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TODAY.com: College acceptance and rejection letters have poured into mailboxes, physical and electronic, for weeks now. Many disappointed high school seniors will keep their deepest feelings to themselves or a small circle of friends. But not Suzy Lee Weiss.The Pittsburgh teen expressed extreme annoyance over her numerous rejection letters (she doesn’t disclose how many) in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that's creating a sensation. Weiss stereotypes minority students and overachieving teenagers in her letter “To (All) the Colleges That Rejected Me.” She also takes a swipe at everyone she blames for failing her, especially her parents.
3 comments:
I decided read both this article and the link to her actual letter. My conclusion is that her tone was quite awful, and she used way too many hyperboles. All of this aside... I kinda see her point. Granted, it was poorly argued, and it's easy enough to refute what she says, but as someone who went through the college application process not too long ago, I understand her frustration and feelings of helplessness. Even if what she says about the favoring towards minorities and those who do charities doesn't exist (which I do believe exists on some level, but not to a large extent), students feel that way after getting rejection letters. The hardest part of that process of rejection and acceptance is seeing those at school around you who did go on those trips to Africa (because they could afford to) and those who pay off the Honor Society president so that they can get more hours in for their application- it's a bit sickening. College is a serious competition, and those who choose to play by the rules and not pay their way there, often end up losing. I did not have that experience. But I know many who did. Is she a bit too bitter? I think so, but maybe it's a bit of a wakeup call for colleges to look into those fanciful claims students place on their applications. Maybe, it's a bit of a wakeup call for parents and high school counselors to explain that colleges are businesses, and that this is nothing personal, that everything will be alright even if you don't get into that dream college. This girl is not 100% right. Directing hate towards those who choose to write about difficult experiences in their life on college essay isn't fair. But, the college application system isn't fair either.
What a BRAT! I also read her article, and it sounded like she was putting the blame on everyone but herself. She even said to the kids who do amazing things when they're 14, "You make us mere mortals look bad." No one makes you look bad unless it is yourself. From her attitude in this letter, she's making herself look like whining, spoiled brat who didn't get her way. There are books in libraries that help kids understand the college process, and what colleges are looking for. She writes as if the colleges are looking for perfection, but most of them are not. Because no one is perfect. And what makes humans so unique are our imperfections. Colleges want to find out what makes you unique and what new things you will bring to the university. It sounds like she is bringing a nasty attitude to her university. I don't think she should be complaining anyway. Many people apply to Ivy League Schools just for the name. They don't research the college. They check to see if this college would be a good fit for them. They just want the name on their resume. I don't think she gives colleges enough credit. Colleges accept students who they think will fit in their university. They college knows itself more than the student, and from what the student writes in their application, the college will determine if it will be a good match. I agree that colleges want diversity, but so do jobs. She's going to have to learn that she will not get everything she wants by writing a teenage angst letter to her future boss. I think she is way too cocky. She needs to realize that she is not smarter than her elders.
Seeing the video and reading her letter I have drawn my own conclusion that she is a bitter girl who isn't willing to take the blame for herself. I find it hard to believe after reading her letter that it was a satire piece. Far too much goes against her when your really look on how much she attacked the importance of diversity. But this article also points out the fact that colleges don't want a student who spends their lives studying books all day. And if you really think about it everyone is unique and lives a different life. Therefore we all are diverse. She didn't get into the Ivy League because she couldn't see what made her stand out from all those around her.
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