Eli Whitney 2010 Applicants

nippon
Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:52:54 +0000

I suppose its probably too late to ask if any other lurkers out there were accepted to the program, and I cant imagine that any of those lurkers would have a reason to post here now that the whole process is finished; however, the EWSP, in its entirety, is so incredibly mysterious that I cant stop thinking about it. I really hate to throw the word out there because of its negative connotation, but “obsessed” really seems to describe many of the posters on this board, including myself. I have to say that I definitely wouldnt object to a little more transparency, but perhaps transparency would detract from the program`s mystique.

As for me, I think I might go down in EW history as the unluckiest applicant ever: interviewed twice and rejected as many times. Naturally, I will move on and be well. There are many other things I can obsess over (iphone 4g). Its just that, well, as much as I want to get up, brush-off my shoulders, and move on to the next big challenge, I have come to realize that, despite my best efforts, I failed; Henry Longfellows conception of perserverance, as the lucky hotdog vendor turned Yalie so elequently quoted in his consolatory response to the manic depressants admission of failure, is no more valid than Henny Pennys conception of cosmology.

For future applicants:

The ambiguity of the admissions process in light of the whole Hashmi/Taliban controversy and subsequent restructuring of EWSP makes it impossible to know exactly what the adcom wants, so dont bother trying to guess. Figure out how you benefit from going to Yale (easy). Figure out how Yale benefits from admitting you (not so easy). Figure out why Yale is the right place for you (as opposed to, say, Penn). If you are at a school already, figure out why that school cannot meet your needs. Once you figure all those things out, everything else is easy–everything, that is, except gaining admittance. Consequently, the most important thing you should figure out is where else you can attend, because with a 4% admittance rate that drowns in ambiguity your chances of matriculation simply arent promising.

TJ, congratulations. Ive never had a hotdog in Conneticut, but I imagine they suck. You should bring your own stock. The pizza over there, however, is delicious. You probably shouldnt pack any of your own.