<p>Apparently, we’re a good fallback for Penn kids who want an academic school in an urban environment. Ummmmmmm… I think a typical Penn kid wouldn’t want to be caught dead here and vice versa.</p>
<p>I also love how this article quotes Michele Hernandez, who is a purported expert on all things admissions-wise, and even had the audacity to tell me that I would have been much better off at the Hard Knocks High School I would have gone to had I not gone to Elite, Nationally-Recognized High School. Why? Say nothing of academics, funding, or my own happiness-- I wouldn’t have a prayer of a chance of getting into an Ivy from the elite high school, whereas those suckers at Hard Knocks don’t even know what the Ivy League is.</p>
<p>Yes, Michele Hernandez, I should let my own happiness take a back seat to getting into one of these schools… what the hell???</p>
<p>I like to think that if you’re smart and if you want to go to Chicago, you can get in. I really dislike the whole college admissions hoopla, and the fact that there are so, so many smart kids that all apply to the same schools and that so many get denied is disheartening for the kids and empowering for the schools’ public relations offices. Columbia might have X thousand applicants, and I’d be willing to say that at least half of them are of Columbia quality, but of course, Columbia can only take 9 or 10 percent of their pool. College admissions is not “selective,” it’s “unpredictable,” and I can give you so many instances of “This school took SALLY and not JOE?!?!?!” that it’s all rather ridiculous. No admissions officer has a good answer for why some kids get in and others do not, as the decisions are by nature irrational.</p>
<p>I’m happy that Chicago isn’t denying kids arbitrarily… as much.</p>