What's worse: LSP or Waitlist?

evolving
Thu, 31 Mar 2011 20:38:32 +0000

emmacatherine,

I want to respond to the issue you raised about LSP. There are always people arguing from different perspectives on the relative merits of who gets accepted where, across all schools and different programs within a university. Reminder; from this earlier thread on LSP.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/new-york-university/1111356-did-they-reject-students-more-qualified-than-ones-lsp.html

Also, my opinion as stated in Post #4 and emmacatherine, one of your initial posts about LSP (Post #6).

Confusion about LSP / RD - New York University - College Confidential Forums;

I think it is counter-productive to set people as “better than” or “less than” because they go to a certain program. I know it is inevitable with the known “lower” acceptance rates at Tisch and Stern. However, I like to see the view that we exist in a world with a variety of people who show their strengths and “intelligences” in different ways. Certainly, some are mathemetically gifted, while others are gifted in the performing arts. Yet others debate well, write well, create well, socialize well, etc. Some think more with their right brain and others their left brain.

I do not like to put a value judgment on which one is “better” and which one is “less than.” I realize even in talking to sonny who indicated to me some at NYU see the LSP students in a certain way that implies they are “less than.” I quickly let him know my very strong opinion on this, that it is wrong to go by this kind of deleterious pecking order, to feel better about oneself by putting down others. (Not to say this about sonny personally but to make sure he does not pick up a “herd” mentality.)

Ultimately, there are so many factors that go into what makes a successful, happy and contributing human being. Your placement in a certain academic program is only one small part of the whole picture.

My point, don’t fall for these artificial differentiations that harm more than uplift. This is one area where I have to praise NYU. I think in their own way, they do recognize the whole range of what it means to be intelligent and the range of people with different learning styles who can benefit from a NYU education. Not that they do not make mistakes. (Haha, I think, like other schools, they also fall into the trap of taking students who may have “cheated” the system in one way or another. Also, they, too are not immune to star power, like other top and “not so top” schools. So I cannot totally disagree with the poster who expressed his great disappointment in the thread, “I Hate You, NYU.” Where there is love, how can there not be hate when one is rejected? Though, obviously anger and hate are expressed differently by different people.)

So, I say, again, congratulations to all of you who got in based on your hard work and individual merits. No program in a top tier school like NYU is easy to get into. I feel really, really sad about some of the students who have yearned to go to NYU only to find they did not get in, got waitlisted, or cannot afford NYU.

emmacatherine, I do want to point out that I see a good thinking mind on your part to question people’s assumptions and maybe your own (as evidenced in your earlier LSP post cited above). I am happy for you personally that your wonderful mind will have a chance to be shaped and influenced by a strong education. :)