WSJ: To (All) the Colleges That Rejected Me

[4everwarriors]

Thank you Keefe and CBB ... To be clear, I did not do anything, I just get the bill

Quit your day job and she'll go for boo.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Thank you Keefe and CBB ... To be clear, I did not do anything, I just get the bill

Don't sell yourself short....you did plenty.

[reinko]

Hey CBB,
Tell your boss these new local sports fees suck.   

[ChicosBailBonds]

Hey CBB,
Tell your boss these new local sports fees suck.   

You can tell me, I was part of implementing them.  Started a trend, FIOS, Uverse, Comcast, etc all doing it now.

Pretty simple, when teams like the Lakers, Yankees, Cavs, Astros, etc want more money per subscriber, we lose money there, so we're going to jack up the rates. in some markets where we are upside down.  Econ 101. 

[reinko]

You can tell me, I was part of implementing them.  Started a trend, FIOS, Uverse, Comcast, etc all doing it now.

Pretty simple, when teams like the Lakers, Yankees, Cavs, Astros, etc want more money per subscriber, we lose money there, so we're going to jack up the rates. in some markets where we are upside down.  Econ 101. 

Well this non Red Sox fan living in Boston is still unhappy, and while only a few sheckles a month, its fees like these that prevent me from getting things like the MLB package and HBO.

[keefe]

Well this non Red Sox fan living in Boston is still unhappy, and while only a few sheckles a month, its fees like these that prevent me from getting things like the MLB package and HBO.

Come with me to Nepal. Help orphans, find yourself, experience enlightenment. Nirvana.



Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Well this non Red Sox fan living in Boston is still unhappy, and while only a few sheckles a month, its fees like these that prevent me from getting things like the MLB package and HBO.

I've yet to meet a person in the world that is happy when their costs go up.   

Blame the Red Sox, they demand that they get carried in 82% of the market, which means that most base packages must have it.  They also demand they get paid $$$, so in order to make it work, we have to raise the rates.  Would love to be able to say only Red Sox fans in Boston have to pay for this, but the Red Sox don't want to do that because they'll lose their arse just like here in L.A. if only Lakers fans had to pay for that channel.

I totally get where you are coming from, but if the sports teams weren't demanding the rate and the penetration, it wouldn't be happening.

[keefe]

I've yet to meet a person in the world that is happy when their costs go up.   

Blame the Red Sox, they demand that they get carried in 82% of the market, which means that most base packages must have it.  They also demand they get paid $$$, so in order to make it work, we have to raise the rates.  Would love to be able to say only Red Sox fans in Boston have to pay for this, but the Red Sox don't want to do that because they'll lose their arse just like here in L.A. if only Lakers fans had to pay for that channel.

I totally get where you are coming from, but if the sports teams weren't demanding the rate and the penetration, it wouldn't be happening.

He who lives only for pleasures and possessions, and whose soul is not in harmony, who considers not the food he eats, is idle, and has not the power of virtue -- such a man is moved by possessions, is moved by selfish temptations, even as a weak tree is shaken by the wind.

The glorious chariots of kings wear out, and the body wears out and grows old; but the virtue of the good never grows old.

This is deathless: the liberation of the mind through lack of clinging.

[ChicosBailBonds]

He who lives only for pleasures and possessions, and whose soul is not in harmony, who considers not the food he eats, is idle, and has not the power of virtue -- such a man is moved by possessions, is moved by selfish temptations, even as a weak tree is shaken by the wind.

The glorious chariots of kings wear out, and the body wears out and grows old; but the virtue of the good never grows old.

This is deathless: the liberation of the mind through lack of clinging.



I concur.  Looking forward to retirement outside of this state, living a simple life.  Have a little patch of dirt in Idaho that I'm very much looking forward to escaping the stupidity of it all.

[forgetful]

Come with me to Nepal. Help orphans, find yourself, experience enlightenment. Nirvana.



Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
 

Beautiful picture.  I'm going to go there one of these days.  One of my employees is from there and has volunteered his families home if I ever want to go there.  I've been told to not go in winter as apparently they only have power at night to conserve energy.

[amsteel]

A little late to the game here but after MU I went to grad school at ND. I had to do a TA orientation session that acclimated new grad students to ND. They told us that just over 50% of attending students (not sure of the % of admitted students) were 'special admits'. ie: legacy, athletes, family members of Holy Cross priests, family member of major donors, family member of faculty, etc. FIFTY PERCENT. I'm sure all schools are like this, but it's particularly true at ultra-elite schools.

So basically if you were a schmo off the street you had around half the chance of getting in as the numbers actually said. There's definitely a game to be played and a lot of it has to do simply with who you are.

[keefe]

Beautiful picture.  I'm going to go there one of these days.  One of my employees is from there and has volunteered his families home if I ever want to go there.  I've been told to not go in winter as apparently they only have power at night to conserve energy.

There is nothing more stunning than sunset in the Himalaya. But the real moment is seeing the canopy of stars framed by the world's tallest peaks. I have seen the night sky at sea and from a cockpit but neither compare to the starlit sky of the Mustang region.

I would guess your colleague is from Kathmandu. You need to pass through there and Durbar and Bhaktapur are definitely worth seeing. But the real gem of Nepal is in the Himalaya. I would recommend the Annapourna Circuit but I am sure your lad can steer you right. If you do come let me know as I can help with some arrangements, in the event. Our orphanages are up in the mountains but I fly a Dornier around and can actually give you a lift if you would like!

As for winter I would say that is the best time of year. Summer has the rains and the best visibility is in Nov-Mar. Trust me, electrical power is spotty at any time and up in the mountains it is generally non-existent. We run gen sets for our orphanages and many of my flights are to haul kerosene up into the hills.

You should know that up in the Himalaya there are roads but these are the footpaths that have facilitated commerce between China and India for millennia. The Silk Road is still there and everything still goes on pack animals. These animals vary by elevation. Loads are placed on horses. As you gain elevation they switch to mules, then yaks, then goats for the highest elevations. The passes are at 17K'. The airfield I fly supplies into is a two-day walk from where I am usually working.

 

Durbar Square, Patan



Dornier on Approach at Jomsom Airfield. The nose is canted like that for visibility in the mountains.



Suspension bridges like this are the norm



Pack Goats will take cargo over the pass

[nyg]

This turned into a National Geographic thread now. 

[keefe]

This turned into a National Geographic thread now. 

Hey, it's the off-season. We could speculate on where we think Buzz is headed because he hates the AD if you would like.

[keefe]

A little late to the game here but after MU I went to grad school at ND. I had to do a TA orientation session that acclimated new grad students to ND. They told us that just over 50% of attending students (not sure of the % of admitted students) were 'special admits'. ie: legacy, athletes, family members of Holy Cross priests, family member of major donors, family member of faculty, etc. FIFTY PERCENT. I'm sure all schools are like this, but it's particularly true at ultra-elite schools.

So basically if you were a schmo off the street you had around half the chance of getting in as the numbers actually said. There's definitely a game to be played and a lot of it has to do simply with who you are.

I am in no way disputing your figures but if that is true there is no way ND can maintain any standards. Helluva way to run a railroad that you want to run on time.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

This turned into a National Geographic thread now. 

where's the nekid natives?

[mu-rara]

where's the nekid natives?

I gotta have a beer with you someday.

[4everwarriors]

Beer summit in F*ckin's backyard on the way to Noah's Ark.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Well this non Red Sox fan living in Boston is still unhappy, and while only a few sheckles a month, its fees like these that prevent me from getting things like the MLB package and HBO.

Good article out today on this.


http://adage.com/article/media/sports-prices-soar-deliver-return-investment/240749/

[Tugg Speedman]

An Open Letter to Suzy Lee Weiss
Posted: 04/11/2013 11:21 am

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yingying-shang/an-open-letter-to-suzy-lee-weiss_b_3041458.html

Dear Suzy Lee Weiss,

My name is YingYing Shang, and I am also a current high school senior. To be specific, an Asian-American female from a relatively wealthy suburb of Philadelphia.

Going into the college admissions process, I was just as nervous as we all were. Just like you, I weighed my stats. I realized that if we were strictly talking profiles, I was perhaps even more disadvantaged than you were. Asian-Americans are an "overrepresented minority" at top colleges and need an SAT score of 140 points higher than average to be accepted to the same places. My parents are not "tiger parents," despite being immigrants, and like you, I've also never picked up a violin in my life. For three years, I was the slowest person on my school track team.

Coming from an Asian-American family that emphasizes education and a cultural context that placed far too much emphasis on Ivy names, I know the pressure that high school seniors can face. But I also know that none of us, no matter who we are or what we've done, is entitled to "the college of our dreams."

You say that, if you had known two years ago, you "would have gladly worn a headdress to school," come out of "any closet," and offered any "diversity -- Navajo, Pacific Islander, anything."

Here's a hint, Weiss: being a minority or LGBT is difficult for a reason. Minorities still earn less money, live more in poverty, and face pervasive discrimination. To all those accusing affirmative action of "stealing their place": your privilege and sense of entitlement is what causes you to call that place "yours" to begin with. As part of a majority culture, for the rest of your life, you will never face the overt and covert racism that a member of the minority faces. Your insensitive remark dismisses the very real lifelong struggles faced by minority and LGBT youth.

You go on to say that you would have gladly started a fake charity, gone to Africa, and pretended to save a starving child. I do go to a competitive high school and I do see students join community service for the sake of community service hours. However, many students also genuinely care about the world and the more than 1 billion people who struggle to survive on less than $1 per day. Global poverty is a real issue that many high school students care about and want to tackle. I do every day as part of the leadership team of the UN Foundation campaign Girl Up, raising money and funds for some of the world's most underprivileged girls. We have more than 300,000 girl supporters who are helping real girls in developing countries. Why can't you?

College admissions is a game of luck, that's true. Each Ivy League gets far more qualified applicants than it can possibly accept. But to everyone reading Suzy Lee Weiss's letter and feeling sympathy: it's not impossible. In the long run, colleges are looking for people who have real passion, real interests, and real humility. In other words, what we all look for in people.

I'm a little worried about you, Suzy. I'm a little worried about your lack of real passion or interest for any real problems in the world. I'm also worried about your sense of entitlement and lack of sympathy for those of different racial groups and in different circumstances. Lastly, I'm worried about all of the high school students who are reading your letter and throwing their hands up along with you, cursing the college admissions process instead of their own narrow-mindedness and apathy.

Luckily for you, college isn't the end of the world. You'll be fine. Maybe you'll even go on to be one of those world-changing kids whom you envy so much. And believe me, I want you to, because there is so much inequality, injustice, inefficiency in the world that needs fixing. But you can't possibly reach your full potential until you let go of the delusion that you deserve better and instead, see the larger evils that we all need to confront together.

By the way, future college applicants: don't give up hope. Despite my statistical disadvantages, failure at playing the piano, and less than perfect score on the SAT, I was accepted to Harvard, Yale and Princeton, and I'm still trying to find a way to say that without sounding pretentious. Find something you love and do well, and do it. Also: be yourself. Be the best version of yourself you can be. You can still watch Real Housewives besides.

Love,
YingYing Shang

[Tugg Speedman]

I stumbled across this looking for something else ...

http://thejewishchronicle.net/view/full_story/22340640/article-Rejection-brings-fame-to-Pittsburgh-Allderdice-senior?instance=secondary_stories_left_column

Rejection brings fame to Pittsburgh Allderdice senior

April 25, 2013

When Pittsburgh Allderdice senior Suzy Lee Weiss received rejection letters from four Ivy League universities, she was devastated. On the advice of her sister, who works for The Wall Street Journal, she wrote her feelings down, culminating in an opinion piece she sent to the Journal entitled, “To All the Colleges That Rejected Me.”

...

But traditional campus life will have to wait a bit for Suzy Weiss.

In a deal made with her parents in the event she did not get into an Ivy League school, Suzy has decided to take a gap year and enroll in Kivunim, a program that will be based in Israel but will allow her to travel to many countries while studying Hebrew and Arabic.  She’ll apply the 30 college credits she’ll earn to the University of Michigan in her sophomore year.  Because Ivy Leagues would not accept these credits, she said that it is “kind of a blessing in disguise because I think this next year is one I wouldn’t have traded for an Ivy League degree.” 

[MarsupialMadness]

Ok, I guess I'm thick ... again what is the "game" that you must play to get into an elite school like Harvard?

Did you read the article, or just post it?  It breaks down - paragraph by paragraph - the game she is referring to.

[Tugg Speedman]

Did you read the article, or just post it?  It breaks down - paragraph by paragraph - the game she is referring to.

Suzy Lee Weiss did not get into Harvard, or any other Ivy League school.  So whatever game she was playing was the wrong game.  This means her paragraph by paragraph breakdown is a road-map of how to get rejected.

Yet Lazar and others kept saying their was a "game" to getting into Harvard.

So, please explain what that game is and how those that get in play it and get accepted.

[keefe]

there's nothing wrong with bein' a Wolverine.

Could not agree more, Doc! Hail yea!

[Sunbelt15]

Could not agree more, Doc! Hail yea!

CHA-Ching!!!!