What do you think of the book from college admission perspective? What were her advantages and disadvantages as an Ivy applicant?
I have no meaningful comments to offer on her admissions process, but I did love how she found a wonderful mentor at Princeton while a student worker in their Third World Center. Her stories from her time as an undergrad are an honest look at the challenges that many face in their college adjustment amplified by the challenge of finding her way as a minority student. Love her strength and honesty!
Hardworking black student with high grades from an urban magnet school? It was much easier to get into Princeton when she applied, but I think she’d get in Princeton today too.
Her comments about how it was for an urban, working class girl to show up at Princeton are still true today for working class kids at elite institutions, I bet. She didn’t know what she didn’t know.
She had many serious disadvantages but at the same time many advantages which most minority students don’t get. Her middle class stable family, dedicated parents, supportive extended family and community, Harvard graduate aunt, Princeton student brother, gifted classes, piano lessons, small magnet school, French lessons, Paris trip, AP classes, recommmendation letter from long time neighbor/principal/family friend and Rev Jessie Jackson, exposure to politics and things like that are not readily available to all African American applicants. I think, she would get in even now.
I’m sure it’s still difficult being a minority on Princeton campus but in her times, it must be tougher. I doubt there are any parents who would ask to change rooms at Harvard if Malia Obama is their daughter’s room mate or even a poor AA girl for that matter. At least, I hope college campuses are more accepting places now.
My favorite comment from her tour went something like this - it’s my most memorable moment from that night:
“It wasn’t Princeton who made me who I am, it’s who I was that prior to Princeton that got me there (Princeton) and that same person made me who I am today”.
In short, meaning the influence of her parents and other mentors growing up. And the values of hard work she learned as a kid, pushed her to not buy the counselors words that she’d never get in.
Indeed it’s always the student, never the college but totally denying Ivy privilege may sound great and inspirational , it’s still not completely accurate.
Idk why rude unprofessional guidance counselor saying she isn’t Princeton material was hi lighted as a shocker, as sad as it was, every day lots of amazing students hear this from their guidance counselors.
My daughters friend was told by our GC about HYS “ you have 90. percent chance of getting in. I say this to no one else.” She was hesitant because kids at our school almost exclusively White or Hispanic have not had much luck st those schools.
She was African American, full pay, Nation Merit, 35 ACT, very good though not extraordinary EC’s ( President of debate, state top 10 finisher in business club competition . And top 5 percent of class.
She indeed got in to Yale and Stanford the two she applied to.
“I doubt there are any parents who would ask to change rooms at Harvard if Malia Obama is their daughter’s room mate or even a poor AA girl for that matter.”
Agreed. Sasha Obama is thought ( based on her private Instagram) to be going to UMich next year and also that she is planning on living in an LLC. The kids in that LLC who will,live there again next year are hoping that it’s true!
This comment has nothing to do with Michelle Obama, but relates to guidance counselor’s telling kids they do or do not have a chance at a particular school. First of all, I see a lot of kids (and especially their parents) who are completely out of touch with how many smart kids there are and expecting that “full rides” just rain from heaven for everyone who is above average. So, guidance counselors have an obligation to help with this. But perhaps the way to do it more effectively is to point the student to a college’s average test scores and GPA.
Our friend’s HS counselor told him to aim lower. His parents told him not to listen and apply widely (15 schools), including USoCal. He listened to his parents and got into nearly every school he applied to with generous merit and FAid. He attended USC and was premed. He got into his 1st choice of med school and is now a pediatrician. He is a very nice white male, nearly blind in one eye.
Sasha Obama is going to college next year? OMG, I’m so old.
Do kids of former presidents get the same security as kids of current presidents? When Chelsea Clinton was at Stanford, Secret Service agents set up in a dorm room in her dorm.
“Do kids of former presidents get the same security as kids of current presidents? When Chelsea Clinton was at Stanford, Secret Service agents set up in a dorm room in her dorm.”
According to kids who were there, there were secret service agents were there with Sasha, but that is just rumours. Under federal law, children over 16 don’t get automatic secret service protection, but exceptions have and can be made especially if there are threats to the the family.
The dorm that Sasha is thought to be interested in, and LLC, has several adults living in it because that is the nature of the program with many classes right in the dorm.
If it weren’t for affirmative action, probably she would’ve ended up living a totally different life and we would’ve missed out on an interesting First Lady.
Her book’s editor Molly Stern deserves a hand of applause as well. It’s a very well written story.
I doubt Sasha would end up at any state school, even as good as U Mich but you never know, as kids change minds at eleventh hour and RD results aren’t even out yet, probably too early to say for sure. I think Malia also showed interest in UCLA?
May be she is really interested or may be they want to avoid controversy currently surrounding legacy and affirmative action. As former first daughter, she can attend any elite college she wants and will never have shortage of opportunities, even if she attends community college.
Jenna Bush went to the University of Texas, so first daughters do end up at state schools. IIRC, the twins were applying during the campaign, and they entered college the September before the 2000 election, but still.
Jenna Bush was born, raised and schooled in Texas so her decision made sense. Her family has strong ties in Texas, many attended UT. Her mom attended SMU. Her grandparents and parents came back to Texas after finishing their terms in DC and retired here. She got married here. Her grandparents are buried here. Her father was governor of Texas for all of her school years.
She was also a mediocre student, didn’t feel ambitious and only applied to state schools. Her sister was ambitious, she applied to all Ivies and picked Yale after being accepted at all of those schools(no applicant no matter how smart gets accepted to all Ivies unless they are underprivileged or absolutely over privileged). Their dad was sent to Yale and struggled academically so may be she had reservation about being able to survive there. Carter’s daughter was had to leave Brown.
In Sasha’s case, there is no affiliation or ties with Michigan. She was born and raised in Chicago then DC. She did apply SCEA to Yale. I guess we’ll know in two weeks.
Sasha’s Instagram post was a picture with two “ Sidwell Sisters’ (friends from her HS) in front of UMich Big House and was captioned “So proud to say I’m going to college with my sisters!!”
But kids do change their minds so you never know.
After a bunch of doorstops that I didn’t enjoy much, my book club took a break last month with Becoming.
I liked how Obama related how she felt living through various experiences and then how she reflects back on them. When she was a little girl, her school and neighborhood were just her life, as with any of us, but now she looks back and sees how she was living through white flight and consequent municipal neglect. When she was a little girl, she was glad her mother insisted on lifting her from the classroom with the incompetent teacher who lost control of the students, but as an adult she thinks about the kids who had to remain in the worthless no-teaching classroom and wonders whether the poor teacher was shunted off and ignored at the working class school instead of a school with middle class white students.
What a surprise that Michelle is the organized detail person and Barack is the slob.
A political spouse lives a crummy life. She got through it with hard work and gusto, but it sounds pretty awful in a lot of ways.