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I would love to hear some advice from people about how to navigate being on a waitlist, especially for a school you have a strong preference for. Particularly interested in: Should you reach out to the school? How strongly should you communicate your preference? If it's true, is it worth saying something like "If you make me an offer, I will accept it"? What is the ideal time to reach out? March 15th, April 1st, April 14th? Should you talk about other offers you're considering, or wait until they ask? I imagine most schools have their waitlists in some kind of rough order of who they want to make offers to, but they don't communicate that. Just wondering what the best way to handle this situation and maximize chances of getting an offer is, especially that could lead to an offer before the very last minute.

:question: Some people choose friends who are different from themselves. Others choose friends who are similar to themselves. Compare the advantages of having friends who are different from you with the advantages of having friends who are similar to you. Which kind of friends do you prefer for yourself? Why? :idea: In choosing friends, different people show different preferences. Some people prefer to choose friends who are different from themselves, while the others prefer to choose friends who are similar to themselves. Each of both preferences has its own advantages. From experience, I have learned about those advantages such as follows. Those who choose friends who are different from themselves state that one of the main reasons of making friends is to enrich their lives. They find that making friends with people who are different from themselves helps them enrich their lives. For example, by talking to or having discussions with their friends, they have good opportunities to gain new thoughts, ideas, opinions, etc. which they have never known or thought of before. By participating in activities with their friends, they have good opportunities to learn new lessons, experiences, or skills which they have never tried out or even heard of before. In brief, with friends who are different from themselves, they can share many opportunities from which they can gain many new and useful experiences, views, opinions, etc, and broaden their views and understanding. Those who choose friends who are similar to themselves are usually people who want to keep their lives simple and don’t expect any radical changes. By making friends with people who are similar to themselves, they can keep their lives simple because they don’t have to bother with many new or unfamiliar things which are often found to cause troubles. Subsequently, they can save much time and energy and they don’t have to change the way they are. For example, when their friends invite them to have a talk or have discussions, they can expect that the topics are about anything they are familiar with or fond of, rather than anything strange or weird which is often found to be unacceptable. When they join in their friends’ activities (such as cooking or sports), they can expect enjoyment, since they are familiar with the activities and know how to make the best use of the activities, rather than trying out something completely new which is often found to be confusing or annoying. As for me, I prefer to make friends with people who are different from myself, since I always look forward to new and useful experiences. From experience, I find that making friends with people who are different from me helps me enrich my life because from them, I can learn many new things which I can’t expect from people who are similar to me.

:question: :question: Some people prefer to eat at food stands or restaurants. Other people prefer to prepare and eat food at home. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. :idea: :idea: Nowadays, with all the facilities offered by modern life, people have many choices to eat. They can eat out or eat at home. Each choice has its own advantages. As for me, I prefer to prepare food and eat at home. In my opinion, eating at home offers more advantages than eating out. Firstly, eating out will cost very much if done very often because I not only pay for the food but also for the service. By often eating at home, I can save my money substantially and spare it for my other necessities that are more important. Secondly, cooking and preparing food myself give me pleasure and satisfaction. I feel a significant difference between eating food that is prepared by someone else and eating food that I prepare myself. It is the effort to prepare the food that makes the difference and gives the satisfaction. Sometimes, in the process of preparing the food, I get new experiences unexpectedly or learn new and interesting things. Thirdly, eating at home often serves as a good moment in which all family members gather and build intimacy between themselves. Since mealtime is usually routine, it is relatively easy to call together all the family members at mealtimes. While gathering, they can talk and discuss anything that interests them. In conclusion, I am of the opinion that eating at home with family offers more pleasures than eating out. It is more than just a daily routine activity because it also serves as an important family event which helps build intimacy and togetherness. :clover: :clover: