HS seniors who think they are busier than me, a working adult.

[Anonymous]

As the parent of a high schooler, I would be mortified to find that my child had written an email like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As the parent of a high schooler, I would be mortified to find that my child had written an email like that.

Ditto.

To all the parents making excuses about why it would be acceptable for a student to write an email like that, oh well. It means you are probably not monitoring that sort of thing and my child will come out looking better in the end since he has more home training than that.

[Anonymous]

As a former admissions officer and a parent of 3 kids who have gone through the application process, my message to you OP is "Get over yourself." Yes, the email you posted is on the rough side, but I doubt you get many like that. My kids' school provides a form interview request, and my guess is that most schools do the same. In this case the student obviously didn't use a form nor did she ask a parent or counselor to look over her draft, but as an interviewer, your approach should be to look for the best in each candidate, rather than interpret any error on their part as a personal slight. Unfortunately, many alumnae who conduct admissions interviews share your overblown perception of their role in the application process. I have seen this much too often among the alum interviewers whom I know, and have heard the same thing from several former colleagues who are now admissions directors/VPs. All too frequently alum interviewers are motivated less by a genuine interest in supporting their alma maters than by a misplaced belief that they will have an inside track when their own kids apply to college.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, many alumnae who conduct admissions interviews share your overblown perception of their role in the application process. I have seen this much too often among the alum interviewers whom I know, and have heard the same thing from several former colleagues who are now admissions directors/VPs. All too frequently alum interviewers are motivated less by a genuine interest in supporting their alma maters than by a misplaced belief that they will have an inside track when their own kids apply to college.

+10000

However, the facade goes both ways. Alumni interviewers are not there to provide useful observations to select candidates but to make them feel that they are shaping the future student body. If they believe that they have this power and helped select students, then they are more invested in the school and more likely to donate $$. The University uses this process to tap into inflated egos and entice more money out of them. The alumni use this process to feed their ego and promote that they have an inside track for their children or friends' children.

[Anonymous]

funny pp... the WSJ just did a story today that the Wharton School has "fired" their alumni interviewers for the MBA Program and will instead use real admissions officers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:why would you need to interview for a school? I never did and got into ivy leagues. I would agree that to a high school seniore this sounds like a waste of time.

You sound special. When I applied to an Ivy, it was strongly recommended that I interview with a local alum, and years later that school still solicits local graduates to interview applicants each year. I haven't taken them up on it, but this thread definitely whets my appetite, as weeding out some snotty kids seems like a noble undertaking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I taught at a top university. This letter is not bad for a 17 year old. I was always highly amused at how students would hang themselves in email. For example, a student would send email requesting an extension on a deadline. I may have been perfectly inclined to grant it without much detail as to why they needed an extension...until I read through the next ten paragraphs of blathering nonsense about their social crisis and completely ridiculous reasons for an extension.

The other aspects that you are missing about high school students is that their activities tend to have lots of built-in incentives not to skip a session. If you miss practice then you will not play in the game. If you don't play in the game and we lose, you let your team down. If you don't attend this club meeting and you are in X position, you will lose it or we can't plan X activity. The parents play into this too. We paid for X activity, you can't miss it. The high strung kids who are over scheduled to have enough extra curricular activities to help them get into mom and dad's school (which was pretty darn easy to get into when mom and dad applied 30 years ago but is very difficult now) do think that somehow the world will end and their future will be bleak if they miss one thing or make one mistake. They make a complete reversal on this attitude that they can't miss anything by the end of their first year in college. You can watch as the freshman frantically attend everything and then learn by the end of the year how to commit to things but blow everything off. I firmly believe that an underground class is taught on this.

I hope you didn't teach writing at that "top" university. Your post is boring beyond belief!

[Anonymous]

OP you really sound incredibly unforgiving and power mad yourself. HS kids are pretty clueless and often arrogant. There is no need to smash their ego's to bits just because you can. Unless you enjoy cruelly rejecting someone because they didn't kiss the hem of your garment. But I suspect you and your husband are drunk with power here. Eventually, you will get yours. Power drunk people always do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP you really sound incredibly unforgiving and power mad yourself. HS kids are pretty clueless and often arrogant. There is no need to smash their ego's to bits just because you can. Unless you enjoy cruelly rejecting someone because they didn't kiss the hem of your garment. But I suspect you and your husband are drunk with power here. Eventually, you will get yours. Power drunk people always do.

Speaking of clueless, strike the apostrophe in ego's!

[Anonymous]

17 year olds have no idea what professionalism or business writing entails. How can they? Have they been in the corporate world for the last few years? No, they have been sitting in a classroom, where if they are lucky, they received basic instruction in writing a business letter and that's what you got OP.

And quite frankly there schedules are more rigid than an adult and they have less time and flexibility than you do. They can't say "hey, you know what? let me meet you for coffee - say around 2pm - and we can chat between meetings..." School is a set time and place and they are required to be there. Sports practice - same thing. Work - well you can either deride them for being non-professional writers or non-professional in their work ethic for failing show up for it or calling in sick - I guess take your pick!. Then their parents impose limits on their time also - how long they can be out on a given day, what activities they can do, etc.

And you can't complain about helicopter parents and then get mad when the kids try and write you emails and schedule things on their own. Make up your mind - do you want the parent to helicopter or not?

[Anonymous]

Sorry OP. I know exactly what you mean, as I've worked in recruitment at a top Agency. These are the same kids that want to be in senior management in 5 yrs or less.lol

I was a super busy HS student as well. Took college courses in the evenings, worked 3-4 nights a week, activities, took Metro to get to it all. I would've met you at 2am if thats what was most convenient for you. If you read this board, I'm sure you see where the obnoxiousness comes from.

[Anonymous]

17yo kids have been failed by their parents if they don't under how to conduct themselves. One shouldnt be that clueless entering adulthood.

[Anonymous]

20:22 has it right: highschoolers have a very rigid schedule, and quite frankly, they actually ARE businer than the typical "working adult." What's more, unlike "working adults" they are prohibited from using the telephone and email during their work day. With all the demands today's students have on them, no wonder they are stressed and yes, immature at times in the way they write emails during the limited slices of time during which emails are permitted. OP, maybe you do have a son or daughter in high school, I suppose it is possible that you have had kids in high school, but your initial post and especially the title of this thread sound like someone who has not recently had kids in high school.

[Anonymous]

And BTW, OP, I think you meant to write "HS seniors who think they are busier than I . . . " Not trying to nitpick, but I'm sure you'll appreciate the correction since you enjoy criticizing the grammatical errors of others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And BTW, OP, I think you meant to write "HS seniors who think they are busier than I . . . " Not trying to nitpick, but I'm sure you'll appreciate the correction since you enjoy criticizing the grammatical errors of others.

Wait, I missed this joke until now. So funny when the self-proclaimed grammarians are wrong.