Editorial: being happy about your college is not "bragging"

<p>what is far more obnoxious is people wearing shirts bearing the name of schools that they haven't been/definitely won't be accepted to.</p>

<p>Personally, I don't like clothing with advertising on it, whether the advertiser is a school or Ralph Lauren. I managed to go to a well-known college and well-known university without ever purchasing an item of clothing with either school's name on it. </p>

<p>Maybe it's because as a pre-Title IX female non-athlete I wasn't accustomed to the notion of having my school name emblazoned on uniforms or anything else. On the other hand, I also never purchased a class ring. Maybe I was just lacking in "school spirit," whatever that is.</p>

<p>In any case, it seems to me that wearing a shirt with the name of the school you were just accepted at is indeed a form of boasting, although of a fairly low-key and well-accepted kind. You are happy that you got in, you are proud of yourself, and you want to let others know. You are advertising your affiliation to everyone who looks in your direction (depending how big the print is <g>). So if you get a reaction--negative or positive--don't be surprised. That's clearly what you were asking for. Otherwise you wouldn't be advertising. You'd be wearing normal clothes.</g></p>

<p>Okay, about my school: basically, almost everyone gets in where they want to go because most apply to in-state schools with very high acceptance rates. There are rolling admissions at most of the schools that my HS's students apply to, so very, very few are waiting until April. The flagship state school does reject some people every year, but that's not the shirt I'm wearing... at my school, basically NO ONE applies to really selective schools, so I highly doubt there is a ton of anxiety or tension. It's more like "oh, it's senior year... better apply to college". It's not a sensitivity issue, believe me.</p>

<p>The double standard for acceptees to different colleges is ridiculous. Purdue, U of Iowa, U of Wisconsin, etc. acceptees are held on a pedistal, while acceptees to very prestigious schools are looked at like some kind of different species. I also attend a class at another high school in a more wealthy town near my HS, and there it is not out of place at all to see people with shirts from selective colleges. There is validity to the earlier point that we need to look out for the feelings of others, but it's also important that people grow up and accept that other students have a right to achieve their goals, too. Seriously, college applicants need to toughen up and stop being so incredibely sensitive.</p>

<p>I agree that most people who dislike people wearing college t-shirts from 'prestigious' universities are mostly because they are jealous. However, from the perspective of MOST other, they'd think that the wearer is an arrogant prick showing off his/her prestigious univ.</p>

<p>I mean, I agree that ppl who got into top schools have all the right in the world to wear t-shirts of their schools, but the consensus doesn't follow the wearer's opinions/thoughts.</p>

<p>I'm starting the college process in a year, and if I were to be rejected from an ED/EA/SCEA school, and then I see a person wearing a t-shirt from that same school, I'd honestly be really mad/frustrated. Of course, it's not the wearer's fault that someone else gets rejected, but it would probably hurt for others who've been rejected, or feel that they received a blow to their self-esteem.</p>

<p>There are no arguments to make about this topic. If you've been accepted early, great, but don't wear your college t-shirts until RD decisions are out, and everyone knows where they're going. You have the right to wear whatever you want, but be considerate to others. If you just want to do whatever the heck you want, go ahead. Just keep paying the consequences by doing whatever you please</p>

<p>ok i hate when pepole go i wore a college from a "highly regarded school" just tell us the freaking school!</p>

<p>What about freedom of speech? I can wear and say whatever I want to so long as it is not threatening/demeaning/harmful to others. Some people are way to sensitive if a shirt gets them upset. People at my high school were wearing college gear (from local schools in support of athletics to those of top schools they wished to go to) since freshman year. If you get rejected from a college it might be a hurtful reminder to see someone wear the shirt, regardless if that person got in, has a parent/sibling who attended, or wishes to attend/apply in the future.<br>
I remember I wore a Penn shirt at the end of junior year and a girl who was rejected ED made a comment about it and how it was impossible to get in. I had not been accepted (yet) and was only wearing the shirt because I liked it.
However, I understand how wearing a college shirt can hurt others. When my friend and I got in ED last year we both decided not to wear our Penn shirts the next day (Friday) because a solid 30 kids would have been rejected/deferred from that school. I had friends wearing their Cornell, NU, and other college gear and they didn't seem to get much animosity. I received a little animosity from a few of my rejected peers, and that would have happened regardless of what shirt I wore.<br>
Really, some people just need to grow up and not be upset by a college shirt.</p>

<p>Whenever you see someone bragging about their acceptance, just remember that it isn't the college that makes the person. Who you are and the level of your success is largely defined by your attitude...your persona. My mom continually reminds me of the fact that many (if not most) successful individuals in the US and the rest of the world did not kill themselves in HS to achieve Ivy status. If you are ambitious enough, passionate about what you do, and (above all) benevolent, you will go far in life regardless of the college you attend. People on CC tend to forget that :).</p>

<p>Then I repeat- I want to ban all high school proms so that kids who don't get asked don't feel bad, no more running for student government because if my kid doesn't win then it will be too painful for him to see, and certainly no more highlights of star atheletes or even an average athelete who made a great play because somebody who has a broken leg or got cut from the team might feel bad. For goodness sake this is ridiculous let's hope our kids are a little tougher skinned than that. This all being said with the idea that the kids are doing just that...wearing the stupid shirt....they have just spent the last 4 years having everyone telling them that they had to work hard so they could go to college right?????</p>

<p>I can see not wearing your shirt if your best friend got her rejection notice the day before but in general this is completely ridiculous!!</p>

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What about freedom of speech? I can wear and say whatever I want to so long as it is not threatening/demeaning/harmful to others.

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<p>I agree with you that people are too sensitive, and I'm also a big supporter of free speech, but you are confusing constitutional law with etiquette here.</p>

<p>I just have a shirt/hoodie from every school I applied to and wear them all. The only times that I've ever even thought about whether or not I should wear the shirt is when I'm going to visit.</p>

<p>What school is is it? If it's Harvard, Yale, or Princeton, it probably is obnoxious. Good luck getting pity with that...</p>

<p>I agree they're likely just jealous. Wear what you want... if others have an issue with it then that's their problem not yours. ;-)</p>

<p>I would say it's certainly immodest. You can't extricate the school's reputation from your own personal reasons for being proud of being offered a place there.</p>

<p>There's also the fact that you're associating yourself with the reputation of an institution that you have done absolutely nothing to contribute to, even though you obviously will do so in the future.</p>

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I can see not wearing your shirt if your best friend got her rejection notice the day before but in general this is completely ridiculous!!"

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<p>Nobody is suggesting banning anything, but society effectively bans certain actions by ostracizing perpetrators of those actions. That's not a conspiracy, it's not a conscious choice of many to "make everybody feel better about themselves", or "make everybody feel equal", it's just a fact that immodesty is seen as unbecoming of a person. One can wear the shirt, by all means, but one shouldn't be surprised if one gets some hostile reactions.</p>

<p>2by2 is right..the hardworkers deserve to wear their sweatshirts. The wealthy students certainly don't hesitate to carry designer purses (thereby risking disappointment in the economically challenged). Nor do students hesitate to drive expensive cars for three years, even though that hurts the feelings of kids (and teachers) who drive heaps. Perhaps students are so pained about admittees' good fortune because they are reminded that they could have earned admission by daily hard work and sacrifice, but they opted to party hearty, to shop, to play video games instead. College acceptence is the first time Reality descends upon indulged kids. No longer does daddy's money, or high school popularity count. I've seen the "cool" kids shocked that another student's diligence and integrity are rewarded by a top college. The self-proclaimed party kingpins and princesses are left in the dust and are truly perplexed at being passed over. (And often shocked that teachers write poor recommendations, or refuse to write them at all!) So,of course they are hurt when they can't wear a top college Tshirt, they've come to feel entitled to have it all.</p>

<p>And some people need to grow up and learn that there are others out there besides themselves</p>

<p>I personally wouldn't want to go around inciting "jealously" (which btw I doubt this is) Humbleness is very becoming....and again, the OP says others don't get the looks, he does....so the OP is indeed projecting an air of snobbery...</p>

<p>Free speech- I am allll for it....I am also for having a bit of class and stepping out of my own ego when I KNOW that others aren't so lucky</p>

<p>0r they can be the hardworker with poor parents who can't afford to go to a school they got into, or chose to go to a school "not like the one the OP got into"...again, its all in how you present yourself in that sweatshirt, your timing, and your compassion</p>

<p>If you need a shirt to show how special you are...then that to me is sad</p>

<p>Absolutely crazy. Someone tell me this: why is it bragging if it's a prestigious school, but all other schools are perfectly legit? How do you justify that double standard??? How is it immodest for someone to wear HYPS, but it's fine if they wear Purdue, Texas A&M, Marquette, etc? </p>

<p>And before you label this action insensitive, return to the origional situation I posted about: my school has no EA/ED deferred or rejected students (none applied!!!) and most kids apply to schools with rolling admissions. If there were a bunch of rejected/deferred students, it might be rather insensitive, but if no one even applied...! Seriously, that just sounds like others dragging someone down when they never even had a stake in the application process. Toughen up, people. It's not immodesty- how dare you employ such devices of guilt and shame to this situation!</p>

<p>I'm not a snob, I'm excited about next year. I want to wear my college shirt like everyone else. Why can't I do that? Because people need to equalize the world by exercising such ridiculous double standards!!!!</p>

<p>let me add something to the non-debate:</p>

<p>obviously there is nothing wrong with wearing your college shirt, freedom of speech, blah blah blah. it's not illegal, it's not unethical.</p>

<p>the issue here has all along been about whether or not you want people to like you. it's not wrong, but if you want them to like you, don't do what they don't like. they have a right to dislike what you do, too, whether or not it's right. it's a personal choice, both for you and for them.</p>

<p>College shirts aren't such a big deal at our school. I know people that have Yale/MIT/Harvard shirts who aren't going to one of them and aren't applying.</p>

<p>I was rejected ED from my top choice school and two of my friends were accepted, PLUS all my other friends accepted to AMAZING schools ED. For the whole month of December there were Facebook statuses screaming "OMG PENN '12" or "TUFTS!" or "SWAT!" at me and even though it stank a little, I handled it. I don't want them to feel bad just because I didn't get in. They deserve to be happy and if they want to wear their shirt or scream it on Facebook, then they can do it. Just like how I'm going to flip out and scream once I get my letters (hopefully, haha, unless I'm rejected everywhere). </p>

<p>So, basically, wear whatever you want. ED rejectees/deferrals can get over it. They HAVE to get over it because they have to apply to other schools and fall in love with THOSE schools now. Sure, I was completely jealous about everyone that was all done with their college process (still am jealous), someone wearing a shirt isn't going to break my heart. </p>

<p>There's a line that can be crossed- constantly talking and yelling and screaming about the school a month after, but wearing a shirt doesn't cross that line.</p>

<p>fine, live as you want to, but either way, it shows a lack of modesty and humbleness. Sure, you deserved to get in where you wanted, but there ARE reasons why things happen. It's respectable people who are humble about their achievements and possessions.</p>

<p>Its always the ppl who have enough personal pride and self-esteem who don't need to wear their 'prestigious' univ's shirts to increase their sense of achievement. Those who've truly earned what they got, do not show off. Those who are smart enough to get into top schools should also have the wisdom (and prudency) enough to know that wearing a logo from a super-selective school WILL offend others, even if they do not explicitly express their disapproval. That's just how society works... Even if you in fact DO have all the rights in the world to wear a shirt from a school you've dedicated a lot to get admitted, people won't like it. They just don't (at least the majority). Period.</p>

<p>And also, not everybody is going to take the whole college admissions deal as lightly (and maturely) as brillar has done. Most probably, even though brillar has done an excellent job repressing his sore wounds, sore wounds hurt when prodded, no matter how well you covered them.</p>

<p>PS: Here I'm explicitly talking about HS students who wear the shirts of schools they've been admitted to.
PPS: If one is a student who is widely known not to have the caliber to get into a good school, one does not need to worry about scorn, since they'd know that that person probably didn't even apply</p>