By: Matthew Laurrie
Features Editor
I’d like to take this opportunity to formally thank my dream college for denying my overachieving, entitled self circa 2011.
The day I received notice of my rejection from my first-choice school was – in hindsight – quite possibly the best nugget of news I’ve ever learned. And while a cacophony of “what-ifs” used to bombard me on daily basis, I now only wonder one thing: What if I didn’t come to St. Bonaventure? I’ll be forever grateful that I ended up following the good journey.
Not everyone finds peace with his or her destiny, however. Suzy Lee Weiss, a high school senior currently attending Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, recently wrote a scathing editorial in The Wall Street Journal discussing the corruption of the college admissions process. Weiss, who was rejected from an undisclosed amount of schools, spewed a laundry list of grievances in her op-ed, titled “To (All) the Schools That Rejected Me.”
“Colleges tell you, ‘Just be yourself,’” Weiss wrote in her March 30 editorial. “That is great advice, as long as yourself has nine extracurriculars, six leadership positions, three varsity sports, killer SAT scores and two moms. Then by all means, be yourself!”
These colleges dodged a bullet by denying this conniving, offensive high school nobody. While I’m sure Weiss searched high and low for résumé boosters, it still wasn’t good enough. Move on. Accept it. Try again.
I’d love to see Weiss’ list of classes – it’s obvious she’d ace “Dramatic Teens in the U.S.” and “Sweeping Generalizations: 101,” though I venture she might require a tutor to pass, “Accepting Life’s Obstacles.”
I’m certainly not saying I handled denial better than Weiss – quite the contrary, actually. I sobbed more after receiving my rejection letter than I did when I heard there wasn’t a Target or Mighty Taco in Olean. I’m simply saying instead of regretting all the things she could have done, citing certain uncontrollable factors as disadvantages and blatantly bashing her betters, Weiss should stay positive and reevaluate her ambitions.
Rejection is a part of life, and, fortunately, Weiss was served a steaming hot plate of “you’re not what we’re looking for” early on. I suggest she gorge herself on that delicious reality.
People need to confront and accept the fact that not everything works in their favor. If I received everything I desired, I’d be sitting on a beach in Turks and Caicos sipping margaritas with my best friend, Beyoncé. Some things just aren’t meant to be…even if we can’t exactly explain why.
“To those kids who by age 14 got their doctorate, cured a disease or discovered a guilt-free brownie recipe: My parents make me watch your ‘60 Minutes’ segments, and they’ve clipped your newspaper articles for me to read before bed,” she concludes. “You make us mere mortals look bad.”
But on further analysis, it is quite evident Weiss makes herself look bad all on her own. She wasted the positive platform she could have developed on snide remarks and qualms toward the nameless, faceless individuals who didn’t give Weiss her way.
Weiss suffers from a terrible though curable disease I like to call “Pessimistic Brat Syndrome (PBS).” Although not overly contagious, it certainly needs to be remedied before it gets out of hand.
So, to the students who received the acceptance letter I coveted, I truly mean it when I say, congratulations. I hope you love your school as much as I adore mine.
