<p>Interesting to see this thread has much more objective posters on it. I said in the earlier thread about a week a ago that he really was an average Ivy league admit and got hit for that by posters on that thread. At least now people are saying what should be said - he is a worthy admit, but nothing special of the Ivys - that is why they are Ivys of god sake - everyone is like that and more.</p>
<p>The publicity tour thing is definitely a travesty. And the backlash will not be here on CC, but at the lunch and dinner table of the school he goes too. Do you think kids with higher scores and more accomplishments and better essays are going to sing his praises like CNN or Letterman? Of course they won’t! </p>
<p>They will look at him and ask what made his lesser application worthy of Letterman; they will be somewhat blunt about it too, and he will get ridicule. In that super competitive world, if you are not really the tops, it is rather dumb to act like you are. Trust me, I know what will happen, as I was in that same world too. The tops do not like when posers try to take their limelight.</p>
<p>@fluffy2017 - That is the problem of his publicity stunt. Any angle is fine to take now simply because he put himself out there in a not very smart way. </p>
<p>Kind of dumb to act like you are king of the hill when there are over 800 kids with applications stronger than yours in most of the schools. He set himself up to have the entire thing scrutinized. Dumb move. </p>
<p>So you want to close the thread because it is off premise and going downhill? There is no premise when his entire application is open for review based on his publicity. Live by the sword; die by the sword. </p>
<p>@awcntdb Where’s the compassion for this young man that you so freely express for others, like the high-stats kids damaged by their rejection? “Live by the sword; die by the sword.” Hmmm…maybe not as sincerely concerned about feelings as I had thought. I’m disappointed. </p>
<p>I really dislike how the title is not all capitalized “A life in music” instead of “A Life in Music”. Just seems really unprofessional to me. I also think that his ending is really weak and I am pretty sure I’ve read this similar line in middle school essay papers. He also uses a comma before and in some parts and then doesn’t use a comma before and in other parts. Like, just pick one, dude. There’s also a lot of over hyphenation in the beginning when there should be dashes. - is not --, ok. Like, calm down. I really don’t think that this essay is really what got him in. I love music too, but who doesn’t? It’s not like he’s the only one and certainly not the only one to write an ode to music. I also can’t remember, so help me out here, shouldn’t it be Mens’ Doo Wop Group, or am I wrong? And yes, I do believe that admissions reviewers should be meticulous Grammar Nazi’s and notice the same mistakes as I do. Allow someone else in such elite schools that won’t make the same careless mistakes as these, please.</p>
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This is just as bad as calling him unworthy of the Ivies. Cooperating with people who want to write about him because something extremely unusual happened to him hardly makes him a poser. You could just as easily call him a confident person who has nothing to hide from the world.</p>
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<p>First off, I am a bit surprised that anyone would put out their essay like this - especially with the high profile of “I got into 8 Ivies”. There is no upside, only downside.</p>
<p>My point on closing the thread is that the very title of the thread is promoting the idea that the essay got him in. Experienced people on CC should know that it isn’t the essay that gets you into 8 Ivies any more than it is a 2400 SAT/ 4.0 GPA. It is about the whole holistic app. </p>
<p>@halogen - Please read my post. My comment was internal to and respective to the Ivys; I was talking about the tops in the Ivys. Even the Ivys have gradations of levels of students. I already said he is a worthy Ivy admit, just that he is an average Ivy admit.</p>
<p>He will find out real fast that he is nothing special on campus. At a different school, possibly, depending on school. At an Ivy, no darn way! </p>
<p>@fluffy2017 - Thanks for the clarification. Point well-taken.</p>
<p>Speaking of applications, an oldy but a goody. What I like about this link is that I could see myself looking forward to seeing what the rest of the essay is about and more importantly, learning about the applicant even more.</p>
<p>The last one made me laugh.</p>
<p>The Riverside one made me sad.</p>
<p><a href=“Stanford Magazine - Article”>Stanford Magazine - Article;
<p>First of all, I want to say congratulations to this young man. I think that he has a ton of amazing choices in front of him. Like another poster unthread, I was curious when I saw this thread and was hoping that his essay would have a wow factor, but it just wasn’t there. I have to agree with the posters who said that his essay is average. He is definitely not a wordsmith, but if he plans on studying medicine, he doesn’t need to be. </p>
<p>Once the publicity does down, which it will, he will pick a college, start classes and this will be a distant memory for most. If he is as personable as people say he is, he will meet people on campus who might recognize his name, mention it and move on from there. </p>
<p>@awcntdb I did read your post. Did you read mine? I said that cooperating with people who wanted to write about him did not make him a “poser”. And I will say it again, in different words: the fact that he cooperated with people who wanted to write about him does not mean that he thinks he is “something special” on campus.</p>
<p>That’s what is so great about his opportunities. He is going to be at a school where he will be challenged academically not only by his professors, but also by the students around him. My son has explained it this way. Most of the kids at his school are at the higher end of the intelligence bell curve. Then there are the exceptional few who blow them all away academically. I am sure that this young man will fit in just fine with the majority of the kids who are on the higher end of the bell curve.</p>
<p>@halogen - I do disagree with your assessment. I know of no one who had a 2250 and did the standard stuff he who went on CNN, Letterman etc. like they did something extra great. By cooperating with this storyline, he is very much playing up the story. There is no such thing as passive participation when one can say, “No thank you.” He said yes, and after the first interview, he knew the storyline that was being played. Nothing passive going on here at all. He will learn at his first dinner table with the really accomplished.</p>
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I guess we will disagree on that.</p>
<p>@Elliemom - There is a higher-order distinction to take here. </p>
<p>It is one thing to to be affected by something beyond your control. It is another to put out a storyline that is in your control that, for many, is overblown and inaccurate as to what occurred. </p>
<p>He could easily correct the much time repeated line of near perfect SAT scores. He does not correct that - weird. 2250 is not even close. He is feeding not the overblown nature of the whole thing for public consumption.</p>
<p>Correct, I have little sympathy for someone causing something to himself by overblowing even a pretty good accomplishment in its own right. </p>
<p>“He will learn at his first dinner table with the really accomplished.”</p>
<p>I do take issue with that statement. While he is never going to be the next great author, you are saying that this young man isn’t accomplished as the majority of the kids who are admitted to Ivy League schools. How do you know this? It is a huge presumption on your part that he won’t be able to hang with the ‘big dogs’ intellectually at the dinner table. </p>
<p>@momofmusician17 - I am simply saying that he is dead average for the Ivys, based on everything put out about him. Plus his interviews indicate no special anything either. </p>
<p>See this is the problem - he putting himself out there and he is coming off as nothing special for the Ivys. An Ivy admit, sure but he needs to present better, stronger and have actually produced something noteworthy for people, who know the Ivys, to reach the conclusion he is special within the Ivies. And unfortunately, that is how he is being presented, which is not the case. </p>
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<p>You have such sympathy for students who you described as being “permanently damaged” by rejections, and you chastise others for calling them “entitled” or “whiners.” But you have none for a young man whose story has been co-opted and manipulated by the media. He didn’t lie. He didn’t cheat. He gave some interviews, shared his essay, and read a top-ten list on a late night TV show. But, as a result, he has been opened up to scorn and ridicule by those who think they are his “betters.” Then you, yourself, call him a “poser” and “dumb” (several times!). Harsh words for a teenager caught up in something that I’m sure became much bigger than what he expected. </p>
<p>Obviously, you have a different agenda than I had thought when I was reading your posts elsewhere. I thought you were genuinely concerned about the feelings and perceptions of young people who felt let down by adults around them. Like I said, I’m disappointed. </p>
<p>@halogen - I guess we do need to agree to differ on that point. I will note though one of my sons was approached about being written about (twice in fact) and to be interviewed locally, and he simply said, “No thanks” and that was it. This concept that one cannot just say no is foreign to me.</p>
<p>My kids would easily say no to the president if they do not want to be part of something asked of them. All kids should be taught the power of saying “No, thank you.”</p>
<p>@Elliemom - Again, I am have little sympathy for the misrepresented. That is self-inflicted damage. That distinction really should not be too hard to understand. </p>