My husband went to Harvard, its a great school, it could be the perfect fit for Malia. Everyone knows its a great school with a lot of name recognition (putting it mildly). I congratulate her on her accomplishment and wish her a wonderful 4 years at Harvard.
However, she and more so her parents are very much in the public eye and I don’t think voicing my opinion on a quote from the FL regarding her daughters’ college searches is harassment I also agree with @choirsandstages that Malia is in a very unique situation. Mrs. Obama’s advice to the average student is excellent, my problem is quote implies Malia’s college search or experience is the same as 99.9% of high school seniors. I admire the First Family for trying to give their daughters as much of a “normal” life as possible and I think Michele’s advice might fall in line with that, but they are exceptional and I am sure Malia’s list of applications would never be recommended to anyone on CC as well balanced with matches, safeties and reaches. Her reality is different. I would be curious to know if she applied to any not top schools (probably none of my business). I do not mean my speculation to be at all be disrespectful or minimize Malia’s accomplishments.
I think part of it is that the Obamas are in a position of speaking to every kid in the country. When they announce “Don’t stress, there are a lot of good colleges” they are very aware that this message is going out to all kids. I for one am grateful for that message. I’m puzzled she chose Harvard only because it isn’t known for its film program (does it even have one???), but everything she learns there will certainly inform her in that career should she choose to pursue that. We forget Malia is a kid. Kids change their minds all the time. It could be that she changed her mind about filmmaking after her experience being on set on Girls or whatever she did. I wonder if she has something awesome lined up for gap year, or maybe, they will use it to rest, relax, decompress, and find their new normal as a family. 8 years in the White House is no small feat. I thought it was super awesome they are hanging around so Sacha doesn’t have to change schools, and so cute that they want to stay near their carrots. I find them to be the most inspiring first family ever.
@redpoodles, Harvard has major connections in Hollywood and NYC - plenty directors, producers, writers, financiers and investors are Harvard grads.
And I agree about them being an inspiring first family. Honestly, when the President said 'Obama Out" and dropped the mike at last night’s correspondents dinner… I got a lump in my throat.
I really couldn’t care less which school Malia Obama chose; I’m sure she will do well wherever she goes. What I am pleased about is the fact that she’s taking a gap year and I hope that her having done so will open the minds of other students and their parents to this idea. It’s so obvious from posts on this site as well as observations of kids I know in real life that no matter how bright they may be, many, many 17-18 year olds simply aren’t ready for college straight out of high school. So many kids are floundering, wasting opportunities as well as their parents hard-earned money simply because they just don’t know what they want to do with their lives, which is entirely reasonable at their age. Others may simply lack maturity and would benefit from some real world/non-university exposure for a year or two or five.
The most tragic situation is when these kids have incurred student loan debt without even earning a degree. I hope and pray that more families consider following Malia’s example and take some time before diving into college. I think it really will benefit many kids with very little (if any) downside.
@katiamom, I’m speaking from a training standpoint. Filmmaking vs. film studies. They do have a small filmmaking concentration. Maybe she really connected to it. In any case, Malia Obama does not need connections. She kind of IS the connection.
I kind of doubt Malia is taking a gap year because she is floundering or even for the more traditional reasons. The opportunities for travel, meeting people, and having amazing experiences in the WH is a once in a lifetime thing. My guess is that having six more months of that experience is one reason for the gap year. Also because security is just going to be easier when the haters have transferred some of their bile to the next president. Guessing she will do some gap-year related activities outside DC, especially after the January transition. This allows her to settle in to their new digs after that, too – probably in DC so Sasha can finish at Sidwell from what I hear.
Absolutely! Those six months in the White House, as an adult with no other pressing obligations, will likely be more educational than the entire four years at Harvard. Such a smart decision to defer.
I do wish the media would understand more about college admissions anf not position Malia as a Harvard legacy because her parents attended grad school at Harvard. Harvard College is pretty separate from the law school, in terms of how legacy works. FWIW
And, Harvard College overtly urges and supports gap years.
I also wish the U.S. had mandatory two-year national service, maybe making high school a three-year span.
I’m wondering if she’s choosing Harvard for undergrad, then thinking grad school for more more rigorous film training, really honing in on the art itself then.
Gap Years are great. Both my kids did one. It’s a great chance to get off the academic hamster wheel, recoup, do more experiential learning, travel, explore some areas of interest that aren’t classroom related. It can be much, much more than just wanting to figure out what you want to do with your life/what to study. I think my kids are still trying to pin that one down. As the old saying goes, the world is your oyster. Not all of that is found in a classroom or on a college campus. Oh, to be young again…
As the old saying goes, the world is your oyster. Not all of that is found in a classroom or on a college campus. Oh, to be young again…