4/05/2007
Why Bother?
Ah spring. When it's not pretending to snow, the flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and the air is filled with excitement and anticipation as fresh-faced high school seniors begin to unwrap the college admissions letters that will change their lives forever.
Well, for some of them, anyway.
There are three reasons why I really don't have much sympathy for smart high school kids who can't get into [insert name of overpriced private institution here]:
1. I applied to four schools (Columbia, Georgetown, Brown, and Iowa) and batted a minor league .250 (I only got accepted by Iowa, who even then sent me a rejection letter before they got it right).
2. I spent last summer at a leadership program in Washington DC with many students from schools I couldn't get into straight out of high school. Needless to say, there wasn't much of a difference between me and them (except for the fact that my education for three years at Iowa cost as much as one year at an Ivy League-caliber school).
3. I got into graduate programs to study international relations at Princeton, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins after spending four wonderful years at Iowa. I wouldn't trade my days here for any other school. I wouldn't trade one Saturday afternoon in Kinnick for four years of rock star professors and the chance to room with a future President. I did always want to marry a Kennedy, but that's another story for another time...
I'll admit; I was pretty broken up April 1, 2003, when three rejection letters swamped my mailbox. But I've spent the last three years telling prospective students that you can go to Iowa and do just as well as the kids at Harvard. Where you go to school is not nearly as important as what you do once you get there. It isn't easy to succeed anywhere, but it is possible almost everywhere.
Well, for some of them, anyway.
There are three reasons why I really don't have much sympathy for smart high school kids who can't get into [insert name of overpriced private institution here]:
1. I applied to four schools (Columbia, Georgetown, Brown, and Iowa) and batted a minor league .250 (I only got accepted by Iowa, who even then sent me a rejection letter before they got it right).
2. I spent last summer at a leadership program in Washington DC with many students from schools I couldn't get into straight out of high school. Needless to say, there wasn't much of a difference between me and them (except for the fact that my education for three years at Iowa cost as much as one year at an Ivy League-caliber school).
3. I got into graduate programs to study international relations at Princeton, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins after spending four wonderful years at Iowa. I wouldn't trade my days here for any other school. I wouldn't trade one Saturday afternoon in Kinnick for four years of rock star professors and the chance to room with a future President. I did always want to marry a Kennedy, but that's another story for another time...
I'll admit; I was pretty broken up April 1, 2003, when three rejection letters swamped my mailbox. But I've spent the last three years telling prospective students that you can go to Iowa and do just as well as the kids at Harvard. Where you go to school is not nearly as important as what you do once you get there. It isn't easy to succeed anywhere, but it is possible almost everywhere.
# posted by Tom Niblock @ 4/05/2007 08:21:00 PM 
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I so agree. I look around at our friends and see doctors, legal drug dealers (aka pharmacists), diplomats, those of us who think we'll conquer corporate America, and those destined to spend their life at school (aka professors). People who are going to crazy awesome grad programs and people who got really stinkin' cool jobs. (I count myself in that last group.) Iowa's awesome. Period. Well, except for this weather.
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