[Cathryn Crawford]

Ping...read this!

[BOBTHENAILER]

(The question of how this enthusiasm, strength and purpose is going to magically appear in a tough university atmosphere, when it hasn’t been enough to sustain a requisite performance in a low-level high school, goes unanswered.)

What a great article and a great post.

The dumbing down of America continues in runaway fashion.

BTTT for a great read.

[patton]

I read part of it ... then I ralfed on my shoes. Not because of the topic, or the writing - because I recieved an unsoliceted award from UC Bezerkely. Around 1983, if my alzheimers is not fooling me.

The "Martin Kellog Award For Excellence In Linguistic Studies."

If I ever find the damn thing (I think it is in a moldy box in the basement), I am conflicted. Should I use it for compost, TP, or both?

[attagirl]

Well, I read about 75% of it, I guess. Very interesting. This kind of thing has been going on unofficially for some time--making the college essay a Days of Our Lives extravaganza, that is. (Perhaps the NY Times could get a look-see and recruit these creative writers as future reporters.)

Seriously, though--I think it shows that the target mind-set is one that is ANTI-INDIVIDUAL. What is sought is one who feels like a victim and will act like a victim and will be a TEAM PLAYER who will GO WITH THE PROGRAM.

That's really why Clarence Thomas is so hated, you know.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[MrLeRoy]

this rationale does not quite explain why Stanley Park, who had to tutor in order to pay the rent for his breast-cancer infected single mother, while scoring a whopping 1500 on the SAT, got rejected by both Berkeley and UCLA. Nor does it explain why Ms. Jae was still turned down after an appeal.

Ah, but then we find that there is another, alternate purpose to the hardships criterion behind sensitive sentiment: “to make the student body as reflective as possible of the state’s population.”

So as it turns out, the new “hardships” jargon is, for the most part, just a bunch of California hot air.

Zing!

[Sir Gawain]

Good read.

[Amelia]

Great article, Alec, and thanks for the ping, Cathryn! I'm so glad we have you bright, well-spoken young conservatives coming along!

Here's my Old Lady Advice for the day - don't get discouraged when you think FReepers are giving you a hard time - we're not nearly as hard on you as the liberals who disagree will be, and we'll help you hone your arguments and debating skills -- or at least give you thick skin so you can stand the other insults!

Best of luck to both of you. :-)