"Help!! I want to go to Notre Dame!"

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

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?

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

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?

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.

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

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.

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.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

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.

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.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

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.

[DolphinChicaDDD]

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.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by DolphinChicaDDD

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.

total hijack:

I'd like to read one of your great letters. Recommendations are really hard to do well, I think, especially about the all around good kid with no special adversity to overcome.

And it's kind of a funny area when you think about it. If they are used for anything other than kind of checking off that someone sent a positive one without any red flags, on some level, aren't schools rewarding or penalizing applicants based on the skills and time commitment of the folks writing their recommendations? Wouldn't that almost automatically disadvantage kids from big public schools with high teaching loads and further privileged kids from elite private schools?

I always try to do a good job and even try to sell the kid as much as possible. (I'd decline to write one before I'd write a bad one.) But high school recommendations to college are a funny thing.

Sort of on point: maybe she's using the website to further sell herself to Notre Dame for admission. Look how much I love the school; please let me in.

I don't have a big problem with the page. I agree that it's tacky to basically panhandle to strangers to fund your education, but if it works, great for her. If it proves to be trend based on a generational sense of entitlement, people will probably stop giving. Problem solved.

[texas*princess]

if these people actually get money from people through the internets, do they have to report it to the IRS ?

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I agree that it's tacky to basically panhandle to strangers to fund your education, but if it works, great for her. If it proves to be trend based on a generational sense of entitlement, people will probably stop giving. Problem solved.

I may have mentioned this before, but back in August, a young woman who's a sophomore at my undergrad sent me an e-mail. She basically gave me "i'm so qualified!" song and dance before asking me if I could help her with her educational expenses...to the tune of $30K. Since she got my e-mail through the alumni mentoring website, I called Alumni Relations at once to ask them what would happen if I chose to report this. Let's just say that the consequences were serious.

I think it's mini-generational. I'm not that much older than this girl, but there's no way in hell I'd e-mail a total stranger asking for $30K. These kids are part of the "MySpace" generation where it's totally okay to blast your personal information for the world to see.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

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.

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...

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

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 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.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

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'm with MysticCat - I'm more disturbed that she'd go to this length for Notre Dame than anything else. There's not even a greek system there!