AGREED.

Okay....... I'm off to set up www.helpaephialumpayhermortgage.com. :p

They're called "student loans" and "jobs". Many of us have used one or the other, if not both, to pay for tuition, room and board, books, GLO dues, etc. In the time she spent setting up that web site, she could have applied for financial aid or sent out some resumes.

TANSTAAFL. (There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.)

I hope Notre Dame rescinds her acceptance.

I have several close friends who attended Notre Dame and graduated almost ten years ago. They're still very much in debt, but all of them say they'll work their butts off until the last penny's paid off.

I really hope people don't take pity on her like they did with Karyn.

This thread is really, really weird to me - just way off-kilter, almost to the point of being petty.

The notion of this being "tacky" and that she should go into debt "like everyone else" is laughably silly - seriously, like debt is a right of passage into the 'hallowed' 2nd-tier halls of ND? Come on - if she can swing a load of cash from strangers, more power to her. If she can get wealthy alumni to want to share their experience with her via dollar signs, well, happy whoring.

We don't get pissed at kids who stump for money to go to camp - we're not like "have your parents take out a 2nd mortgage like everyone else!" She's not selling crappy Christmas wreathes, but so f-ing what?

She has the option of going into debt, or seeking alternative payment . . . such as being awkward on the Internet. It likely won't work, but what's the real opportunity cost of trying? It might besmirch her non-existent reputation? She might have to pay money to scrub archive.org before she applies for those high-finance jobs she likely won't get? The risk/reward balance is tilted way toward 'reward' here if there's even a 1% chance of defraying the cost of school.

Agreed; I really don't have a problem with this.

Not that I would donate and not that I think she has presented herself all that well, but in concept, I agree that I really don't have a problem with this.

Well . . . except for the fact that she's going through all of this to go to Notre Dame. Why, for the love of all that is holy, Notre Dame?

I am curious to find out what will she do if she makes it in and doesn't succeed.

Internet begging is not a healthy way to get money to pay 'much wanted' services.

Some people get fixated on a school from an early age. I had a friend who wanted to go to Ohio State, his whole life wanted to go to Ohio State. When it came time to apply for colleges, Ohio State was his only choice (even though he had other options). At the end of the day he went to Ohio State and was thrilled.

Notre Dame is a good school, so if she ends up there, she'll at least end up with a good degree out of her obsession.

Succeed in what way? Not do well for grades? End up hating the school?

At the end of the day she could frame it in such a way that she never would have gotten the chance to go, but for the site, and even if it was unsuccessful, at least she got the opportunity.

LOL. I know. Some of us just get fixated with dislike of certain schools from an early age. Notre Dame may be the only school I dislike more than Duke.

Haha, good point. I got a pretty big scholarship offer to Syracuse journalism school and almost went; I can't stand their basketball team, so I would have spent four years avoiding basketball games on campus.

I am less than impressed by her essays.
Her recommendation letters are standard form letters, its what I write kids when I don't have anything bad to say but don't have anything great about them either.

Ok...here is a very narrow POV that I am looking at ...so work with me a bit on this.

Hmm, ok so she is panhandling for all of this money from people (maybe she is filing scholarship applications and so forth) but for the sake of the argument let's say that the website is one of her primary vehicles that she is using to accrue money.

**wait as a sidebar, has she even been accepted yet??? She has already been accepted to University of Michigan!!!**

(Even more digression when I googled this, the GC thread came up first...or close to first but... YES...we are relevant ! WOOO HOOO link)

Where is the appreciation factor?

I mean, for me, if I have worked for it, took the time to beat the given paths to get XYZ to be able to achieve my intended goal, then I usually appreciate it more than if it was just given to me.

So, that is how I am looking at this.

If it's simply given, it doesn't mean as much.

Thus, I ask if something happens and she doesn't complete her education or hates the school, what will she gain from having anonymous people simply giving her money to send her to school.

Maybe she should give AIG a call...one hand could wash the other.

ETA: Something else that came to mind. Mark my words, because of the recession, I think we will see more 'panhandler sites' pop up with people who are in personal debt for stuff they didn't need or begging money rather that just go the long way around fill out forms to get said money. I wonder how long after that will it be before governments of the world will step in and start taxing that money.

If Karyn can make 20G's to simply pay off a debt that she didn't work for (money paid under the table essentially) who else will get the idea of getting tax free money simply by asking for it using the net?

Lastly, if she 'knew' she wanted to go to ND, why didn't she plan for this years ago? I know the question may be far fetched, but still...

I stand by my "it's tacky, lazy and spoiled" opinion. So nanner nanner boo.

I can see what you mean, but at the same time, if people aren't aware they're donating to a high schooler (with all the issues that it may involve), then it's their own fault. That should be part of the thought process for someone who is considering a donation.

As far as planning to go to ND, I'm not sure how much planning she could have done, outside of doing better research on the scholarship and grant process.

I wouldn't have gone about it in this way, and I think it's a little bizarre...but at the same time I don't have a problem with her doing it.

Just wanted to point out that Notre Dame is a GREAT school and is not considered 2nd tier. It's ranked #18 by USNWR currently, and though I do have issues with the way USNWR does its rankings, I don't think ND's placement is necessarily wrong. I did not attend ND obviously, but I have a couple of friends who did, and they are very bright.

ETA: I do think it's odd that I didn't see any note on her Web site saying that she has in fact been admitted to ND. Where's the proof? And I have to say that I think it's a very bad idea for this girl to post so much sensitive information (transcripts even?!) on the Internet. Also, the recommendation from the math teacher looks like it was just a list of things on the girl's resume. Her essay that's posted is also written the way I probably wrote in middle school. Two huge paragraphs does not equal an essay in my opinion. If this girl wants to study any kind of engineering, I think she's foolish not to go to Michigan, actually. It is one of THE engineering schools.