<p>Is getting accepted to a college (that has an admissions process and an acceptance rate, not like on-the-spot admission at a community college) - a huge accomplishment in of itself? Should one take pride in the fact that they were accepted to an institution of higher learning, regardless of its ranking and selectivity? Is it better to view every acceptance as a privilege and a gift or is it better to take with you in decisions season the same attitude you had when applying - that if a school was a safety, your acceptance was guaranteed (at least >99% likely) - and that your actual physical acceptance isn't a huge accomplishment nor it is a surprise? </p>
<p>I guess a more simplified way to ask this is - are you excited and proud about every acceptance, even if it was largely anticipated?</p>
<p>Great accomplishments (often) have to defy expectation. If you had lots of opportunities and all your peers are getting into good colleges along with you, it’s not much of an accomplishment in itself. If you were disadvantaged, it could be. I guess if you feel like you had to work really hard to get to where you are, then it’s an accomplishment. </p>
<p>“Privilege” and “gift” are way different from “accomplishment.”
Being able to go to college (any college) is an amazing opportunity, but I don’t think I deserve it or that it’s an accomplishment…I was just born in the right place at the right time, and most of it has absolutely nothing to do with my merit.</p>
<p>I think I take a different perspective because I do attend my safety.
–Every acceptance is something you can be proud of --></p>
<p>I applied to UC Berkeley just to see if I would get in. And if people ask me why I didn’t attend a UC, I would’ve been able to back myself up (as I didn’t apply to any other UC’s).</p>
<p>I believe that it’s something special to attend my safety school. There may be some smart students with high GPA’s looking to transfer out or high school students simply ignoring the safety because it is not “prestigious” enough, or that they would’ve wasted all of their effort in high school. At a safety school, there are so many benefits that many people might overlook. Some of my pride does stem from the fact of getting to be significantly better than the average student / getting to use the resources I’m offered to make the best out of college and I really enjoy it despite it being a safety.</p>
<p>Would you consider a 2.0 GPA a huge accomplishment? NO. Would you consider a 1000 SAT score a huge accomplishment? NO. Would you consider someone being able to afford college a huge accomplishment? NO (unless they had been saving up over years).
So why is getting into a college that aggregates this info into one acceptance letter a huge accomplishment?
From my own person experiences, the people who go to CC are the ones who slack off in school and meet the exact criteria I just mentioned.
In modern times, college has become the social norm. I guarantee my parents (well not my parents, I’m Asian, but the stereotypical American parent) would say going to college in their time was an accomplishment, because it wasn’t what nearly EVERYONE did.
Pursuing higher education is great, but just getting into college, IMHO, isn’t.</p>
<p>I think it depends on the context of a person’s grades and circumstances. For most people on here, getting into a low-tiered State U isn’t considered to be fantastic (and even more than expected). For kids who’ve always struggled, though, and maybe had learning difficulties, then I think it is something to be proud of (even if it’s a college that no one’s heard of, isn’t considered to be “great”, etc.). Even more of an accomplishment if the person going to State U was homeless, incredibly poor, and so on and so forth.</p>
<p>All depends on the perspective.</p>
<p>No matter what, I think people should be thankful they have the opportunity to go to college in general, because a lot of our parents, and even kids today in America or other countries, didn’t/don’t have the opportunity.</p>
<p>John Green said something along the lines of the very act of attending school, regardless of level, is a privilege that has been denied to the vast majority of people throughout the course of human history. An education is an education and it should be valued as such. </p>
<p>I don’t think we should write off all community college students - my father is a professor at a community college and a very large portion of his students are there because of financial reasons, and many others are there in hopes of getting an education they were unable to receive earlier in life (perhaps a married mother of 4 who’s been working as a waitress and wants to increase her economic opportunity in today’s market, for instance.) - While I do acknowledge that many students at community college are there because they blew off high school, it isn’t to say that what they’re doing currently (by choosing to attend school) isn’t an accomplishment and a respectable endeavor in of itself. </p>
<p>As CE527M said - it depends largely on circumstances – kids who are nonnative English speakers may bomb the SAT (a close friend of mine who immigrated from China two years ago struggled with it - and to her, a 1400+ was an accomplishment, since she was very unfamiliar with the underpinnings of English grammar and writing) – kids with learning disabilities may receive less than stellar grades and have to take remedial courses, etc. etc. Also depends on perspective as aforementioned - people should be thankful for their opportunities. When I receive acceptance letters to my safeties tacked with scholarships of 100k+, I still find it within myself to be proud, even if the school name atop it isn’t amongst the ivies.</p>
<p>Yes, I do agree perspective is important. Alluding to what I said earlier, if someone considers their 1000 SAT an achievement (which, based on context, they might), then getting into a CC is an accomplishment.
All about perspective.</p>
<p>Everyone gets into CC – community colleges (at least those in MA) have automatic on the spot admissions granted that you meet some basic citizenship requirements. Even individuals who are illiterate can still enroll in CC, they’re just required to take some non-credit prerequisites. So “getting into a CC” isn’t necessarily an accomplishment, as everyone gets into community college - but the act of deciding to continue one’s education and broaden their intellectual and financial horizon is the accomplishment.</p>