This discussion was created from comments split from: Princeton Students Take Over President’s Office, Demand Erasure Of Woodrow Wilson.
Hi all,
I am an aspiring poli sci major. I’m writing my common app personal statement about my passion for politics, and I’ve been thinking about some of the supplemental essays for Ivies I’m applying to. The protests at some of our world’s finest schools makes my blood boil- I was raised to respect my teachers and anyone in a position of authority, but these petulant and narcissistic students act as if the universities owe them everything on a silver platter. The blatant trampling of the 1st amendment is the cherry on top of this mess, and as someone who comes from a country where people are fighting for basic civil liberties, I am deeply insulted that people such as Mrs. Click think they are above the Constitution.
Anyway, I was thinking about writing about these protests in some of my suppl. essays- obviously I will keep the fiery rhetoric out of them and stay completely non-partisan as to not offend readers who do not hold my viewpoint. What do you guys think? Too risky and controversial? Or should I take the plunge and write my heart out? This situation is personal to me and honestly, I would love to read an essay like this from an applicant. There are far too many apathetic high schoolers these days and I think my writing would stand out.
I appreciate it!
@mdorbust your essays should be about you, not exterior events. Not sure this is the thread for essay advice anyways.
People can disagree about whether this particular issue is worth fighting about, and I doubt that anyone defends the student for losing her temper-- she probably doesn’t even defend it herself-- but I also doubt that an applicant would win many points by saying that students should defer to their elders and never protest.
@mdorbust your essay would stand out but maybe not in the way you want. A foreigner putting down american citizens who care about this country and the murder and racist treatment of blacks strikes me as a bit arrogant and unknowledgeable regarding the current political climate in this country
Unless you support these types of protests, stay away from the topic. The admins and professors at the vast majority of these schools admire/support the protesters, and wish they could be in their shoes if they did not have a mortgage to pay.
@“Cardinal Fang” U of Missouri Prof. who tried to kick out a journalist who was trying to film a protest.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/12/melissa-click-university-of-missouri-assistant-pro/
I am an American, not a “foreigner”. Not sure what difference it would make if I was, though, considering that these are issues that affect everyone, regardless of nationality. I also care deeply about this country- that is why I want to enter politics lol. @tiger1307
If you want to get into an Ivy, don’t make a habit of reading the Washington Times. And I was a conservative kid at an Ivy. Be choosy about what conservative media you consume, because most of it is junk. Even NR, which was fairly good in my day, has gone pretty questionable.
@“Cardinal Fang” I hardly think that people should “fall in line” in an authoritarian manner and never protest. IMO, it is just rude and low class to scream f bombs at a distinguished faculty member. The group at students at Yale lost all credibility when they resorted to acting that way. There were a million different ways they could have went about reaching to the administration.
@Zinhead thanks for the advice.
@NavalTradition All media is biased to some extent. I read from a wide variety of sources and then form my own opinions, but if an Ivy doesn’t want to accept me because of my politics, why would I ever want to attend?
It’s not a question of bias, but of quality. The New Criterion is conservative. Fox News is conservative. Fox News is pitched at morons. The New Criterion is written on a high intellectual level. Be careful not to fill your mind with mush, is my point.
@mdorbust at post 614 you said you come from a country where people are fighting for basic civil liberties. That implies you a foreigner. Ivies want people with open minds. What do you think about racist incidents on campuses around this country against blacks. What do you think of the murder of unarmed blacks by the police? Does that make you mad or just people who vent their frustration and anger at the system of injustice in this country
@NavalTradition - I was reminded, reading what you write regarding quality, of the school I taught at years ago. I was asked to be the faculty advisor to the Republican Students’ Club (not based on my views, but on my free block). At the first meeting, a freshman asked for reading suggestions that relate to Libertarian views. I said he might read some Ayn Rand. A sophomore rolled his eyes at me and said, “I never heard of that, but we read modern books, like by Rush Limbaugh”.
To be fair, pretty much all of television and mass media is pitched at morons.
@tiger1307 I’m sorry, I was referring to my ethnicity. I can see how that could be misleading.
I am very open minded. In my experience as a very young human being, it is often so-called “liberals” who are the LEAST open minded. I cannot keep track of the number of times I have been attacked ad hominem for my right of center beliefs by my Dem. friends. It is clear that some, such as yourself, are completely unaccepting of people who have different opinions. What part of that is truly liberal?! Also, what a slippery slope fallacy…because I think that Yale/Pton students are wrong in their treatment of staff, I automatically am a racist bigot who supports the murder of innocent Black lives?! Nice logic. You clearly have an agenda, and I am not here to fight you. I celebrate diversity, especially diversity of opinions. To me, there is nothing more beautiful than having an intellectual discussion with people who hold a different viewpoint: that is how the human mind progresses. Unfortunately, these students do NOT wish to think critically. They just label people based on their appearance and cast judgement.
And to be further fair, I also think the current wave of protests would be more productive if leftist students were reading Marx and Fanon instead of HuffPo and Tumblr.
When I googled around trying to figure out where awcntdb is getting his version of history, I found a National Review (NR?) article.
@NavalTradition I get your point, but I wasn’t aware that the Washington Post is perceived as less credible then other sources…