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EL recieves a monthly newsletter from a program she's in at school... a program for kids who scored on the upper edges of testing and who might benefit from extra activities and connections... so far the newsletters and the program has been hit or miss, but it's early. If anything, she'll be able to say she was in the program which will benefit her when trying to get into colleges.
Today's newsletter had an interview with an admissions professional at a noted university. I won't name it, but I believe Mr. Thundra went there... (Mr. Thundra will be thankful he went there then... and not now...)
In said article, the admissions person said something to the effect that she looked at all social networking when deciding if and when a person would be accepted. I'm not worried about EL. As I've often said, she was 50 when she was born and probably has more sense than most. What EL did say though was, "That's not really fair. I'm guessing that the admissions person did even more than most people do now (EL has heard rumor about freer days), but had the benefit of it not being documented!"
She had a point...
She went on to say how in this day and age, you're expected to share everything... which made me realize my generation had something over the teenagers of today. We had the safety of discretion by default. We also have failing memories on our side. I know I was more poorly behaved than EL when in high school (while still receiving stellar grades!!)... Grizzled was FAR WORSE! We just have no public record... only hazy memories which can be denied when the need arises. "Mom! So and so was an asshole!! I never did that! I mean, really! Come ON!!!"
It also had me thinking though... if Ms. Admissions did have a sketchier past, why not be more forgiving of those coming in who are too open and honest about their activities?? There's got to be a tipping point when we accept that almost anyone had a sketchier past and we get past it... Of course, there's always one person who was more lily white, and this person is most likely your admissions officer...
So... if she did not have a sketchier past and was truly one of those few who walked the straight and narrow every time, don't you think she's probably in the minority?? And when will the minority stop getting to decide what's right for the majority?? Frankly, I'm kind of tired of it. I'm kind of tired of having what are really normal experiences and then being told I am denied access to the real world due to those experiences. Frankly, I think I live in the real world... everyone else? I'm not so sure. I think they might be living in a fairytale and they're the ogre.
People love to have power over other people. Doesn't matter what they did in the past if they can convince themselves that they *deserve* to have control because they *really* are/were better people. They rationalize.
I have an uncle who is a retired bank president. He was telling us on Christmas eve about when he was in college and he and his buddies had been out drinking all night. They came out of a bar in the wee hours and saw this tiny car (like an MG or something) and picked it up, carried it and dropped it between two trees up on some grassy hill. lolol It was a tight fit. So that the person whose car it was would NEVER be able to get it out without eight buddies to pick it back up.
In this day and age don't you KNOW that would have been FB'd?! Of course it would have been.
Wonder if he would've risen through the ranks like he did?
People and their control issues kill me. I can't stand it. I think the people who do forgive or understand others' behavior are in the *extreme* minority. The majority's done the same kinds of things but they forget the minute they can be judge and jury.
Posted by: blue girl | March 26, 2011 at 06:17 PM
Honestly, if there were an IM record of what I did in high school, it would be
1. Did nerdy thing involving space.
2. Did nerdy thing involving computers.
3. Did nerdy thing involving music.
4. Did lots of homework.
5. Loudly argued about Malthus in hallway with music nerd.
6. Geeked out about SF novels.
7. GOTO 1
The worst thing I did was spend a couple of years helping edit the anonymous satire newsletter, sort of like a printed Sadly No. And I wouldn't have written about it.
Despite the utter nerdy blandness of my teenage years (and my life currently, for that matter) I'm still wary of putting too much up on social networking sites...
Posted by: Mandos | March 26, 2011 at 06:53 PM
Today's newsletter had an interview with an admissions professional at a noted university. I won't name it, but I believe Mr. Thundra went there... (Mr. Thundra will be thankful he went there then... and not now...)
When I went there, $7,000 year was room, board, and tuition. And I got financial aid.
I've heard things are different, nowadays?
~
Posted by: ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© | March 26, 2011 at 07:02 PM
But Mandos, would you deny access to those who were perhaps a little more into exploring?? I doubt it. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. I guess all of this just makes me think of the TONS of political hypocrites who decide what we all should do, even though in the privacy of their own lives, they're doing things we'd never do outside of our minds. I guess they think they need to protect us from our dark selves. I guess they don't realize we've come to terms with that dark self long ago and don't worry about it running amok without constant surveillance and tons or rules.
BG- Yep... people wanting to judge and control.
Posted by: Jennifer | March 26, 2011 at 07:03 PM
I've heard things are different, nowadays?
Slightly... :)
Posted by: Jennifer | March 26, 2011 at 07:04 PM
Oh, I wasn't disagreeing. Just saying that even someone with a relatively bland/conformist tendency would likewise hesitate knowing now who might be looking.
Posted by: Mandos | March 27, 2011 at 07:57 AM
I would name the system, as Governor Tarkin would say, so it can be crushed. Very depressing.
Posted by: Pinko Punko | March 27, 2011 at 09:59 AM
At a certain point, though, institutions are going to find themselves either with students who were super-smart enough to be anonymous on the internet, or with really boring dull students who don't take risks. That doesn't make a research university. There are admissions officers and admissions officers, and some are more stupid than others.
Posted by: Substance McGravitas | March 27, 2011 at 01:14 PM
Imagine my surprise when I was granted a security clearance.
Posted by: herr doktor bimler | March 27, 2011 at 08:17 PM
Imagine my surprise when I was granted a security clearance.
Things work differently in upsy-downsy land, don't they?
Posted by: Jennifer | March 28, 2011 at 07:43 AM
I think the patrolling of Facebook is a bit like speeding. They'll let the kids who are doing 70-75 go buy. They're looking for the kids going over 100.
Posted by: Brando | March 28, 2011 at 08:33 AM
That should be "by". What a Freudian slip there.
Posted by: Brando | March 28, 2011 at 08:34 AM