"Pledged"

[33girl]

Caked On: The Secret Life of Alexandra Robbins' Makeup

Can we please merge this w/ one of the other Pledged threads or close it? Ugh.

[blueangel]

Most often, the publisher selects the book title, not the author. They do that for "marketing" reasons. Since the publisher is paying for the book, they want to make sure that it has a "catchy" title to sell the most copies.

[AlphaFrog]

Alright, then the publisher is sooo original. Whatever.

[blueangel]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

Alright, then the publisher is sooo original. Whatever.

I agree with you.. I think the title is pretty lame.

[tunatartare]

Originally Posted by blueangel

I agree with you.. I think the title is pretty lame.

I think the subject is pretty lame. When I was in 8th grade, I got home at like 8pm every night and then had to do homework. And you know what? I survived. I really could care less about some 13 year olds whining about how stressed they are. Wait until they get to the real world and have to work 12 hour days.

[LouisaMay]

I know! I was in so many lessons, activities, etc. I loved it! I made friends; I gained wonderful experiences. And I got good grades, too. If grades suffer, the activities should go, but if the child is happy, fulfilled, and academically strong, then they should keep on keepin' on.

I have seen kids and parents that were definitely over the edge though. Balance, balance, balance...

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by KLPDaisy

I think the subject is pretty lame. When I was in 8th grade, I got home at like 8pm every night and then had to do homework. And you know what? I survived.

I did, too.

But I have to say that what I see with many kids today really has gotten out of hand. If you were like me, you were doing those things that kept you out until 8 because you wanted to -- they were fun and you enjoyed them. I doubt that at 13 you were thinking about how it would look on a college application, except for the general belief that it was a good thing to be involved and have varied interests.

But I have actually heard school counselors talk about being asked by parents: "We want little Billy to be able to go to [you fill in the college], and first grade isn't too early to start building his resume. Which after-school classes should we enroll him in to give him the best shot." (I've actually heard one first-tier college counseler say that she was asked by parents which preschool they should enroll their daughter in so that she would have the best chance of getting in that college.)

Sounds insane, I know, but it's more widespread than you would believe. And it puts a very different spin on the fun activities we used to be involved in after school. I would have been stressed too if my parents were grooming me for the "right college" that early in life.

As LouisaMay says, balance. And the if the kid is doing the activities because he or she wants to, great. But if mom and dad are pushing them not because they are fun or because they are good for the kid's overall development, but because they're focusing solely on college and career (or simply to make sure that the kid's hours are filled -- activities as babysitters), the pressure the parents are exerting is going to pulverize the kid.

[kddani]

Originally Posted by MysticCat81

I did, too.

But I have to say that what I see with many kids today really has gotten out of hand. If you were like me, you were doing those things that kept you out until 8 because you wanted to -- they were fun and you enjoyed them. I doubt that at 13 you were thinking about how it would look on a college application, except for the general belief that it was a good thing to be involved and have varied interests.

But I have actually heard school counselors talk about being asked by parents: "We want little Billy to be able to go to [you fill in the college], and first grade isn't too early to start building his resume. Which after-school classes should we enroll him in to give him the best shot." (I've actually heard one first-tier college counseler say that she was asked by parents which preschool they should enroll their daughter in so that she would have the best chance of getting in that college.)

Sounds insane, I know, but it's more widespread than you would believe. And it puts a very different spin on the fun activities we used to be involved in after school. I would have been stressed too if my parents were grooming me for the "right college" that early in life.

As LouisaMay says, balance. And the if the kid is doing the activities because he or she wants to, great. But if mom and dad are pushing them not because they are fun or because they are good for the kid's overall development, but because they're focusing solely on college and career (or simply to make sure that the kid's hours are filled -- activities as babysitters), the pressure the parents are exerting is going to pulverize the kid.

Admissions by Nancy Lieberman is a good take on this insanity. It's about private school admissions in NYC. It is fiction, but it's a pretty funny take on the extreme measures parents can take.

[tunatartare]

When I was in prep school, our kindergarten had an orientation for new parents. The yearbook advisor went to it and was telling us at a meeting how all that the parents asked about was "what are your rates of placement at Ivy Leagues?," "is it true that there's drug use in HS?," etc. No questions about the actual kindergarten.

[tunatartare]

Originally Posted by kddani

Admissions by Nancy Lieberman is a good take on this insanity. It's about private school admissions in NYC. It is fiction, but it's a pretty funny take on the extreme measures parents can take.

If you want to hear any private school admissions craziness in NYC, just ask me. I went to two private schools and have seen and heard it all.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by kddani

Admissions by Nancy Lieberman is a good take on this insanity.

Thanks. I'd be more likely to read that than Ms. Robbins' Stressed.

[alum]

If you want to take the pulse of the school-obsessed crowd, once again I refer you to http://talk.collegeconfidential.com. There are many threads focusing on the highly competitive prep and independent school admissions as well, of course, on the top-ranked LACs and research universities.

[BadSquirrelBeta]

Originally Posted by KLPDaisy

Yes. It was in the Children's section. She follows around a bunch of middle and high school students who are on sports teams or clubs and have to balance that with their school work. Fascinating.

Oh God...does she profess she is young and cool enough to look like an awkward 8th grader and is accepted by them no questions asked as the BFF of the cheerleading team? Sounds absolutely like something that is a **MUST** read for my next book club.

[adpiucf]

Originally Posted by KLPDaisy

If you want to hear any private school admissions craziness in NYC, just ask me. I went to two private schools and have seen and heard it all.

Is it true they make you wear Ugg boots with jeans at the winter forml?

[blueangel]

I wore them last year to my company's formal Christmas Ball. Here I am modeling them