<p>Well, she didn’t crack me up. If she fancies herself a budding comedian or satirist, she’s got work to do. It’s a good example of what impresses a teacher, family or friends, who have known you a long time and can reinterpret for you. Maybe she did the same in her college essays- assumed everyone would agree what she meant. Oops.</p>
<p>[Attention</a> Students: ‘Just Being Yourself’ Isn’t a Skill That Should Earn You Admission to College](<a href=“http://gawker.com/5993140/attention-students-just-being-yourself-isnt-a-skill-that-should-earn-you-admission-to-college]Attention”>Attention Students: 'Just Being Yourself' Isn't a Skill That Should Earn You Admission to College)</p>
<p>Now THAT is hilarious.</p>
<p>In the suburb where I live, there is certainly a good bit of scheming for success in college admissions. Since no one ever knows exactly what aspects of a student’s application are the compelling ones to the admissions committee, it’s hard to know whether or how often the game-playing is a successful strategy or not. But happen it does. Kids are tripping over each other to start clubs and charities, and often plot to start a club simply because they could then easily arrange to become the president of it, needing leadership positions for college apps and having failed to be elected an officer in any other organization they belong to. It’s also amazing how ethnicity suddenly comes into play for people who previously gave no indication of any connection at all to a particular group or culture. </p>
<p>Another way piece of evidence that speaks to how the college admissions race is affecting behavior, is the fact that hospitals and many community service organizations now have waiting lists of a year or two, as well as very involved application processes, in order for a student to be permitted to volunteer. If we assume human nature is more or less stable, how do we account for the sudden explosion of “altruism”? Were there lines of people waiting to volunteer when we were growing up? I don’t think so. And yes I know that now some high schools require community service for graduation, and definitely for NHS and other honors. The question is, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Did schools note that colleges want to see volunteerism, and so instituted requirements in order to better position their students for admissions success? Or did so many students start to do this at least a little due to college apps, that the number of hours volunteered suddenly became a quick way to separate out the most deserving of NHS nominations and other honors?</p>
<p>I didn’t think the article was brilliant or extremely funny, but I can see why it would resonate with a lot of regular smart kids right about now.</p>
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<p>I have no contempt for anybody else’s opinion on this thread.</p>
<p>Though, when a poster who was admitted to Stanford comes on and laughs at the Gawker piece, but is outraged by the WSJ piece, I question if we are all playing by the same set of “let’s be classy” rules. </p>
<p>Or, as they say on the playground, “Can’t you take a joke?”</p>
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<p>Calimami, I think when our Attorney General Mr. Eric Holder stated at the start of his service to the country that we need to talk about race in this country, he was damn right! We do.</p>
<p>Also, my kids know several students who carefully selected unusual ECs for the sole purpose of standing out to admissions. While they may have come to legitimately enjoy those endeavors, they made no effort to hide that their original motivation was to add a distinguishing element to their profile–especially one that would have been uncommon for their ethnicity/community characteristics/socio-economic level, etc. For example, it used to be unheard of for an Asian Indian student to play football, but one boy stated he was joining the team (no cuts) because there are already too many tennis-playing Indians out there. He was short, and skinny as a bean-pole, by the way.</p>
<p>I’m the very first to admit that I do not understand the prestige stuff. For both UG and grad, I turned down supposedly more prestigious options in favor of ones that were better fits for me. So I don’t understand why students don’t just “be themselves” in high school and let that shine through on an application. Therefore, you’re likely to truly be a good fit wherever you ARE admitted. To me, it’s four years of your life- don’t you want to be a good fit and be happy there? Can a name really bring you that much satisfaction in and of itself? Really asking because it’s just not a mentality that I have so I want to understand.</p>
<p>Isn’t the point of the Gawker, “what joke?”</p>
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<p>I don’t know. My oldest didn’t choose her most “prestigious” admission by a long shot, and my youngest only applied to the one school. So, who even knows.</p>
<p>Neither of my girls are prestige seekers, though.</p>
<p>ETA: The Gawker was an adult response to a teenage op-ed. I would have had more respect if it had come from a kid.</p>
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<p>poetgrl, I am sort of uncomfortable that you keep calling me out, again and again, with regard to my personal college admissions that have no bearing on this thread and that I don’t really want to be continually brought up. I would ask you to stop, but this is the 4th or 5th time you’ve done it so I doubt that would actually happen.</p>
<p>The WSJ article was a petulant teenager broadcasting her jealousy all over the internet. I have said it before and I will say it again: jealousy is a completely natural reaction, IN PRIVATE. When one expresses jealousy, they get two responses. Either a) the audience commiserates, or b) they are off-put that someone is trivializing their accomplishments. It is important that you have a type a) audience when you are whining. Which completely rules out using the internet as a platform. </p>
<p>I spend plenty of time eating ice cream and complaining with close friends, but I would not post any of this sour grapes drivel even on my personal facebook page. The Gawker article called her out on it.</p>
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<p>Um…you’re a little out of date. That’s already the case.</p>
<p>[Explaining</a> Why Minority Births Now Outnumber White Births | Pew Social & Demographic Trends](<a href=“http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/05/17/explaining-why-minority-births-now-outnumber-white-births/]Explaining”>http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/05/17/explaining-why-minority-births-now-outnumber-white-births/)</p>
<p>Sorry, Jonri, I was reading the 2010 census.</p>
<p>No problem, unicameral, if it makes you uncomfortable, I will stop.</p>
<p>“and my youngest only applied to the one school”</p>
<p>You just hang out at CC to annoy them?</p>
<p>Pretty much. Which them? ;)</p>
<p>unica’s not the only one uncomfortable with that (so am i). it’s off-putting. </p>
<p>BUT, she spoke for herself very capably. well done!</p>
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<p>Depends on what your career/life goals are and/or perception of local public colleges. </p>
<p>For those gunning for ibanking or organizational business management consulting careers with outfits like Goldman Sachs or BCG, it’s almost literally Ivy/elite college or bust. </p>
<p>For others, its driven by the fear…sometimes justified*…that the local state/public college alternatives are poor fits academically. </p>
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<li>Experienced by several HS classmates who transferred out of our local city/state college for this reason.</li>
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<p>All right, well, I can see you’d all rather agree with each other.</p>
<p>ttfn.</p>
<p>The kid(s) of course! With one school applied to and admitted to, they don’t need CC!</p>
<p>Well, Tex, as a Legacy, she had an advantage. ;)</p>
<p>WAIT! Maybe I SHOULD be offended by the op ed. :p</p>
<p>I just read the whole Gawker article and I found myself embarrassed for the author. It was like he was taking great pains to explain a joke without realizing that it was a joke to an audience who already understood it.</p>