Feel rejected after getting rejected? Please hear my story

Pre-College Topics High School Life
61

<p>Smurf, that meant I was calling him selfish? Nope, it meant that he is being hypocritical.</p>

<p>The first thing that you have to learn about college is people have different opinions. You can agree or disagree with them, but not accepting a different side and telling people they shouldn’t be allowed to go to college is horribly dumb. You support the military and the freedoms they give us, yet you want to deny me from going college?</p>

<p>Arguing blindy is a waste of time, so please continue. As for me, I am done.</p>

62

<p>I’m done too since apparently I am intolerant of other people’s views. </p>

<p>So keep bashing the military all you want and I hope the OP does respond to your antimilitary posts. </p>

<p>Just remember this:
You stay up for 16 hours</p>

<p>He stays up for days on end.</p>

<hr>

<p>You take a warm shower to help you wake up.</p>

<p>He goes days or weeks without running water.</p>

<hr>

<p>You complain of a “headache”, and call in sick.</p>

<p>He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.</p>

<hr>

<p>You put on your anti war/don’t support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.</p>

<p>He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.</p>

<hr>

<p>You make sure you’re cell phone is in your pocket.</p>

<p>He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.</p>

<hr>

<p>You talk trash about your “buddies” that aren’t with you.</p>

<p>He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.</p>

<hr>

<p>You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.</p>

<p>He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.</p>

<hr>

<p>You complain about how hot it is.</p>

<p>He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.</p>

<hr>

<p>You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.</p>

<p>He doesn’t get to eat today.</p>

<hr>

<p>Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.</p>

<p>He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.</p>

<hr>

<p>You go to the mall and get your hair redone.</p>

<p>He doesn’t have time to brush his teeth today.</p>

<hr>

<p>You’re angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.</p>

<p>He’s told he will be held over an extra 2 months.</p>

<hr>

<p>You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.</p>

<p>He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.</p>

<hr>

<p>You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.</p>

<p>He holds his letter close and smells his love’s perfume.</p>

<hr>

<p>You roll your eyes as a baby cries.</p>

<p>He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they’ll ever meet</p>

<hr>

<p>You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.</p>

<p>He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.</p>

<hr>

<p>You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.</p>

<p>He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.</p>

<hr>

<p>You see only what the media wants you to see.</p>

<p>He sees the broken bodies lying around him.</p>

<hr>

<p>You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don’t.</p>

<p>He does exactly what he is told.</p>

<hr>

<p>You stay at home and watch TV.</p>

<p>He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.</p>

<hr>

<p>You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.</p>

<p>He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all night long.</p>

<hr>

<p>You sit there and judge him, saying the world is probably a worse place because of men like him.</p>

<p>If only there were more men like him</p>

<hr>

<p>You’re upset you didn’t get into your top choice school.
He will never have the chance to get into a top choice school.</p>

<p>If defending servicemembers from libelous posts makes me intolerant of other people’s views then so be it.</p>

63

<p>In any society the military deserves the majority of the respect. They are certainly overworked and underpaid. </p>

<p>It really is sad that the families of soldiers lost in iraq get next to nothing (compared to 9/11 victims) for losing their loved ones in the line of fire.</p>

64

<p>god bless you!
you are amazing + the world needs more people like you
: )</p>

65

<p>I don’t want to get into this mess between you and gstein, smurfgirl, but I believe what gstein was trying to say is that, unless the OP was drafted, he CHOSE to go into the military and likely had some indication of what was in store for him. This situation is MUCH, MUCH different compared to those that are forced to live in such conditions (like the Iraqis, the people that the military are trying to liberate). I don’t want to call either one of you wrong, but I just thought I’d help communicate gstein’s argument. I’m not sure if your last post was valid, and I’m not quite sure what you were trying to accomplish with it (I don’t think gstein is unaware of the pains and troubles that our men in service go through to protect us; his point was that they, for the most part, CHOOSE to go into these pains and troubles in order to protect us. I’m not 100% sure why he was making this point, but I think it was his believing that the OP is asking for sympathy).</p>

66

<p>And what I’m saying is that the OP doesn’t want people to be ungrateful for being rejected because there are so many people who would love to go to a college, whether it is Moo U or Oxford. I never got the impression that he wanted sympathy since I’ve talked to a lot of servicemembers who have told me the same thing: be thankful that you are in a good college (even though it’s not your first choice) because some of my buddies would’ve loved to be in your place right now.</p>

<p>The only person who thought he/she wanted sympathy was gstein and then turned around and started attacking his character (for being selfish).</p>

<p>I highly doubt the OP told his story for gstein and I to argue, but to learn from his experiences (Yes, Gstein, if you are out there, this is a truce). I’m sure he/she would also be ashamed of us arguing since whether or not he is trying to gain sympathy is besides the point. He just wants to share his experiences. We have no right to judge him based on the only post he has made.</p>

67

<p>Thank you for this post. I don’t think I’m a huge college-whore, but being on this board has made me more college-conscious. This post did help me put things into perspective a bit more, and I’m grateful to be where I am.</p>

<p>Wish you all the best.</p>

68

<p>Well now that everyone has stopped fighting…we can go back to what this post was orginally for. Thanks, OP, I’m glad you shared your story with us. I wish you the best of luck at UC and I’m glad you got the chance to go. And thank you so much for putting your life on the line for all of us.</p>

69

<p>^ agreed. Keep posting more stories that inspire not just high school kids, but college students as well.</p>

70

<p>It’s a beautiful thing to agree to disagree if it’s done respectfully. Politics and religion do stir up passion in us all. To debate intelligently one must not merely be an idealogue,however. Azure, you claim not to wish to come between Smurf and Gstein’s debate yet you make some pretty strong statements.
“I believe what gstein was trying to say is that, unless the OP was drafted, he CHOSE to go into the military” Yes, he made the choice and it was a BRAVE one and he is due all of our respect for doing so. What he doese not deserve is some smart-aleck, idealistic, and very ignorant kid making disparaging remarks on what I thought was a very well thought out post reminding us all to keep things in perspective and not to sweat the small stuff. In no way wa he asking anyone to pity him or to be in awe of him. Some of us were touched by his post and clearly it touched a nerve in some of you anti-war zealots.</p>

71

<p>“Yes, he made the choice and it was a BRAVE one and he is due all of our respect for doing so. What he doese not deserve is some smart-aleck, idealistic, and very ignorant kid making disparaging remarks on what I thought was a very well thought out post reminding us all to keep things in perspective and not to sweat the small stuff. In no way wa he asking anyone to pity him or to be in awe of him.”
And I agree! I’m not sure if you’re also referring to me with the above, but I was afraid that people would automatically associate me with gstein’s rude attitude toward the whole situation. I AGREE that the OP is one hell of a BRAVE and great man for joining the military and risking his life so that we can peacefully live our lives.</p>

72

<p>Please forgive me if this sounded like a sympathy post. By no means do I want undeserved sympathy when I have both arms intact, my head still attached, and my legs still under me. Thank you people for your heart-felt replies. Mohohu, I choose to ignore your statement, because it’s obvious that you did not read the post closely and did not get the true meaning in it. By all means, this is NOT a “I went to Iraq, so feel sorry for me” post. I know that the rejection letters are coming to a mailbox near you, so I would just like some of you to take a step back and appreciate what you have, like I have. </p>

<p>Every soldier out there, whether it’s Afghanistan or Iraq, just wants to do his or her small share for this great land called America. None of us there in Iraq want your sympathy, gstein. However, the fact that you consider me a pity-seeker is not what distresses me. What angers me is the fact that you insulted the records of every soldier who came back from Iraq with all their limbs attached. In some aspects, I agree with you. I implored my parents not to hang my Purple Heart on the wall, because I know the scars from the bullet-wound I received pales in comparison to what other vets are suffering. I know I haven’t been the bravest when under fire. I was no John Wayne, but I know that through some of my actions, at least the life of one person out there was saved.</p>

<p>“only killed one man.” In all honesty, isn’t killing one man enough? What do you think this is, some kind of game? You think the troops out there counted their kills? Think of what you’re saying here. In Iraq, it was encounter the enemy, take action, confirm the kill, and move on. We didn’t poke our hands into the wounds of their desecrated bodies to see which person’s bullet got the kill. Damnit, I wish that I only killed one person, but I know that isn’t likely. What I’m most proud of is that every time I fired on an Iraqi, I knew that he had an AK or RPG in his hand. I’m sorry that my tone seems angry, but I am truly sick of you. The ignorance that seeps through your words hurts me, and every other soldier over there still fighting to come back alive.</p>

73

<p>I really don’t appreciate a HIGH SCHOOL KID telling me, A COLLEGE STUDENT what to do. I am extremely tolerant of other people’s views to the point where I’ve reconsidered my own views. Not only was one particular post rude, but patronizing. </p>

<p>But one thing I won’t tolerate is people who demean our troops. I understand it’s their view, but I won’t allow attacks on our troops that was exhibited in some of these posts. That’s a really personal issue for me. </p>

<p>I understand that some of my posts were a little over the top, but it scares me that people with these views are actually going to college. I’ve seen those types of people on campus who have done some horrible stuff and tainted the university’s image. (For example, rioting, throwing red paint at a representative’s office, yelling F the troops, holding signs that say the military provides dead end jobs). </p>

<p>They are unappreciative of the freedoms they possess and one of those is the right to attend an instituition of higher education. Those types of people do not deserve to go to college.</p>

<p>As for me, I’ve been told I don’t deserve to be in college either. I am extremely thankful that I have the money to attend my university and I am forever indebted to my parents. I never skip a class (unless I’m violently ill), do all of my homework, all of my readings, I respect my professors, was mistaken for being a TA etc. If that makes me undeserving of being in college, then by all means, get me thrown out. I don’t party or get drunk since I know my parents will disapprove and I fear disappointing them. </p>

<p>To the OP: I wanted to say thank you again and please enlighten us with more of your stories. I have talked to other servicemembers and they always put my life into perspective every time I feel bitter or sad about something that is miniscule. Thank you for not being frightened by some of the other posters on this thread. They do not represent all college bound students and regular college students.</p>

74

<p>what a great post, brings light into my life as well. Thanks</p>

75

<p>And smurfgirl, that post you made, that list of things, it brought a tear down my face.</p>

76

<p>Thanks for your insight and sharing your voice and perspective. Your words and actions have clearly touched many and the knowledge that you have will move you forward to even greater things in life. Don’t lose your perspective… you are giving so much to the world…</p>

77

<p>Don’tgiveup</p>

<p>Don’t give me credit for the list since the chairman of my university’s College Republicans sent it out to all of us. It brought tears to my eyes too because I’ve learned so much from servicemembers like you. To be honest, I’m crying at the moment because of that and the hate PMs I’ve recieved from someone. </p>

<p>Some people need to take a hard look at their life and those who bravely joined to serve and open their eyes.</p>

78

<p>I can’t believe a post like the original managed to spawn such infantile bickering. The message was: be thankful for what you have because millions of people would kill to have what you do. It wasn’t an invitation to debate the pros and cons of the war in Iraq, and it wasn’t an invitation to bas the military etc etc. It was a from the heart post encouraging us to put things in perspective. Grow up.</p>

79

<p>^ the point I was trying to convince some people ad nauseum and they refused to believe me. I am so tired of having to repeat the moral of the OPs story. </p>

<p>And yes, those people need to grow up.</p>

80

<p>Thanks to the OP for sharing. I know your intent was to help us to keep things all in perspective, and I can see from the comments that you’ve really helped a lot of people to feel much better on what I’m sure isn’t their best week. I’m sure we all value your service to your country, and I wish you the absolute best of luck in college. :)</p>

<p>That being said, maybe I just lack a highly developed sense of schadenfreude, but somehow knowing that other people have it worse has never made me feel any better, and I do feel that despite what may be happening to others, I have a right to my own anger, disappointment, or frustration. And frankly, some of the comments on these threads (NOT those of the OP) scare the hell out of me. Almost nobody here has expressed antipathy toward servicemen, America, or the armed forces as a whole. Some of them have disagreed specifically with the first post - and in return, they have been met with completely unwarranted ad hominem attacks, defamation, and in one case something close to a death threat. I realize this is a sensitive subject, but that just strikes me as…I don’t know, totally and completely obnoxious? I’m only referring to a few people here, of course.</p>

<p>In conclusion: lolz, internetz. Because if college admissions are a petty thing to worry about, then how exactly should we classify arguments on Internet forums about college admissions? The first post was heartfelt and legit - and that doesn’t mean that some people can’t take issue with it without being the next Benedict Arnold. Chill, kids.</p>