To (All) the Colleges That Rejected Me

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To (All) the Colleges That Rejected Me

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Like me, millions of high-school seniors with sour grapes are asking themselves this week how they failed to get into the colleges of their dreams. It's simple: For years, they—we—were lied to.

Colleges tell you, "Just be yourself." That is great advice, as long as yourself has nine extracurriculars, six leadership positions, three varsity sports, killer SAT scores and two moms. Then by all means, be yourself! If you work at a local pizza shop and are the slowest person on the cross-country team, consider taking your business elsewhere.

What could I have done differently over the past years?

For starters, had I known two years ago what I know now, I would have gladly worn a headdress to school. Show me to any closet, and I would've happily come out of it. "Diversity!" I offer about as much diversity as a saltine cracker. If it were up to me, I would've been any of the diversities: Navajo, Pacific Islander, anything. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, I salute you and your 1/32 Cherokee heritage.

I also probably should have started a fake charity. Providing veterinary services for homeless people's pets. Collecting donations for the underprivileged chimpanzees of the Congo. Raising awareness for Chapped-Lips-in-the-Winter Syndrome. Fun-runs, dance-a-thons, bake sales—as long as you're using someone else's misfortunes to try to propel yourself into the Ivy League, you're golden.

Having a tiger mom helps, too. As the youngest of four daughters, I noticed long ago that my parents gave up on parenting me. It has been great in certain ways: Instead of "Be home by 11," it's "Don't wake us up when you come through the door, we're trying to sleep." But my parents also left me with a dearth of hobbies that make admissions committees salivate. I've never sat down at a piano, never plucked a violin. Karate lasted about a week and the swim team didn't last past the first lap. Why couldn't Amy Chua have adopted me as one of her cubs?

Then there was summer camp. I should've done what I knew was best—go to Africa, scoop up some suffering child, take a few pictures, and write my essays about how spending that afternoon with Kinto changed my life. Because everyone knows that if you don't have anything difficult going on in your own life, you should just hop on a plane so you're able to talk about what other people have to deal with.

Or at least hop to an internship. Get a precocious-sounding title to put on your resume. "Assistant Director of Mail Services." "Chairwoman of Coffee Logistics." I could have been a gopher in the office of someone I was related to. Work experience!

To those kids who by age 14 got their doctorate, cured a disease, or discovered a guilt-free brownie recipe: My parents make me watch your "60 Minutes" segments, and they've clipped your newspaper articles for me to read before bed. You make us mere mortals look bad. (Also, I am desperately jealous and willing to pay a lot to learn your secrets.)

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.

Ms. Weiss is a senior at Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh.
 
LOL, it all boils down to the ACT/SAT scores. I noticed that when my kid went through the process. I'm still learning how the US education works.
 
FASFA is what annoyed me. Just because my parents make a lot of money doesn't mean they are giving it to me. It wasn't until graduate school that I was able to afford a full meal plan.
 
That's how out of touch today's youth are. Their parents have brainwashed them so thoroughly they think people actually care about their karate and swim team. Now they think if they don't get enough of those participant ribbons people even care about that.

To be honest I don't ever recall a hobbies section in any of my applications. I do remember a section for GPA, and my ACT, then GMAT score though.
 
State school - first to apply with the minimum grade requirement gets in.

Higher education is a joke in this country, though. On so many levels.
 
I never graduated high school because of bull [censored] like this.

Spend 4 years in Community College , got 3 associate degrees , few auto and electrical certificate and now i am ready to trasnfer.

have as many rejection as acceptence because i applied everywhere, dream school is thing of past unless your rich and have 4.5+ GPA.

In 2 years i will be offier in air force , have bachlores in enegineering , have 3 associate. and paid zero dollars on top of all that.
 
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Originally Posted By: Voltmaster
I never graduated high school because of bull [censored] like this.

In 2 years i will be offier in air force , have bachlores in enegineering , have 3 associate. and paid zero dollars on top of all that.


A Kernal,luautenant or a Capitan?
I always wanted to be a Magor
 
I don't see how this is much different than twenty years ago when I was applying. The decisions are arbitrary once the school is selecting less than 1 in 8 or 9 or 10....
 
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
And her point was?


I don't know but the schools have responded

To all the students I've loved before

Who traveled in and out my door

I'm glad they came along

I dedicate this song

To all the students I've loved before
To all the students I once caressed

And may I say I've held the best

For helping me to grow

I owe a lot I know

To all the students I've loved before
The winds of change are always blowing

And every time I try to stay

The winds of change continue blowing

And they just carry me away
To all the students who shared my life

Who now are in someone else's life

I'm glad they came along

I dedicate this song

To all the students I've loved before
To all the students who cared for me

Who filled my nights with ecstasy

They live within my heart I'll always be a part

Of all the students I've loved before
The winds of change are always blowing

And every time I try to stay

The winds of change continue blowing

And they just carry me away
 
PandaBear, tide has changed there are more opportunities in Skill trades as traditional university education has mass produced information rich, non-specialized debt ridden graduates.

Local private/community technical institute is where I be looking!
 
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
LOL, it all boils down to the ACT/SAT scores. I noticed that when my kid went through the process. I'm still learning how the US education works.


Nope, these tests are so watered down for "fairness" that everyone that isn't near perfect is not considered.

As someone who lives in the "tiger mom capital" of USA, I can say that what she mentioned is real. You have to prep since kindergarten if you want to get in. There are "prep" institute out there that lead you the way with retired Ivy league recruiters on board ($$$), and of course having a dad in the old boy club connection and lots of "charity donation" helps you get pass all the [censored] that us mortal has to go through.

I'm sure she's half joking about the extracurricular activities. I remember reading an article (as homework assignment in college writing class) 10+ years ago about all the obsolete thinking about musical instrument is no longer useful because everyone is doing it. Now it is about consistency of charity work and community services. Just 1 or 2 trips to Africa with photos doesn't help anymore. I once carpool with a guy who spend 1 to 2 years teaching in the Amazon Jungle, and he go in with just very average grade. If I remember right they reserve certain percentage of admission budget for different groups of students, from "Genius" to "Charity Queens" to "Old Money". Jack of all trade master of none needs not apply.
 
Originally Posted By: Voltmaster
I never graduated high school because of bull [censored] like this.

In 2 years i will be offier in air force , have bachlores in enegineering , have 3 associate. and paid zero dollars on top of all that.


Not unless the USAF has seriously reduced their minimum writing proficiency standards.
 
Originally Posted By: clarkflower
Originally Posted By: Voltmaster
I never graduated high school because of bull [censored] like this.

In 2 years i will be offier in air force , have bachlores in enegineering , have 3 associate. and paid zero dollars on top of all that.


A Kernal,luautenant or a Capitan?
I always wanted to be a Magor

*snicker*
 
Originally Posted By: Gabe
FASFA is what annoyed me. Just because my parents make a lot of money doesn't mean they are giving it to me.
Exactly....never understood that. I'm in about the same boat.....and my younger siblings are heading that route too. I guess they believe the whole "allowance" gagreel? We never got "allowance" for doing chores we were expected to do......or clean up messes we made ourselves.......
 
She would be better off at a school that values education over the type of drivel she complains of.
 
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Sounds like a spoiled brat trying to be witty.

Who said life was fair ?



This!

When I came to US to study for the first time, I came for the opportunity it would open up for my future. My dad earned in Rupees and paid out of state tuition to put me through school. I never took less than 18 credit hours a semester and always maxed out the allowed part time work quota.

Nothing in life is given for free. You have to outwork others to show that you have earned it. Sounds like she just doesnt want to work hard enough ........ sorry to say, thats the problem with the kids of today.
 
To be fair to the writer. I think there are a few points she made that are valid:

1) Academic is not enough, extracurricular activities that you've never heard of is important. These activities are not available to even try out for many students, especially those not from the wealthy families.

2) There are lots of fraud / skirting around in applications like fake charities, PR activities, etc, exactly what politicians do to get elected.

3) Marking beyond telling a spade a spade is required to get into these schools. This brings adult level pencil pushing and slickness to children that should be doing what they do in school.

4) A lot of these are not taught in school because they are "tricks" pass down from wealthy parents with these "skills" to their kids.
 
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I disagree PandaBear. It does not take fraudulent applications, obscure extracurricular activities, slickness or tricks to get into a good school.

It requires exceptional performance.

Unfortunately, every kid gets a trophy now, no matter how well they do, so they all think they're exceptional...when, by definition, only 1 kid in 100 is exceptional...

I'll give you an example of an exceptional high school student:
- National Merit finalist (by definition, 99.5 percentile)
- Great SAT and ACT scores (99th percentile in all)
- All AP classes, including Physics, Bio and Chemistry.
- Straight A average
- Valedictorian
- 1st chair flute in the Youth Orchestra
- Saxophone player in the H.S. Jazz band, Flute player in the H.S. band
- Varsity Field Hockey player
- Volunteer firefighter.

To do all that, to finish a full day of classes (no study periods because of band practice and science labs), go to Field Hockey practice, jazz band practice (or whatever was on for that day) grab dinner, go to firefighting practice (or call), and then do her homework, she would start on homework at 10:00 PM and work until it was done, often at 02:00 AM and then get up for the school bus the next morning and start the grind over again. Sleep was made up on Saturday morning, then homework on Saturday afternoon, homework on Sunday morning, Orchestra Practice on Sunday, Homework on Sunday night. She worked harder than anyone else in her class. She has talent, sure, and is very smart, but don't discount the work, the real thing that made her exceptional.

She is currently a sophomore at Yale.

No tricks, no fraud, no slickness (the interviewers see right through that) and no weird extracurricular activities. Just genuine drive to achieve excellence, rewarded with admission to schools like MIT and Yale.
 
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