Who are you to tell me?

In applying to colleges, we are often asked the question of what we like about a school or what makes us suited for that college. I have recently been asked questions by Seniors in high school who are applying to college for advice on how to improve their resume, how to write their essays and whether they are ‘good’ enough to apply to certain colleges. Without even thinking, I automatically ask questions regarding their grades, standardized tests, extracurricular activities, and awards. However, when I further thought about this, I questioned, “who am I to be the judge of whether they are good enough and who am I to determine their compatibility?” Similarly, and more boldly, who are college administrators to judge what makes us good enough and why do we never question their decisions of whether we should be accepted or rejected? Not only are we manipulated into believing that we ‘should’ be going to college, but we are also manipulated into believing that there is a certain standard that we have to reach in order to qualify for these colleges. In writing your application, they give you advice that you should be yourself, but lets be honest- how many of us were truly ourselves? If you were to write you “why do you like Hamilton” essay on the quality of Commons food (just an example) or how attractive the student body is, I don’t think that would impress the administrators. We give them what they want to hear because we have been shaped into thinking that those are the acceptable criteria. Why is playing a certain amount of video games or how many Facebook friends you have not something you would put on your application? When I got my rejection letter, the responses from my friends and family members were “well that’s life, its ok, it happens” and I just accepted it and moved on. What if I were to write a letter disagreeing with their decision?

This role is also switched when we are accepted. When we come for college visits and accepted student day, they show us the best dorms, give us the best food, and exaggerate the positive attributes of the school in order to sell the school back to us.

When you think about it, this process makes no sense. Colleges sell the school to us so that we apply. Once we are applying, we are trying to convince them that we deserve to be there. Once we get accepted they must then persuade us to come. This endless cycle just results in another big sequence of manipulations. We get to college and they further manipulate us into becoming the ‘perfect’ Hamilton student.

When you look in the mirror – whom do you see? Who you want to be or who everyone wants you to be?