The Big Secret of ACT Science Its More Reading Than Science

The Big Secret of ACT Science It's More Reading Than Science SAT/ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips For what reason is the ACT Science area so scary?When I took it the first occasion when, it was quick paced, had a ton of troublesome science terms, and appeared to be testing. I think manystudents have a comparative encounter in light of the fact that the ACT Science segment is not normal for some other test you've taken, and is so unique in relation to the PSAT and SAT. In any case, there's a basic mystery to ACT Science - you really don't have to think a lot about science to progress admirably. Rather, you should have the option to rehearse basic thinking great - this is the central reason for ACT Science! In this article, I'll attempt to make the ACT Science segment less strange. Ideally, before the finish of this article, you'll comprehend that any understudy can get a 36 on the ACT Science area - regardless of what grades you got in your science classes. Do You Need High-Level Science Knowledge to Succeed on ACT Science? While you would figure the area would test significant level science information, there is next to no genuine science information fundamental, just around 4 inquiries out of 40 depend on outside science information. Rather, you have to have perusing abilities to prevail on the ACT Science area. Huh? Be that as it may, I can't peruse. Outlandish, I know, yet the ACT Science segment deliberately centers around essential abilities. Consider the rationale. The ACT is an across the country test, directed to over a million understudies each year.Every understudy takes various degrees of science. Some take AP/IB level tests. Others don't satisfy the secondary school necessities for fundamental science courses. Consequently, it wouldn’t be reasonable for the ACTto test AP or IB level Physics, Biology, Chemistry, or Environmental Science information since few peoplein secondary school cantake the entirety of that science at the propelled level. Consequently, ACT Science should be a level playing field, across the country. So what does it really test? What Reading Skills Does the ACT Science Section Test? I'll talk about the major basic perusing aptitudes required for ACT Science. When you comprehend these, you'll see why you'll have the option to exceed expectations on ACT Science, regardless of what your evaluations were in your science classes. Perusing Skill Type #1: Reading Visuals for Scientific Data Mostquestions test your capacity to comprehend logical information by understanding charts, outlines, and different visuals, (for example, graphs and scatterplots). To make the test testing, ACT, Inc.,tests these fundamental aptitudes of perusing visuals in novel manners, utilizing unusual diagrams that you've never observed, for example, this one beneath: Indeed, this is a genuine ACT Science segment chart. A large portion of the inquiries on the ACT Science area can be replied by simply perusing the visuals.Using just the chart above, take care of this issue: Despite the fact that the diagram gives a wide range of pieces ofinformation, overlook the entirety of the extrainformationand simply center around what the inquiry is asking.Does S rely upon recurrence? Names are very important.I can discover the diagrams of S by taking a gander at the highest point of the chart and seeing where S is marked. At all of the various estimations of S, S is diagramed as a vertical line. As recurrence builds (which occurs along the y-pivot), the S is unaltered (stays consistent). Consequently, the appropriate response is J. Learn aboutthe 3 kinds of ACT Science Passages for more data about this methodology. Perusing Skill Type #2: Skimming For the inquiries you can’t answer utilizing the visuals, you'll have the option to answer them by perusing the entry. The main inquiries you won't have the option to reply with visuals or the section are the 4 past information addresses that I mentionedearlier. The ACT Science area attempts to make the entry progressively troublesome by tossing in huge logical terms.Don't fear them. The ACTtypically either explainswhat the words mean, orit isn't important to comprehend what the words intend to respond to the inquiry. The entry beneath has enormous terms like corrosive base titration and nitrazine, yet we will effectively tackle an inquiry from the section. With just 35 minutes to respond to 40 inquiries (52.5 seconds per question), you can't bear to sit around idly perusing the whole entry. I suggest going straightforwardly tothe questions. Attempt to address the inquiries first by understanding visuals. At that point, in case you're truly stuck, attempt to skim the section to respond to the inquiry. In the event that you don't care for this procedure, you can begin by skimming the section and afterward responding to questions, however you don't have the advantage of relaxed perusing the whole entry. Look at the entry and question beneath: To the appropriate response this inquiry, you have to begin by taking a gander at Figure 2 for Experiment 2. Make certain to take a gander at the correct information, ensure you are taking a gander at Experiment 2 Figure 2, not Experiment 1 Figure 1. Else, you could wind up with an inappropriate answer. At 0.2 mL of titrant included, the shading was yellow. At 1.8 mL of titrant included, the shading was blue, so you can dispose of B and D. In any case, you don’t comprehend what the distinction among yellow and blue methods as far as pH, so you have to skim.You just need this sentence from the finish of the prologue to locate the last answer. Along these lines, as per the entry, blue methods more prominent pH than yellow, so the appropriate response is A. You would now be able to perceive how skimming can rapidly lead you to the right answer, however is skimming consistently the best way to deal with responding to ACT Science questions? Special case to Skimming Rule The main special case to the skimming rule is on the Conflicting Viewpoints Passage. (See our article on the 3 sorts of ACT Science Passages for a top to bottom rundown of Conflicting Viewpoints Passages).There is just 1 Conflicting Viewpoint Passage for every test (out of an aggregate of 7 Science passages).This section has no visuals, just words. You have to peruse the whole entry. You have to make sense of how the two researchers, understudies, or hypotheses contrast in conclusion. In the wake of perusing this section, you ought to have the option to observe that Scientist 1 thinks the article was a comet while Scientist 2 thinks the item was a space rock. To respond to address 12, you more likely than not read the whole entry, includingthe introduction.If you read the presentation, you realize it says the item was somewhere in the range of 10 and 100 m in width. On the off chance that comets are a lot bigger than 100 m in width, at that point the article couldn't have been a comet. That would debilitate Scientist 1’s contention that the item was a comet.So, the appropriate response is G. Be that as it may, the central matter, once more, is this - you don't have to know anything about the science basic this section. You have to peruse adequately and utilize basic thinking. Side note: the presentations in ACT Science sections regularly hold pieces of gold in light of the fact that the ACT Science test creators acknowledge most understudies are probably going to skip it. Try not to pass up a great opportunity! Clashing Viewpoints Passages test your perusing cognizance capacity, fundamentally the same as the entries in the Reading section.Be sure to give close consideration when perusing Conflicting Viewpoints passages.So, in the event that you were blowing a gasket about ACT Science, cool off. You can get a C in Biology and still excel on ACT Science. In any case, that doesn't mean you don't need to try sincerely and practice. How Do You Improve These Reading Skills To Do Well on ACT Science? Proposal #1: Reading Science Journals and Articles Since the ACT Science Passages are comparative, it'll surrender you a leg since you'll as of now be comfortable with perusing this sort of passage.You'll be increasingly acquainted with the logical strategy and taking a gander at logical information. I suggest Science Daily. Itis a free science news source, and the articles are exceptionally straightforward. Look at this article abouta study onpeanut hypersensitivities. I suggest perusing their articles just as the first diary article (which they connect to at the base of their articles). While Science Daily doesn't utilize numerous visuals on their site, the diary articles regularly have novel charts and visuals. For example, this one from the nut sensitivity study: When perusing the Science Daily articles, you ought to ask yourself inquiries as a test. Specifically, go through these inquiries: What is the primary concern of the test? What was the speculation? How were the tests expected to approve the theory? When taking a gander at the visuals in the related diary articles, what is being portrayed? This is the way logical examination works, and this is the thing that ACT Science anticipates that you should have the option to disentangle. Recommendation #2: Do Well in Your Science Classes While your classes will probably be more testing than the real ACT science segment, they'll additionally assist you with getting progressively acquainted with the logical technique and taking a gander at logical information. Audit ACT Science while you take science classes. The more essential science terms you know, the simpler the ACT Science segment will be and the quicker you will have the option to respond to questions. Recommendation #3: Practice As I said previously, the Science segment is progressively about understanding diagrams and tables,so you have to penetrate this skill.Also, the Science is one of the most time delicate areas of the test.With just 5 minutes for each section and under 1 moment for every inquiry, regardless of how well you comprehend the material, you need practice.Find great investigation material. Look at these suggested books.Check out PrepScholar’s program.PrepScholar separates each area into the abilities you have to ace, at that point gives you concentrated practice on every aptitude. Along these lines you deal with your shortcomings, regardless of whether that is deciphering information or understanding the reason for tests. What's Next? I trust understanding this presents to you a major murmur of alleviation. You DON'T need to be a science master to excel on ACT Science. In any case, you DO need to know precisely how ACT Science tests you, and you have to realize how to practice to exceed expectations at it. Learnthe 3 sorts of ACT Science entries, the main real science you have to know for the ACT Science segment, what's tried on ACT Science, andthe most ideal approach to peruse A

The ways Shakespeare presents the character of Viola in Act One Scenes Two and Four Essay Example For Students

The manners in which Shakespeare presents the character of Viola in Act One Scenes Two and Four Essay Viola makes her passage into the play in Scene 2, when she rises out of the ocean after a boat wreck. She is upset the first occasion when we meet her, as she has quite recently lost her twin sibling in the boat wreck. The way that she is so troubled should be underscored in the arranging of the play; I think a girly, helpless cry, just as practically crazy tears would be proper. This is the main time in the play where Viola is straightforwardly female and powerless and along these lines I feel that this should be underlined to the crowd. We will compose a custom paper on The manners in which Shakespeare presents the character of Viola in Act One Scenes Two and Four explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now One of the most intriguing inquiries I had about Viola was the reason she didn't return home after the boat wreck. It can't be that she needed more cash, as we probably am aware she does, For saying so theres gold. It additionally couldn't be that house is excessively far away, as Orsino had been referenced by her dad, I have heard my dad name him. I feel that the explanation Viola doesn't return home is on the grounds that there is nothing left for her there, as we probably am aware her dad has passed on, My dad had a mole upon his forehead. We can tell this from the utilization of the past tense. Her mom is additionally not referenced at all in the play, aside from in an interesting expression by Sebastian. Thusly I feel that Viola has no family left in where she lived previously, so she would have no compelling reason to return there. Another explanation I feel she would not have any desire to return to her nation of origin is that on the off chance that she was there she would need to grieve for her sibling in the manner Olivia needs to grieve for hers. Viola might not want to grieve for her sibling the way Olivia is; as it would not be for herself it would be for others. This along these lines shows the difference between the two womens methods of grieving. At the point when the chief reveals to Viola that Olivia has additionally lost her sibling, Viola in a split second observes an equal among them and needs to go serve her, O that I served that woman. This shows Violas instinctual to help other people and her characteristic desire to think about others. She needs to help Olivia get past what she is additionally experiencing. The commander reveals to Viola that quite possibly Sebastian, her sibling may have endure, I saw him hold colleague with the waves/So long as should have been obvious. I think the explanation he says this, regardless of whether it is fundamental valid or not, is on the grounds that he saw that Viola was prepared to hurl herself once again into the waves, as she was without her sibling. Anyway by saying this, the Captain is giving Viola some want to stick on to. Viola is happy to the point that she gives the chief some gold. I think the basic job of the chief in the play is to lift the spirits of Viola, so the play does proceed and she decides to live on. He is additionally there to make an equal between the relationship of Viola and the chief and Sebastian and Antonio. The chief and Viola are appeared to manage everything well, except like Antonio with Sebastian, the skipper will do anything for Viola. Just as demonstrating this through the words, Shakespeare additionally shows this through utilization of language, In Scene 2 the subject of for what reason does Viola cross dress is raised. For me there are numerous reasons why Viola does this. There are first the more handy reasons of as a man it is simpler to look for some kind of employment and there is the conspicuous bit of leeway of more opportunity. In any case, as Viola is simply the girl of somebody significant, and she herself is an aristocrat, she could go tell individuals who she truly is and be helped by them. In this manner I think Viola decides to be in camouflage so she can grieve alone and in her own particular manner. .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989 , .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989 .postImageUrl , .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989 .focused content region { min-stature: 80px; position: relative; } .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989 , .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989:hover , .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989:visited , .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989:active { border:0!important; } .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989 .clearfix:after { content: ; show: table; clear: both; } .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989 { show: square; change: foundation shading 250ms; webkit-progress: foundation shading 250ms; width: 100%; haziness: 1; change: murkiness 250ms; webkit-change: darkness 250ms; foundation shading: #95A5A6; } .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989:active , .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989:hover { mistiness: 1; progress: obscurity 250ms; webkit-change: darkness 250ms; foundation shading: #2C3E50; } .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989 .focused content territory { width: 100%; position: relativ e; } .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989 .ctaText { outskirt base: 0 strong #fff; shading: #2980B9; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: striking; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; content enhancement: underline; } .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989 .postTitle { shading: #FFFFFF; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: 600; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; width: 100%; } .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989 .ctaButton { foundation shading: #7F8C8D!important; shading: #2980B9; fringe: none; outskirt span: 3px; box-shadow: none; text dimension: 14px; text style weight: intense; line-tallness: 26px; moz-fringe sweep: 3px; content adjust: focus; content design: none; content shadow: none; width: 80px; min-stature: 80px; foundation: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/modules/intelly-related-posts/resources/pictures/basic arrow.png)no-rehash; position: outright; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989:hover .ctaButton { foundation shading: #34495E!important; } .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085 f09800453f99989 .focused content { show: table; stature: 80px; cushioning left: 18px; top: 0; } .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989-content { show: table-cell; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; cushioning right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-adjust: center; width: 100%; } .ud0f88dfcfc94b8085f09800453f99989:after { content: ; show: square; clear: both; } READ: Shakespeare And His Theater EssayThere is likewise the factor that as she will be caught up with being a hireling and won't have the opportunity to harp on musings of her sibling. It seems as though she is attempting to make a place of refuge for herself to recuperate in. She is making herself undetectable to the remainder of the world till she is prepared to confront them as herself once more. By taking on the appearance of a man Viola is likewise basically turning out to be Sebastian, as she will seem as though him and when she glances in the mirror she will see him. It is a method of consolidating herself and her twin into one bo dy and letting him live on. I think it is significant that this piece of Scene two where she chooses to live as a man in Illyria is organized properly so it doesn't appear to be an over the top irregular idea for Viola to have. The manner in which I would do this is by having Sebastians trunk on the edge of the shore, as if it has floated in from the wreck. Along these lines it will look just as Viola has seen the storage compartment and just as getting recollections of Sebastian from it, she will likewise think about this thought of cross dressing to take care of business. It will likewise stress the way that when she is cross dressing she is attempting to let Sebastian live on in the outside of herself. In Scene 4 Viola shows up in the play separated from this time she is a man; Cesario. She is additionally with Orsino, whom she is currently a worker for. This is a significant change; not exclusively will she need to act suitably, however her ensemble ought to likewise practically demonstrate her to be a young lady spruced up to be a kid in the dress of the time, yet in addition so individuals would not realize she was a young lady. At the time Twelfth Night was first played out the individual playing Viola would have being a kid playing a young lady playing a kid. This would be maybe significantly additionally befuddling for the crowd and may have even made it harder to organize. I would dress Cesario in a basic ensemble like one that a worker in the Elizabethan occasions would wear. The explanation I figure it ought to be straightforward is that so it is practical; in numerous creations I have seen the outfit that Cesario is wearing is unreasonably extravagant for a kid and a hire ling. Another significant part of the arranging in this scene is the manner by which to organize the connection among Orsino and Cesario. The explanation this is so significant is a direct result of the sexual uncertainty in the connection among Orsino and Cesario. To show this sexual uncertainty I would make sexual strain in front of an audience by causing it to appear to be ungainly when they sit close to one another on a seat. This sexual uncertainty is appeared through the way that after just three days, as of now Orsino has revealed to Cesario about his adoration for Olivia in light of the fact that he has been so dazzled by him. The adoration between could be viewed as non-romantic or maybe even fatherly as Cesario is significantly more youthful than Orsino. Anyway for me the affection between them is a wonderful non-romantic love with a trace of homoerotic. The way that Orsino has disclosed to Cesario this shows Cesario motivates trust. We can likewise observe this from the way that Orsino trusts Cesario to go disclose to Olivia how he feels, yet this could likewise show Orsinos inaction. In Scene 4 Orsino asks Cesario to go disclose to Olivia how he feels for Olivia; sending delivery people, rather than going yourself was a conventional part of elegant love. I think Orsino has picked Cesario to carry out this responsibility on the grounds that in addition to the fact that he trusts him, yet he sees in Cesario himself in his childhood. Orsino may feel that Cesarios youth would be a decent depiction of him and may make Olivia partner Orsino with Cesarios youth. It is likewise fascinating to take note of how Viola responds to this proposition of Orsinos. She doesn't appear to sharp, I think not really, my master. Orsino can see the failings of Orsinos plan as of now; she is increasingly discerning and is giving her female instinct. .ufd663130ccd84c130bf51b524ebd01a7 , .ufd663130ccd84c130bf51b524ebd01a7 .postImageUrl , .ufd663130ccd84c130bf51b524ebd01a7 .focused content region { min-stature: 80px; position: relative; } .ufd663130ccd84c130bf51b524ebd01a7 , .ufd6631

Go, ninja, go.

Go, ninja, go. UPDATE April 16, 2011 Five years ago I ran the Boston Marathon bandit and posted a mile-by-mile account in this blog entry. It was pretty exciting. My parents drove up from Harrisburg to watch me. My friends painted their chests to read GO SAM! I ran it with Mitra, my best friend from college and probably my best friend from MIT to this day. We got our picture on the front page of The Tech. It was kind of cathartic; I was a chunky kid in high school and standing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon looking up at my time made me feel like I was standing on the threshold of a new world of possibilities, like I could really achieve anything in the world, mental or physical, if I just put some time and training into it. In the past five years Ive done a lot of thinking, Ive done a lot more running, Ive read a lot of accounts from legitimate Boston runners, Ive run (and paid for) a few other marathons, and Ive come to the following conclusion: running the Boston Marathon bandit is a bad idea. Not only do bandit runners like me steal physical resources (water, road closure, medical facilities) paid for by the entry fees of legitimate runners, we also steal the prestige that those runners earn by training hard enough to qualify for Boston. Theres a reason that Boston is the most famous, most elite marathon in the world, and the only one that anyone runs bandityou have to qualify for it. You have to run really fast just to get into Boston. I feel kind of dumb now thinking that my moment of ultimate catharsis came standing under a clock that was displaying a time over an hour slower than the qualifying time. What I did wasnt impressive. Qualifying for the Boston Marathon and running it officiallythats im pressive. So, yo, Im talking to you, Greater Boston college student thinking about running bandit. Maybe you know some people who did it last year. Maybe your friends have promised to take the bus out to Wellesley to cheer you on. Maybe your parents promised to come up and watch you. Maybe youre thinking about training really hard. Maybe you have something to prove to yourself. Dont do it. If you want to run a marathontheres a nice one in Cape Cod. Take the Bolt Bus down to New York (not the Chinatown bus, that one might explode). I bet your hometown has a nice marathon for you to run, and then your parents wont have to make the trek all the way up to Boston. Youll still get in great shape, youll still feel great at the finish line, youll still have a lot of people cheering you on, and I promise that it will all be a lot more fun than wandering around the woods in Hopkinton at 6 AM trying to sneak by cops. If you absolutely, positively must high-five your 8.01 TA in Kenmore Square, there are a lot of charities for whom you can raise money to circumvent the qualifying time. Youre still not quite really running the Boston Marathon, but, hey, at least some money went to a good place. Ive thought about taking this entry down in the past, because now, five years later, I have a completely different outlook on everything that I talk about here. But, well, getting into running, doing some training, and running Boston bandit wasfor better or for worsekind of a defining experience of my time at MIT. So, anyway, take this for what it is: a snapshot in the life of a twenty-year-old student who didnt know much about the world, who was doing something that really made him excited when he was twenty, but who would come to think better of it by the time he was twenty-five. DID YOU KNOW? Ultramarathon runner Pam Reed of Tuscon, Arizona was the first person in history, of either gender, to run 300 miles without sleep. It took her almost 80 hours. But me? Well, I just ran one marathon. One more entry about it and then we can get back to my regularly scheduled blogging. Heres some pictures and a mile-by-mile recap of what was going on inside my head. Mile -20 Back at MIT, I have a delicious breakfast of three servings of steel-cut oatmeal (introduced to me by my personal hero Alton Brown) and an Odwalla Bar. Mmm, carbs. This was after an Italian dinner at Bertuccis the night before, which I began with an appetizer of 5 complimentary rolls. Mile 0 So, apparently they have people in army fatigues along the side of the road to deter bandits. After meeting up, quite fortuitously, with fellow bandit Kyle 08, who had considerable experience in banditry, we headed far enough down the road that there were no longer any armed guards, waited for the second wave of runners to come by, and hopped in somewhat arbitrarily around number 13,000. Oh my God, were running the Boston Marathon! said I, giddily. Mile 2 So, since it was 55 degrees outside, and since I had sent an e-mail for my floor asking for their support in Kenmore Square, I thought that it would be a good idea to wear my long-sleeve, heavy cotton, black, one-size-too-small floor shirt to the marathon. Its pretty cool! It says Conner 2 on the front and Varsity Apple Bake on the back. Note that I am emulating MITs mascot, Tim the Beaver, in the above photograph. anyway, around the beginning of Mile 2, I had stripped it off and tied it around my waste. A few minutes later, I chucked it into some lucky Hopkintonians yard. Mile 4 Mitra had the forethought to go to The Coop and buy a red MIT tank-top on Friday. So, the entire race people along the sidelines were yelling, Yeah, MIT! and I pretended that they were cheering for me too. Anyway, Mile 4 was the only time somebody yelled Yeah, shirtless guy! I was so happy that I jumped up into the air with my arms outstretched. Somebody else yelled, Yeah, Jumpy! And that was all the cheering that I would personally get for a while. Mile 5 This is about the first time we heard, Yeah, Mit! Pronounced as in baseball mitt. We never figured out whether its a Bostonian colloquialism or if somebody thought that this was really Mitras name. Mile 7 It was around here that I realized that there are really going to be people lined up the ENITRE ROUTE cheering you on. Okay, maybe its like that for every major marathon in the world but, seriously, this thing is huge! Non-stop yelling. Live rock bands playing Rush (heh)! Girls chanting the Michael Jackson classic Come on, dont stop now! Dont stop til you get enough! in unison! People hand out orange slices, ice pops, sponges, little popsicle sticks covered in vaseline (I was really disappointed to find out it was this, and not popsicles). If you ever feel down or lonely, just run over to the side of the road and get a high-five from one of the hundreds of people there. Thats what really made this such an awesome experience for mefeeling beloved by tens of thousands of people along a 26.2-mile stretch of road in Massachusetts. Because I am a famewhore. Mile 13 This is Wellesley. Now, Ive been to Wellesley once before, and its beautiful, but I didnt really know what to expect here. Basically, Wellesley is one giant scream for about a mile and a half. The entire population of the college, seemingly, comes out, pressed against the barriers in a crowd as dense as a neutron star, screaming for you in one cacophonic birdsong, and screaming extra-loud for your college shirt. About a third of them are carrying posters that offer you hugs, kisses, or other things in that vein. One even offered kisses specifically to gay runners, and I thought briefly about taking her up on the offer, but figured that she probably wanted to kiss gay girls instead. Mile 15 This is where I had lunchtwo bites of an Odwalla SuperProtein Bar, half a banana provided by friendly spectators, and gatorade. Sams Mom said that she would never take food from strange people along the Boston Marathon route, but I guess were really pretty diffrerent people anyway. Mile 17 So, this is where the hills start, and where I first uttered, Come on, Mitra, if we just get up this hill its downhill the rest of the way. Technically true, yes, but said hill lasted for about the next three miles. This is also where I hit the wall, so to speak. Id run 17 miles before without really breaking down or anything, so I was wondering what it would feel like. Basically, it felt like somebody threw a curtain over me, and then I felt like I was falling asleep, as I was running, and then I started crying. But only for a few seconds. I dont know, your mileage may vary. Mile 18 This is where the guy in the gorilla suit jumped in, and I said, Come on, Mitra, we cant let the gorilla beat us! Hes not even a biped! Because I had done a 20-page paper on the evolution of hominid bipedalism for AP Bio, and so I know such things. Mile 19 If memory serves me correctly, this is where they started handing out PowerGel or something like that. Whatever it was, it was basically a tube of frosting spiked with caffeine. I was impressed; they have about 10 different kiosks so you can choose your preferred flavor and dosage of caffeine (maximum). Well, I guess if you were a Mormon or something. Mile 21 So we just got over the so-called Heartbreak Hill, where Sams Mom and my dad were waiting from around 2 PM to the time we finished. Sams Mom didnt end up seeing us, but it is a big, busy, loud road, so its pretty much understandable. She does, however, claim that she took a picture of somebody who she thought looked like me, except that she didnt think I had a beard when she dropped me off. The only such picture that I could find on my camera was this one: however, Sams Mom is a pretty smart cookie, and I think she would also have enough sense to realize that I was probably not juggling for the entire marathon, like that guy was. Mile 23 This was the first Sam! I heard. My entourage in Kenmore Square had planted Maryann 06 and Russell about two miles upstream at Tufts to let them know we were coming. I ran over to the side of and said You guys are awesome! I love you! I get the impression thats how most people feel around Mile 23 of a marathon. Mile 25 Mitra said I. Lets take a break before Kenmore Square. I want to look happy if there are a lot of people there to see us. So, we walk for about a minute and a half, and then start on our (relative) sprint to the finish. And, well, I guess we looked okay, all things considered: Mile 25.5 The first person I saw was Javier 08, who was waiting at the front of the crowd to get a picture. Then I saw all the people Mitra invited. I pointed them out, so we could run over and give them all high-fives, since that side of the street was conspicuously empty. I turned around to yell You guys are awesome! then looked forward again to see all the people I invited. Bobby 05 ran alongside us for a little bit, but we lost track of him in the crowd. Anyway, his girlfriend Alicia 06 way outran him anyway. Then we saw people who I didnt even know were coming and told them they were awesome too. Then we saw one of Mitras TAs. Then, at the end of the Kenmore Square crowd: Gina 09, Ginas two siblings, who I never actually met either before or after the marathon, and Moria 06. Wow. Thanks, guys. Mile 26 And this is where JKuo yells Mitra! and jumps over the huge iron barrier separating the Hereford Street spectators from the runners, and then starts running in front of us, backwards, taking pictures. And thats how I got my new facebook picture: now, without sounding egotistical, I think that Mitra and I would usually would be able to run faster than a girl in a track suit carrying a backpack and a camera pack, taking pictures, running backwards. Maybe it was the other 26 miles of running, or maybe it was my desire to have this occasion photojournalized for all eternity, but whatever the cause, our slow, slow approach to the finish down Boylston Street was one of the most joyous occasions of my life, and one of the only times Ive ever cried tears of joy, or at least I would have, but I think my body had produced so much sweat that it didnt have any more tears left. And then I realized that 55 degrees was still pretty cold to be walking around in only track shorts, if youre not running a marathon or anything. So, I grabbed a free Subaru shirt from some promotional booth, and headed off into the Boston sunset as a seasoned marathoner and walking advertisement. Okay, guys. This time last year the only German word I knew was Schadenfreude, and I had never run more than 1.25 miles in my life, and that was only so I wouldnt fail gym and get an angry letter from Marilee Jones asking why I was failing classes . Now I just ran the most famous marathon in the world last weekend, and in just about a month Ill be leaving for a sweet internship with Bayer thanks to the efforts of the MISTI program. Im living dreams now that I didnt even think Id have when I got to college. You dont have to go to MIT to do that, but it couldnt hurt.