the current candidates and parties that represent them, etc. On the other hand, voting is mandatory in certain countries, and not voting can cost citizens a heavy fine. Some decry the idea of limiting voting rights, reminding us that our forefathers died bravely to defend our freedom, and that voting is an essential right of every free citizen. One can discuss the moral and philosophical arguments on all sides for a lifetime, but I would like to offer my personal opinion.

I think that mandatory voting is sheer idiocy, since you are actively encouraging low-information voters to offer their views on an issue they have no understanding of. Why on Earth should someone who doesn't even know what the difference between the Democratic and Republican Party (to use an Americentric example) be forced to choose a candidate from the two? You're simply asking for people to vote based on what name sounds more interesting, or on ignorant biases such as gender or ethnicity. Research and real life examples have shown that a Mark gets more votes than a Sally, or a Gary Smith gets more votes than a Juan Pablo, even if the voters have no clue what policies the candidates represent. On the other hand, one could argue that forcing everyone to vote encourages citizen participation and leads to an entire populace being more well-informed and invested in their democratic process. The "protest vote" argument also doesn't work since people could simply vote for "No preference" or "Unsatisfactory Candidates." Let's also not forget "low-information voters" is a dog whistle phrase used to justify racial discrimination against minorities. However, I'm still against such substantial governmental intervention in fining non-voters, if only due to my personal belief in limited governmental authority.

What about limiting voter rights? I also believe that is impractical and unethical. It is impossible to quantify intelligence, and I cannot even imagine a situation where citizens could only vote if they got a 1600 on their SATs. Who would administer the test? What variables would they test for? Most modern day intelligence tests tend to place focus on factors like memory retention, reading comprehension, arithmetic ability, etc. none of which indicate how well-versed a citizen could be in political theory. On a more abstract level, I would consider that an unethical breach of freedom. However, the idea of a brief and extremely basic 10 question test with questions like "How long is a presidential term" or "Which of the following options best represents the system of socialism?" seems very tempting, if only to root out the lunatics who think Obama is a socialist Jew or the Antichrist. I doubt it will ever happen, but I would be open to the idea.

Most importantly, I believe that voting issues are tied more closely to larger problems, which are educational deficiencies, money in politics, and media bias. In my ideal world, a democracy would have 95% of voters willingly turn out (the others could be sick or having a personal emergency), who would all be sufficiently informed and aware of the political climate. All candidates would be funded by small donations, and super PAC-esque organizations wouldn't exist.

Of course, we still have a long ways to go. If I had to choose a system for right now, I would recommend one where voters aren't forced to vote, but any citizen can choose to do so.

Monday, December 7, 2015

TOK Essay 1st Paragraph

Topic 2: Knowledge within a discipline develops according to the principles of natural selection.” How useful is this metaphor?

To what extent can we use Darwin’s principles of natural selection to predict the expansion of knowledge? Darwin’s principles essentially state that organisms produce unnecessary amounts of offspring to compete for limited resources, and that these offspring are born with variable and inheritable traits. Finally, the offspring with traits most well-suited to their current environment survive and pass them on; in other words, the famous adage “survival of the fittest”. I agree with this metaphor, and believe that knowledge within a discipline does develop according to these principles. To explore this claim, I will be examining the natural sciences, history, and mathematics areas of knowledge. Discovered knowledge, or the ideas that it emerges from, can be easily compared to reproducing organisms, due to the procedural nature of discovery. An idea is always inspired by a previous one, though it might “mutate” slightly and expand upon the original. And looking at the ways we establish knowing, such as imagination, memory, and reason, we can see that many ideas only “survive”, or raise interest from other experts in a field if they contain traits that are suited to the current landscape of knowledge. The raised interest, which leads to research, experimentation, and further discovery, is what creates even more ideological offspring, neatly wrapping up our analogy and demonstrating the Darwinian nature of the discovery of knowledge.

Word Count: 224 words

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Unpacking the Essay Criteria


Topic 2: Knowledge within a discipline develops according to the principles of natural selection.” How useful is this metaphor?

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Important CAS Activities

Creativity: My most significant creative experience was the organization and management of RIS's annual conference, RISMUN. During RISMUN X, I was the Co-Secretary General of the conference, and was responsible for determining topics, committees, delegate allocations, chair positions, etc. We had to meticulously plan out every aspect of the conference, from the optimal way to schedule breaks between debate for more than a hundred people to finding a way to get great food for cheap. This was personally a very important part of the conference for me; I've been in MUN for more than six years and always thought a pizza party would be a perfect way to end a conference, but past executives never thought it would be feasible. However, we finally managed to do it to tremendous success; the lunch was both the cheapest and the most liked we've had in RISMUN history. It was this idea of innovation and building upon a long standing tradition that I enjoyed, and I was glad to be able to put all my experience to useful work with RISMUN.

Action: My favorite action activity was participating in the BISAC and SEASAC tournaments for Varsity softball. I've played softball for 5 years, and being on the varsity dream has been a long-standing dream of mine. This year, I was finally able to make the team, and had the opportunity to finally play the sport at a high level; for once I wasn't frustrated with the basic errors that my teammate made, but instead in constant admiration at the tremendous level of skill present in our team. I also had the opportunity to participate in two leagues this year, including the international, multi-day SEASAC conference. I feel that RIS put up great showings at both, and I feel very glad to have been part of such an incredible experience. Varsity softball was the culmination of the years of work and practice I put into developing a new skill, and I look forward to further improving this year.

Service: As a member of Eco Merits, I had the opportunity to visit and work in an elephant sanctuary for a three day trip. This was the greatest amount of service work I've done in a single activity, and it was by far my favorite. We learned a lot about the cruel treatment of elephants as tourist attractions in Thailand, and spent a couple of days feeding them, bathing them, and preparing their food. We even spent a few hours cleaning up their enclosures with wagons and shovels. Despite the back-breaking nature of the work, I have never felt as rewarded for what I've done, and I was proud to be able to contribute in a meaningful way to my community. The Elephant Sanctuary trip was my greatest service inspiration, and has made me excited to explore more service opportunities in the upcoming year.

Long-Term: Throughout my many years at RIS, Model United Nations has probably been the most significant activity I have taken part in (just edging out softball). My brother was extremely active in MUN too, and he first suggested that I try it out in 6th grade, 6 years ago. I got into MUN very quickly from that point, and broke the record for the highest amount of conferences attended in RIS history. I've gone all over Thailand and overseas during my time in MUN, and grown significantly, from a minor delegate in small committees to a represent of the nuclear powers and P5 nations in Security Council. I've also had the opportunity to serve as an ambassador, judge of the International Court of Justice, and chair of a committee on multiple occasions. MUN has remained my favorite academic activity, and I am grateful for what it has done to broaden my understanding of global issues as well as improve my ability to speak in public and debate. I've made countless friends through attending different schools around the country, and still stay in touch with them today. After a year as Vice-President, I currently serve as the President of my school's MUN club, and plan on attending MUN conferences in college as well.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Presentation Planning

TOK Presentation Planning Document

Candidate Name: Shashank Saravat
Title of Presentation: National Identity
Date: 20 September, 2015
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Directions: This should be presented in skeleton or bullet point form, typed in standard 12 font and not exceed 500 words. It is acceptable to include diagrams, as long as they are clearly related to the text.

Describe your real life situation:

·         My real life situation is my own life; I was born and raised in Thailand by first-generation Indian immigrants, and studied in international English-medium schools with American curriculums my whole life. I have maintained very little of my Indian identity, with my only connection to my country being the values I was raised with, the food I eat, and my knowledge of Hindi, but since I have very little to no connection with Thailand either, growing up in an international community outside Bangkok, I struggle with choosing a nation to identify with.

State your central knowledge question (this must be expressed as a question):

·         What defines and determines our national identity?

Explain the connection between your real life situation and your knowledge question:

·         Since I’ve struggled with understanding my own national identity, and being able to associate with a group of people from a country, my knowledge question seeks to answer what makes us truly a member of a certain nation.

Outline how you intend to develop your presentation, with respect to perspectives, subsidiary knowledge question, arguments, etc. Responses below can be presented in continuous prose, bullet point, or diagrammatic form.

·         An introduction to the concept of National Identity
§  Giving my own life as an example/real life situation
§  Thoughts/Questions about my real life situation
·         Knowledge Question
§  AOKs and WOKs used to explore this question
§  How each AOK/WOK can provide an answer to the KQ
§  Assumptions
§  National identity is largely unchanging past a certain age of maturity
§  It can be dependent on a large number of factors
§  Our “race” or “genetics” are not the only deciding factor
§  It is possible to willingly change our national identity
§  Key Terms
§  National identity
§  Race/Culture/Nationality/Citizenship Comparison
·         Development
§  AOK/WOK #1
§  Claim #1 + Evidence
§  Counterclaim + Evidence
§  Mini-Conclusion
§  AOK/WOK #2
§  Claim #2 + Evidence
§  Counterclaim + Evidence
§  Mini-Conclusion
§  AOK/WOK #3
§  Claim #3 + Evidence
§  Counterclaim + Evidence
§  Mini-Conclusion
·         Conclusion
§  Explanation
§  How it’s been supported by aforementioned insights
§  Possible flaws
§  Explanation
§  How someone from a different culture/gender/etc. might perceive it differently
·         RLS Application
§  Main RLS
§  How conclusion applies to RLS
§  Two related RLSs
§  How conclusion applies to related RLSs

Show how your conclusions have significance for your real life situation and beyond:

· Obviously, will help me understand the origins of my own national identity, figure out what it is, and come to terms with it
· Determination of one’s national identity can aid in the process of changing citizenships

Monday, August 31, 2015

TOK Presentation Planning

1. Presentation Topic - National Identity - Our national identity is our sense of belonging to a nation, regardless of political or legal factors like citizenship and ethnicity?

2. Knowledge Question - What elements define and what experiences undergone in life determine our national identity? Is it possible for our national identity to change after we've already matured?
3. Background Literature
a) National Identity, Nationalism, and Constitutional Change - Frank Bechhofer and David McCrone
c) What Shall I Call Myself? Hispanic Identity Formation in the Second Generation - A. Portes, D. Macleod

4. Thoughts on Presentation Methods
  • It makes sense to start with a real-life situation to build into our KQ
  • It's important to remember that KQ exploration should be the bulk of the presentation
  • I think I have a very good beginning for Part 1, since I've held a keen interest in national/cultural identity throughout my life and my situation strongly applies to it
  • While we should only start with one main KI, it is possible to build into more (like whether national identity can change post-maturity) during Part 3
  • Focus on knowledge issues, not knowledge claims
  • This means discussing the development of a KI, not explaining it's history
  • Make sure to avoid ethical/moral debates