To (All) the Colleges That Rejected Me

[LXA SE285]

Or, How I Learned to Let My Special-Snowflake Flag Fly:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...064578654.html

[Psi U MC Vito]

Hmm. If this is serious, wow what a self-entitled so and so. If it is satirical like i hope, it's actually not bad.

[adpiucf]

Pretty sure this entirely tongue in cheek, as per the last paragraph:

To those claiming that I am bitter—you bet I am! An underachieving selfish teenager making excuses for her own failures? That too! To those of you disgusted by this, shocked that I take for granted the wonderful gifts I have been afforded, I say shhhh—"The Real Housewives" is on.

[LXA SE285]

My take is that it's haterade with plausible deniability tacked on at the end.

[Kelsium]

I'm so glad i'll never have to apply for colleges again. sheesh.

[adpiucf]

It's not your fault if you didn't get into college. It's your parents' fault for not pushing you hard enough into tons of activities and fake charities or not abusing/abandoning you enough to give you fodder for a great personal statement. Or it's your parents' fault for not finding someone with under represented minority DNA and struggling to make ends meet so that their paycheck could fund your Olympic dreams. Everyone knows that.

[AlphaFrog]

College selection is like recruitment... Not everyone is top tier material, as un-PC as it is. It's not the sorority's fault that the PNM is totally unremarkable. Also, college isn't for everyone - someone that mediocre is probably destined for a life of retail, with or without the degree to prove they can sit still for four years.

/Preaching to the choir

[sigmadiva]

Its always a good idea for hs seniors to apply to their dream schools, like the Ivy Leagues, and safe schools, like state schools.

[Gamma Xi Phi]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

College selection is like recruitment... Not everyone is top tier material, as un-PC as it is. It's not the sorority's fault that the PNM is totally unremarkable. Also, college isn't for everyone - someone that mediocre is probably destined for a life of retail, with or without the degree to prove they can sit still for four years.

/Preaching to the choir

I agree.

Admissions is also very much like casting for The Real World (the better years, not the current years). Many top tier colleges want the most diverse pool possible. Here's a few things I've learned:

• A compelling story (achieving against the odds) is always more favorable than simply having great test scores and grades
• Students are often competing against one another from the same state, not from a massive pool of 20,000+ applicants.
• Under-represented states are less competitive. (At schools which boast a freshman class representing all 50 states)
• Legacy only matters if mommy/daddy are donors
• The interview always matters. Alumni interviewers are really only looking at *fit*

I am only speaking of private, top-tier schools.

[NinjaPoodle]

^^Agreed.

To those claiming that I am bitter—you bet I am! An underachieving selfish teenager making excuses for her own failures? That too! To those of you disgusted by this, shocked that I take for granted the wonderful gifts I have been afforded, I say shhhh—"The Real Housewives" is on.

Yes dear and I'll see your lazy ass pumping my gas at the local gas station after your graduation, if you graduate.

[IUHoosiergirl88]

I personally thought it was rather entertaining. If her writing as a HSer is in the WSJ, I think she'll do just fine. There is more to live than the Ivy League, but when all your friends are doing it, it certainly doesn't seem like it

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by IUHoosiergirl88

I personally thought it was rather entertaining. If her writing as a HSer is in the WSJ, I think she'll do just fine. There is more to live than the Ivy League, but when all your friends are doing it, it certainly doesn't seem like it

Her sister is the features editor for the WSJ. I'm sure that didn't hurt her effort to be published.

[tea&krumpets]

While I agree that her piece was definitely satirical, there is a valid point in there - colleges today, especially the top tier ones, receive A TON of applications, and after filtering by GPA and test scores, the applicants that are left are often pretty equally qualified, and what distinguishes the exceptional ones are tons of extracurriculars, leadership positions, jobs, volunteer work, all occurring concurrently. I don't think the writer seems lazy; I think she's (satirically) pointing out the fact that many colleges expect high school students to be able to do and have time for everything, when that is not at all realistic.

[33girl]

As anyone in the Burgh can tell you, don't cry too hard for this one. I'm sure she'll be fine. TA is pretty much at the top of the heap as far as Pgh City Schools are concerned.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by IUHoosiergirl88

There is more to live than the Ivy League, but when all your friends are doing it, it certainly doesn't seem like it

Is there, really? ;-)