<p>Legend:</p>
<p>Not sure why a lot of the posts here are so vitriolic. You're in a sucky situation, and I'm sure most of us sympathize. A year off might give you a chance to regroup and prepare yourself for your last year, while you make some cash to put towards paying for school.</p>
<p>Good luck, and I hope it works out for you.</p>
<p>What type of work are you currently doing during the school year? Could you change schedules or working place to be more compatible with school work? For example, during college I usually worked office jobs and they let me study when we weren't busy. My husband worked about 30 hours a week at restaurants but he worked long hours on Saturday and Sunday, leaving most of the week free for studying and socializing. Interestingly 20 years later my husband reminisces more about those restaurant jobs than about the classes he took. </p>
<p>I went to a "country club" school on scholarship for a year and I don't remember resenting the rich kids mainly because they seemed to have a lot of problems. For example, one girl was under some sort of kidnapping threat and had to have a 24-hr bodyguard. My roommate had a breakdown due to not having the personality and appearance to follow in her wealthy dad's footsteps. In the long run I found it easier to start with little in the way of money and possessions and build it up by myself. People living on inherited wealth seem to often struggle with not having a real purpose to their life. I think in the long term you will be happier having built your life on your own terms. </p>
<p>Another issue your post raises is that the Ivy League schools have mounted this highly publicized effort to attract more lower-income students. They are going to be running into the same problems you have. I don't know if these colleges are addressing these integration issues. </p>
<p>I also urge you to talk to the people working at Penn in the financial aid office and your academic dean. You may also want to talk to people in the career counseling office with regard to the salaries and jobs you can expect to earn upon graduation. I'm sure they all want you to graduate and be a happy alumni who will donate money back to the school. </p>
<p>I hope you will be able to take your "lemons and make lemonade" as they say.</p>
<p>
[quote]
"The night is darkest before the dawn"
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also...
"It's always darkest before the dawn... or right before a typhoon sweeps up and kills everybody."</p>
<p>Legend:</p>
<p>I don't go to an Ivy but a small regionally known LAC that has very similar kids, if not worse. I was fortunate enough to start off with money in my savings so I didn't have to work my first year, but I still tried to stay frugal when possible because I paid for books, gas, etc. I didn't ever get negative comments, but sometimes I did feel chastised. People were appalled that I paid for my own books and fraternity dues and didn't get a monthly allowance. My truck doesn't compare to their BMW's or Volvo's. I prefer to eat on the meal plan everyone living on-campus is required to get rather than going out to dinner. I have been called "cheap" by several people, so I can only imagine your situation. This not something that happens only at Penn or even at private schools for that matter.</p>
<p>I would agree with most people on the board by saying take a year off and work. If you work full-time for a year, you may find better jobs with better pay, that you may even be able to continue into the year. I stayed with my company and just trained for a position that gets $20/hr on average. And definitely look into the counseling, these services at colleges are often overlooked and I'm sure the counselors at Penn will be happy to help you through this.</p>
<p>just stick to your ivy league school. you know how many people would die to have a diploma from an ivy league?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Stop complaining. Seriously.</p>
<p>Your friends are richer than you? Boo-hoo. If you were strong, that would make you work harder. Your grades suck? Boo-freaking-hoo. If you were strong, that would make you work harder. Life begins with the attitude you choose to adopt. Quite frankly, whiners like you don't deserve to be in the Ivy League.
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</p>
<p>I read a lot of things on CC that I can never understand. I remember a thread awhile back about how the middle class keeps "whining" they can't afford college and that they should be grateful for what they had. That is so easy for an affluent kid to say, but why should college's be based on your ability to pay? </p>
<p>To the OP, there's a lot of good advice that's been given. To everyone else, I hope that everyone understands that things you think don't have a big impact do. You may not think that having a bit of extra money, or having educated parents makes much of a difference... but it can have a big influence on who you are. To those saying "get over it", get over yourselves.</p>
<p>sounds like you've got deeper issues than just money woes.</p>
<p>this isn't about your college experience anymore. this is about yourself and how you lead your life. you probably won't find the best advice for that on a college discussion forum (and after reading some of these responses, I'm not surprised). if you've got any close friends or family you can talk to, do so. it seriously helps.</p>
<p>why does it affect you what the rich kids are doing? you've got your life, they've got theirs. you've gotta learn to accept who you are. there will always be people who are luckier and more well off than you. that's just how life works and you can't change the fact.</p>
<p>if anything, take pride in how you've been able to come this far from your modest beginnings. if they give you crap, brush it off and laugh at their ignorance. I'm sure not ALL the kids at penn are rich stuck-up snobs. just distance yourself from these loons and surround yourself with positive people that have similar values as you.</p>
<p>if college has taught me one thing, it's to handle my problems better. look, we all have our own problems in some way or another. some are definitely not as serious as others. nevertheless what sets us apart is how we handle them. do you want to be that weak, emotional person who lets problems get to their head? cmon, you know you are better than that.</p>
<p>so you've got a decision to make. you can either persevere through this rough phase, or mope about it on an online forum. it all lies within you man. it won't be easy and it won't happen overnight. obviously you're a very smart and capable person, so you know you've got it in you.</p>
<p>btw I would not suggest taking a year off. yes, you need time to regroup and gain new perspective, but I don't think isolating yourself from peers is the way to go.</p>
<p>Rob123's advice was excellent. Although I'm among those who think that taking a year off might help, I also agree with Rob's concern about how it would isolate you from your peers. I just think, however, that isolation would help you get a broader perspective on the good things about Wharton.</p>
<p>You are in the middle of the process of transitioning from one social class to another. It's confusing, awkward and painful. Yet, the lessons that you're learning the hard way (as these kind of transitions always are) will serve you well for a lifetime as you use your Wharton experience to forget the kind of life for yourself that you want.</p>
<p>
[quote]
just stick to your ivy league school. you know how many people would die to have a diploma from an ivy league?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Worst. Advice. Ever. Are you serious? The OP clearly sounds depressed. OP, go find some help and advice in real life - not this online forum. You're getting some bad advice. Go talk to a therapist or to your family.</p>
<p>transfer to UNC-chapel hill! seriously. it's the best of both worlds (strong academics in nearly every major, including business if you're at UPenn for wharton--and you'll be at the "university of the people," meaning it's diverse economically and socially). i bet they'd give you some nice merit scholarships, too.</p>
<p>Wow, I can't tell you how angry I am at the people who tell the OP that he should stop complaining, and that people would kill to go to an Ivy League school. First, it is silly for people to just lump all Ivies together...you are making huge generalizations. </p>
<p>More importantly, it is stupid for people to presume that an Ivy League school will automatically provide everyone with a fantastic experience. Most people who have criticized Legend have never been to Penn. They don't know what it is like at all. To say that other kids would do anything to get there, and that therefore the OP shouldn't "whine," is just ignorant. </p>
<p>Before he went to Penn, I'm sure Legend felt what you did...probably to an even greater extent since he worked like crazy to get into the school. I'm astounded at the lack of empathy on this board.</p>
<p>That's why you shouldn't have gone to a 50k a year school without a full ride, bub.</p>
<p>
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That's why you shouldn't have gone to a 50k a year school without a full ride, bub.
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</p>
<p>Did you read any of the posts other than the original?
Are you daft?</p>
<p>Nope and nope. Is that a problem, mister?</p>
<p>Quitejaded - his father died after it was too late to change his mind about going to Penn, and his mother suddenly decided not to support him. </p>
<p>I am amazed at how much negativity and contempt you people have for this poor guy. It sounds like you are jealous just because you failed in high school, and he had the perfect scores that got him into the Ivy League. Go back to your mediocre lives and stop making users on CC feel bad about themselves. Unless you have some constructive advice or kind words, please refrain from sharing your negativity and ignorance with the rest of us.</p>
<p>^Why don't you stop acting tough on the Internet? They might be mean, but honestly the OP's initial posts were a little self-pitying. Just because he's at Wharton doesn't mean he is any better than anyone on this site.</p>
<p>
You are in the middle of the process of transitioning from one social class to another. It's confusing, awkward and painful. Yet, the lessons that you're learning the hard way (as these kind of transitions always are) will serve you well for a lifetime as you use your Wharton experience to forget the kind of life for yourself that you want.
</p>
<p>Some Ivy League grads start making less than $40,000/year out of college. Given the guy's low GPA and current mental state, I wouldn't bet on him being in the middle of the process of transitioning from one social class to another, unless he's actually moving down.</p>
<p>
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Nope and nope. Is that a problem, mister?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>My rhetorical questions were to point out your insensitivity, mister.</p>
<p>
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^Why don't you stop acting tough on the Internet? They might be mean, but honestly the OP's initial posts were a little self-pitying. Just because he's at Wharton doesn't mean he is any better than anyone on this site.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>How else are you supposed to vent without sounding a bit self-pitying?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Some Ivy League grads start making less than $40,000/year out of college. Given the guy's low GPA and current mental state, I wouldn't bet on him being in the middle of the process of transitioning from one social class to another, unless he's actually moving down.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>He's got a 3.0 at Wharton. He'll be fine.</p>
<p>"Some Ivy League grads start making less than $40,000/year out of college. Given the guy's low GPA and current mental state, I wouldn't bet on him being in the middle of the process of transitioning from one social class to another"</p>
<p>The fact that one is in the Ivy League -- the cachet, the contacts, the education-- already puts him in a higher class when it comes to how most people would perceive things.</p>