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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm from Pittsburgh. Alderdice high school is in squirrel hill and is the best city school a kid can go to. Her parents might live there because it's the "Jewish neighborhood"or they might live there to get her into a school that should have prepped her for college. There is NO WAY a school like Allderdice, who sends loads of kids to ivy's every year, didn't tell her that she needs lots of extra-curriculars, etc.

I don't like to pick on a 17 year old, but I agree that it was very poorly written. The shot at muslims and gays, even IF she was trying be farcical, was not written well enough to give any hint of tongue in cheek.

As a native Pgher, I can tell you that this type of class warfare, where people TRULY believe they won't get into college because they're not black or hispanic, who think quotas are the reason they're not President, is rampant. The class warfare is INSANE and it is built into the culture of that city; odd because even the working class folks come across as sourly conservative on immigration issues, etc. They truly do think the black people, native americans "foreigners" and especially the Asians / Indians are coming to take their cookies.

Anyway, she reveals her bias in a clumsy way, she writes in that awkward "I'm trying to impress someone" way, taking shots at Elizabeth Warren and gays and muslims, and it just doesn't work. And, since I'm familiar with her school and neighborhood, I just also don't buy that she was truly clueless as to what colleges want.

That said, I devoted many paragraphs to the ADHD article put out by the NYT, in my views about schools and how the whole system, from preschool to college, is broken. Kids are no longer allowed to pursue the interests they like and want to do, or just spend time with family. Instead, they have to shape their interests to what they think will look attractive to a college. But, this isn't really what Ms. Weiss says. She just pretends that the only people who get in are those who "pretend to care" without saying it's actually important to care, or what she HAS done, that sets her apart.

Maybe that's what I find the most obviously problematic with her polemic: what has she DONE to merit admission? She doesn't even say she's a straight A student with good test scores, etc. She just seems to think that it's not mediocrity holding her back, but rather, a system that's rigged against her.

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My vote for best and most cogent post. +1[/quote]

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