What is the difference between the image of ACS and the reality?
The American College of Sofia is a school that has a reputation of a prison. One of the rumors is that people here are very rich and most of them are accepted because of their connections and money, but the reality is different. Most of the students that study in ACS are ones of the smartest in Bulgaria. Many students have average grades above 5, 50 which shows the quality of the students and the school. The majority of people that graduate our school later on study in elite universities, which determine their skills, and refute the rumor that in ACS kids go only because their parents are wealthy.
Children that study in other schools believe that in ACS anybody can easily be expelled. There are many facts that refute such statement. The first argument is that in other schools if you skip 10 classes or more you get automatically expelled, but in our school the system is different. After each skip you can be suspended if the dean decides so, but otherwise the limit of the absences is fifty-six. This number equals 7 full study days in any regular Bulgarian school. According to this it is harder to be expelled in ACS than in a regular school. Another fact is that for every larger brake of the rules we go to probation that expires after the end of a semester, except the honesty probation, while in other schools you receive a punishment. If you have one punishment for unexcused absences and one for discipline you can easily be expelled, while in ACS you will have two probations that are over after few months.
The third most popular rumor about ACS is that nobody can cheat there. Probably the teachers are on the same opinion, but the reality created by the students is different. There are so many ways for cheating that are developed by students in our schools that teachers can not even imagine. The American College in Sofia has the reputation of one of the best prisons in Bulgaria, but the reality is different because its quality and the knowledge of the students are deteriorating through the years, which seems sad, but true.
Photo of me
This is the place where I have to write something about me. I am seventeen and I am born in Sofia. I still live in this city and study at the American College of Sofia. Since I haven't decided what more to write I will just tell you that I got to take a look at my whole profile if you want to know more about me. In this profile you can take a look at my writings that I have uploaded during the school year. Also I will post some personal information about me, but I suppose that I will do that later in the future.This is all about me for now. :)
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ReplyDeleteDear Stefan,
ReplyDeleteThis is one great essay. It shows ACS in its real light, not just what was created by rumors of people who didn’t get in. There are a few things I would like to say about your writing. It would be good if you had developed a separate thesis that mentions solely the key points. The last paragraph has two functions for me – to extend the topic of cheating, but also it serves as a conclusion. In my opinion the conclusion could be separated in its own paragraph, thus giving you more “space” to develop the cheating one further. Apart from these remarks, the writing is great. Throughout the whole piece you give examples that support your arguments. Also, you compare ACS with other schools to prove that most of the rumors are incorrect. Personally, the part about cheating was my favorite. It is true that teachers have some feign idea about what students are capable of, but I think that they are far from knowing the real potential that some have witnessed.