<p>I don’t know why people are complaining about the first sentence. The first sentence isn’t really disturbing (quite humorous, actually). The second one is, however.</p>
<p>
then…
</p>
<p>It’s not a secret anymore…
Think about it for a moment, and then tell me if the essay is appropriate or not.</p>
<p>Oh no, tongue in cheek, possibly sexually related text in a college essay, ruuuuuuun!</p>
<p>The kids applying to college are teenagers and the essay is not overtly sexual at all. If anything, reading into it just shows that the reader has a dirty mind. Which is fine, but don’t blame the writer.</p>
<p>Let’s start with the opening “a classmate”, which presumes… a classmate. Next, the fact that “Rohan” is NOT going to UofC, and my daughter knows it. He also denies writing it. This suggests a prank email, probably by another classmate, intended to be suggestive, and need I say, embarrassing, or have you no imagination or don’t even remember what can be embarrassing to a teenager.
I see no evidence that anyone who is a “classmate” CONSENTED to circulating the letter. I really see no evidence that the DEAN actually sent the letter at all, therefore I am not suggesting that the DEAN is LYING! ( The email address was NOT the email address listed on the UofC website, as I would have expected from a legitimate UofC email) If, on the other hand, the letter really was sent by the DEAN, then “classmate” and the other claims, (attending next year, etc. ) can be construed to be, at the very least, misleading. The fact that someone in this thread claims to be able to verify the validity of the letter, means absolutely nothing. Do YOU have any real knowledge regarding this? I see no evidence at all.
In the same vein, not knowing whether the letter is ACTUALLY from the UofC, I see no reason to question the integrity of the UofC. My daughter was accepted ED to the college of her choice, which was not UofC, and we are both very happy with that.
And, BTW, however many a plethora is, "classmate’ implies “classmate” and she only has one by that name.
And again, this letter was either poorly conceived, or poorly worded.</p>
<p>Aside from the fact you’re either just a person trying to stir the pot anonymously on the web for your own feeble amusement, or a moron, an article about this essay was published in the new york times (which generally suggests it to be genuine). And while there is no evidence, I’m certain I proofread this essay for the mysterious “Rohan,” as he is a real person that I know, before he submitted it. I’m never responding to anything on a forum again, you are a waste of everyone’s time.</p>
<h1>164; my response was actually to #150, but your response was interesting. I guess where my point of contention mainly lies is with the use of the word “classmate”, which leads to certain assumptions (that he is a classmate in a more specific sense than “Class of 2010”). IF I were going to send a similar email, I would not use “classmate” or associate any specific name with the essay, as that seems to be what gives rise to the possibility of confusion in rare specific cases (as when a specific classmate actually HAS a specific name). But that’s just me; I’m sure such cases are extremely rare, and possibly unique.</h1>
<p>Truth be told, I only happened across this forum while attempting to check the legitimacy of this email in the first place.
Haven’t read the NYTimes article, I will have to do that. What issue is it in?
I am sure your “Rohan” is real, and he is lucky to have such a brilliant proofreader and analyst, as evidenced by your response. Keep up the good work.</p>
<p>Just read the NYTimes article, published today, so apparently the email is legit. My opinion of it remains the same; poorly conceived and poorly worded. And just so you don’t misunderstand, I am referring to the email and not the essay. My opinion of the essay has nothing to do with my opinion of the email.</p>
<p>Filth? Surely you exaggerate!</p>
<p>Personally, I think it’s an interesting idea for an essay…not quite sure if I like how he actually implemented it, though. </p>
<p>WHOA.</p>
<p>I’ve met the kid who wrote this essay. He just posted the NY Times article on someone’s FB wall. I suddenly change my mind – this essay has a lot more personality than I ever thought he had. A+!</p>
<p>Haha, I quite like it. I’m sure they don’t get responses quite that “creative” very often. Kudos to him for taking the risk; glad it paid off.</p>
<p>Yeah, I like the essay; very creative! Now I want to re-write all of my essays.</p>
<p>The New York Times has a story in it today on this thread!</p>
<p>Haha, perfect college essay! I wish I could write like him or her. :)</p>
<p>I think it’s funny. Lighten up weenie heads. Real life is tough. Have some fun while you still can.</p>
<p>Sorry if someone’s already posted this, but has anyone seen this Boston Globe article covering the controversy surrounding the essay?</p>
<p>[University</a> of Chicago gets earful over cheeky essay - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/01/01/university_of_chicago_gets_earful_over_cheeky_essay/]University”>http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/01/01/university_of_chicago_gets_earful_over_cheeky_essay/)</p>
<p>Happy New Year!</p>
<p>The soft core opening line isn’t very witty, and I would have preferred the writer keep it private. Even though the original letter from the University created the opening for such a response, I think the admissions office should not have published this one. </p>
<p>As someone who has worked in a highly innovative area of the US work force at large, I think creative writing is great, but many of the people I have worked with show the serious decline of literacy in this country. Even if they can read and write, most people cannot compose their ideas in writing. Many of them cannot prepare for meetings unless they can just show up and wing it. If this person were an applicant to a creative writing institution, or a comedy club, or trying to get a job at a soft core entertainment company, this would be an appropriate application, and would have been an appropriate piece for the admissions office to solicit.</p>
<p>There’s nothing witty about not being able to write the kind of correspondence appropriate to professional circles, and setting the tone for that kind of activity is absolutely necessary if an institution is offering to show it’s students how to successfully compete in this country’s work force - in exchange for their (10’s of ?) thousands of dollars. Those thousands of dollars of loans they will need to pay back, for which they will need a reasonable income. It doesn’t matter if (at best) this student has aspirations for a career in creative writing, he/she will still need to be able to convince someone to pay them for their work.</p>
<p>When your college graduate child needs to write cover letters to get a job, can you tell them what’s important? What about how to conduct themselves among people they work with who are ten years ahead of them and have serious agendas? Will they get brushed aside because they showed themselves to be clumsy the first time they were given a chance to participate? Don’t kid yourself. It does happen. In company’s that offer reasonable benefits and compensation, nobody is going to take them aside and tell them their social skills are remedial.</p>
<p>There’s a time and a place for goofing around. This just isn’t that place.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The author of the essay might be a prospective humanities major, in which case creativity is an asset, as it is for any other field, for that matter.</p>
<p>But I hope you’re just an amateur ■■■■■.</p>
<p>“But I hope you’re just an amateur ■■■■■.”</p>
<p>You hope.</p>
<p>But this kind of finger pointing is exactly what people do when they have no other skills. And it doesn’t get you anywhere.</p>
<p>I believe the email to prospective applicants underscores the attention Chicago provides its students. Bravo!</p>
<p>I seriously don’t get it. The only thing you learn about the kid in his essay is that he aspires to become a corporate lawyer. That’s it. The rest is completely without any substance. It’s almost like he didn’t write anything. Plus, most of the applicants who are accepted into elite schools have written witty essays. People who write dull essays are by default rejected. I don’t get what the hype over this kid is.</p>
<p>I currently attend Columbia. My essay, along with the essays of fellow accepted classmates at my HS, were all witty essays - it’s really what it takes to get in. </p>
<p>I also work for the Columbia Spec campus newspaper, and also BWOG, which is the satire magazine published by columbia students…and honestly, there are at least 20-50 writers on there who constantly publish witty and extremely satirical pieces (and some of these guys are just Freshman, barely out of high school).</p>
<p>So while I congratulate Rohan on getting into Chicago, I don’t get what the hype is all about. I should probably post some of my friends’ essays on here…some of you would fall over laughing at their keen sense of wit and brilliance. I’m sure Rohan got in because of his other credentials and not just this essay - because anyone can tell that this piece of writing alone tells you absolutely nothing about him.</p>
<p>“People who write dull essays are by default rejected. I don’t get what the hype over this kid is.”</p>
<p>Most people probably have never read the essay of any student admitted to a top school.</p>
<p>Most people’s idea of good essays are things that are very dull. Just look at some of the essays that people post on this board. They tend to be very dull even though the students are applying to top schools.</p>
<p>Probably most college essays are dull. That’s because most essays go to schools that base admission overwhelmingly on stats. Even when students are applying to the most competitive colleges, most such applicants write essays that aren’t interesting.</p>