<p>i think you're confusing me now</p>
<p>I know this is late but I found the story to be inspiring. Yes, she got a connection but usually people in her situation (working class, immigrant) don't so I'm not mad at her.</p>
<p>the problem is that if you're a disadvantaged student living near the school or an alum with clout who probably lives near the school you have more of a chance than someone from Wisconsin or somewhere of the like....which is crap.</p>
<p>Re: mojojojo69 and shoebox10</p>
<p>Stanford accepts students who have demonstrated that they are exceptional in one way or another. The sacrifice she made by tending to her mother instead of going off to school is a sign of exceptional character. </p>
<p>It bothers me that so many people rush in to attack her. If Stanford and the Jack Kent Cooke foundation had not reached out to her, who knows what her other options would have been. Most college applicants end up where they belong, even if it is not at their choice school. It is unlikely that she would have.</p>
<p>This is particularly insulting to me because I was an applicant from a community college at a disadvantage because of circumstances out of my control. I am lucky that one college saw through this and welcomed me as a transfer student. My school was Amherst. Hers was Stanford. You guys will get into good colleges too if you are qualified.</p>
<p>Re: google_bot</p>
<p>Neither of us were against her going to Stanford. We were against the fact that she pretty much got where she is due to other people. Someone else told her about the Cooke Scholarship, and while I commend her for applying, there wasn't much else done on her part. As for the actual acceptance into Stanford, I wouldn't care if she came from a CC, on her own, with her own hard work. Sure, she had a 4.0. Great, so do many of the other applicants, but still only 5% are admitted. Yes, she had a mother nearly on her deathbed, but many other students have many other issues in their life. Instead, what upsetted us is that she gained entrance because of a gardner. Without that gardner, she probably would have been another name in the stacks. And it was simply because she's done "soo much" in her life and she survived a CC, she should recieve admission. And as mentioned, "Most college applicants end up where they belong, even if it is not at their choice school. It is unlikely that she would have.". I agree, because she seemed to not make the effort at all to get anywhere. And while some may say "But her mother was sick", her mother wasn't sick enough for her to run off to Stanford. </p>
<p>I'm sorry, but I know it sucks being disadvantaged and no one asks for it, but someone should not get admission to a top university simply by knowing someone, when she, infact, didnt even know that person.
I have no issue against CC students transferring to top universities, as long as they work hard and demonstrate the ability to succeed. It sounds like you have, and I congradulate you on Amherst and wish you the best of luck, as I'm sure your background has made you a stronger person. What I don't believe in is people being admitted into top universities by dumb luck, and I don't care if they're from Billy Bob's Dusty Swamp Comm. College or Harvard University. Admission should be blind to stuff like that, and instead, focus on each person's grades/ECs/circumstances. Maybe she was still good enough for Stanford, who knows. But unless the person/people who admitted her come out and say "Yes, she would've gotten in otherwise" or "The connection had no influence", I will still disagree with what happened. I worked my butt off to get into UVA, went through the basic application process, spent countless nights trying to make me show through my essays, and researched scholarships on my own to help finance tuition. Never once was I told about anything unless I asked for help/guidence, I don't know anyone connected to the university besides an uncle who graduated in '70 with a 2.9 and donates a hundred bucks every once in awhile. And I got in, in addition to many other well-qualified, determined applicants, both from 4-yr and CC institutions.</p>
<p>Anytime i see HYPS graduation photos, the women have their legs crossed and are staring into the sky.lmao...so weird.</p>
<p>Re: shoebox10</p>
<p>"And while some may say 'But her mother was sick', her mother wasn't sick enough for her to run off to Stanford."</p>
<p>Her mother had improved but sadly relapsed after she left. That is the cheapest most callous thing you could say.</p>
<p>"Someone else told her about the Cooke Scholarship, and while I commend her for applying, there wasn't much else done on her part."</p>
<p>She applied for nearly a dozen scholarships. The Jack Kent Cooke application, by the way, is not an easy one to fill out. I cannot believe you would question her work ethic too.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, but I know it sucks being disadvantaged and no one asks for it, but someone should not get admission to a top university simply by knowing someone, when she, infact, didnt even know that person."</p>
<p>I really do not understand you. She did not know someone, so she should not be admitted? But even if she had known someone, that should not be grounds for admission? You are just brewing jealousy.</p>
<p>Google did you join just to post on this thread? </p>
<p>anyway...despite what Google says...IT'S STILL CRAP. Don't get me wrong I'm happy it was her and not some rich kid.</p>
<p>"What is with all of these top schools bending over backwards for students who haven't always worked their tails off to get to the school, when others who have, arn't getting there?"</p>
<p>If you want to object to automatic articulation, that's one thing. But to think we haven't worked our tails off and have always had an easier road than others? Please.</p>
<p>Google_bot: about her mother- i missed that part, i apoligize
scholarships- who knows what the other ones were. And this is not the point of the article
admission- I said one shouldn't get admitted to a top school simply because they know someone. And, to add to that, even if that was ok, she didn't even know the person. So, someone totally unknown to her got her into Stanford by luck. I'm sorry, but I think that's crap. I worked for my top education, just like everyone else should. Admission to Standford by simply knowing a gardner is the worst handout I have ever seen, and it wouldn't matter if the person was male, female, young, old, white, black, or flipping purple. It's just wrong.</p>
<p>Roughwinds- I do believe CC students work their butts off. I'm taking Differential Eq. at a nearby CC and I definently see the effort they put in. My point was like above: she could've come from Harvard, I don't care, but the fact that she got in because of her connections is crap. And unless someone can prove she got in as a result of something else, which I doubt anyone can because the whole point of the article is her "luck", I don't agree. I would be embarassed and upset had I gotten into UVA because someone knew me outside of the admissions office and called them up.</p>
<p>I agree with you on the connections issue. Just making sure you're not saying community college students aren't as deserving as the others. Good to know you're not.</p>
<p>shoebox</p>
<p>Luck plays a role for everyone who is admitted to Stanford. The fact that she was particularly deserving and least likely to be admitted given other distractions in her life and her inability to afford SAT tutoring and other such things made her story enjoyable to me.</p>
<p>Your attitude seems to be she got in, I did not, I am going to find a reason to hate her or the system (you have attacked both, but I think you are more against the system). And I do not think you have a very strong case. Stanford has a limited number of spaces and many applicants who would do well there. So they take as many as they can and the rest find spots at other great colleges. I see the story as one more person made their dream a reality and the size of higher education just grew. The person who was displaced will find a place at another university. Somewhere a university will increase in size by one student or a not-so-great school will become better to satisfy demand. The alternative is a student with potential never realizing it. If you are worried about getting into a particular university for prestige, yes the system is unfair, but you are also petty.</p>
<p>"scholarships- who knows what the other ones were. And this is not the point of the article"</p>
<p>Read the article again. New scholarships directed at people like her were indeed a major focus. I only pointed out all of the scholarships she applied for, though, to refute your supposed point that she was lazy.</p>
<p>Its not always what you know, its who you know. A fact of life. It not as though she undeserving of her offer admission by any measure. The only thing I'd be bitter about is that I didnt know the gardener. We would all like to presume that elite college admissions are based solely on merit and such, but it isnt. Stanford is a private school, they can do as they please.</p>
<p>google_bot I think you should stop taking people's comments on this article personally. You sound like you may end up in a heartattack if this continues. Also, stop making assumptions about shoebox. You keep trying to defend this girl from his "attacks," but you fail to realize that you're the only one making personal attacks on this thread.</p>
<p>I don't know how qualified she was, and maybe she was just as qualified as other admitted students, but the thing that gets me is that she didn't even apply to Stanford. However, I am not going to judge Stanford; they are a private institution, meaning they reserve the right to admit whoever the hell they want. The girl got lucky in terms of meeting that gardener, and you can't really argue against that.</p>
<p>"... her inability to afford SAT tutoring and other such things made her story enjoyable to me."</p>
<p>I can't find where it mentions that. Even so, she can't pay 15 bucks for an SAT book by working like I did? I mean, save up for necessities and cut where you can - I did.</p>
<p>google_bot: First off, I never attacked her, or "the system". I just disagree with how she got in. And what system? If there's a system where you can get into an elite college by knowing someone who knows someone else, well then, why did I bother spending a month and a half on UVA's app? And also, the article clearly mentions that she never really dreamed of Stanford except random moments and even then she thought she would never make it, hence why she only applied to other UCs. Why should such a valuable space go to someone who was never really interested until doors were opened for her by other people? And why is she more deserving? Simply because she's poor and has parents that are poorly educated and poor? Look around, more than 13% of Americans are in poverty (<a href="http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty05/pov05hi.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty05/pov05hi.html</a>) and a ton more are in her shoes (I don't think she was poverty, the article would have mentioned it I assume). </p>
<p>Frankly, I agree with everyone: it was luck she got in. But I still think it's wrong, and still firmly believe in the merit system. Any help beyond that should be demostrated interest. Oh, Stanford, you never cease to amaze anyone =P</p>