i did everything right, got the gpa, the sat, the extracurriculars -- i grinded my essays until they were 10/10. i think i'm less annoyed about getting waitlisted at ucsd and ucla (my dream schools) than the false promise that was told to me when i started high school, that if i did everything the way i was supposed to (and i did!) i would have a fair shot. i knew the college process wasn't fair but today it has hit me that it really, really isn't and i wish someone had told me earlier that fifteen AP classes and a 1580 can end up meaning nothing. the admissions choices feel arbitrary, not for any larger reason. i can't believe ucla is going through 150000 applicants trying to figure out which ones are the best for their gigantic class. it's really luck. and i guess that's okay. really. just wish i had been told that earlier before i lost my youth to a process with zero guarantees. that's why i feel cheated.
It’s amazing how if you just get up every morning and keep plugging and have some discipline and keep learning. It’s amazing how it works out okay.
I don’t think it’s wise to have an ambition to be President of the United States or a billionaire or something like that because the odds are too much against you. Much better to aim low.
I did not intend to get rich. I wanted to get independent, I just overshot! [Laughter].
And by the way while you’re clapping, some of the overshooting was accidental. You can be very deserving and very intelligent, and very disciplined, but there’s also a factor of luck that comes into this thing.
The people that get the good, the outcomes that seem extraordinary, they’re the people who have discipline and intelligence and good virtue, plus a hell of a lot of luck! Why wouldn’t the world work like that.
college application is a whole mess now with schools trying
to be ranked higher by whatever nonesense metrics and being politically right. All those derpive the schools from the fundemantal principles that college is a place to challenge kids intellectually at their capacity and foster academic and social excellency.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/thjhfo/i_genuinely_just_feel_cheated/
i did everything right, got the gpa, the sat, the extracurriculars -- i grinded my essays until they were 10/10. i think i'm less annoyed about getting waitlisted at ucsd and ucla (my dream schools) than the false promise that was told to me when i started high school, that if i did everything the way i was supposed to (and i did!) i would have a fair shot. i knew the college process wasn't fair but today it has hit me that it really, really isn't and i wish someone had told me earlier that fifteen AP classes and a 1580 can end up meaning nothing. the admissions choices feel arbitrary, not for any larger reason. i can't believe ucla is going through 150000 applicants trying to figure out which ones are the best for their gigantic class. it's really luck. and i guess that's okay. really. just wish i had been told that earlier before i lost my youth to a process with zero guarantees. that's why i feel cheated.
看着我心疼这个孩子。
看太多了，都麻木了。
哎，这么多年真看太多了。
就这个子女谈就看了无数。 曾经有个叫什么雪花的，写过他儿子被所有藤拒绝后的绝望和失落，那篇文章真令人落泪。其实失望的不是被拒绝，而是看到远不如自己的同学能被录取，对一个十七八岁的孩子的打击会很大。 他们的努力不被承认和接受，被歧视和被不公品对待，对一个刚要进入社会的还是天真和充满理想主义的孩子会是一个大挫折。
It’s amazing how if you just get up every morning and keep plugging and have some discipline and keep learning. It’s amazing how it works out okay.
I don’t think it’s wise to have an ambition to be President of the United States or a billionaire or something like that because the odds are too much against you. Much better to aim low.
I did not intend to get rich. I wanted to get independent, I just overshot! [Laughter].
And by the way while you’re clapping, some of the overshooting was accidental. You can be very deserving and very intelligent, and very disciplined, but there’s also a factor of luck that comes into this thing.
The people that get the good, the outcomes that seem extraordinary, they’re the people who have discipline and intelligence and good virtue, plus a hell of a lot of luck! Why wouldn’t the world work like that.
to be ranked higher by whatever nonesense metrics and being politically right. All those derpive the schools from the fundemantal principles that college is a place to challenge kids intellectually at their capacity and foster academic and social excellency.
UCLA，不管录不录，他的人生基本上就是UCLA毕业生的起点。
AA可以躺赢的不算
都是阶段性的成长。大学录取就是对以往努力的评判。
给孩子如何解释，现在不是终极目标，那再努力，就有可能被承认吗。 显然不是啊，做矿工进大厂都有配额都有AA，所以要告诉孩子四年大学毕业后找工作也不是终极目标？
终极目标在哪啊?
如果因为知道失败就从开始就放弃，那就是连给自己成功的机会都放弃了。当然对成功的定义不同。但是学生阶段拼学习是主业啊！
但是看到孩子们这么拼还是得不到，真的除了心疼还是心疼！
娃今天回家，找他考过的剑桥英语最高级别的证书，好在拿的是A竟然实习公司要复印件还有国象教练证书。都是环环相扣，大学名声不重要 重要的是孩子要把握一些自己有的一些证明自己实力的东西可以是取得硬实力，也可以是软实力。
有的一遇到不顺心的事，习惯性地怨天尤人。。。
有的仍然保持自律，向上，努力做事。。。
。。。
我最怕孩子成为第一种人，这样的人见过不少
最烦那种连备胎学校都去横扫的
人太多了。但是把十几所学校都排出来看，录取是有规律可循的。运气成分也一定有。
共实90%是因为此人的智慧+努力+坚持，拥有超乎常人的努力和坚持
我们这分数和这个娃差不多的学生，很多都为了学费去了不是录得最好的学校，或者就只申了70名的州大。有个现实的期望值，不会那么失望。
这个娃的思想不太成熟strong entitlement，如果essay中流露，结果不奇怪。
至于文书不同的AO喜好不同，万一第一轮就碰上不对口的AO，就惨了
突然发现现实的残酷，似乎否定了自己所有的努力，不管是父母还是朋友，请允许这些孩子们有一个接受现实的过程。
努力了就会有收获。Nothing goes to waste. 录取季还没结束。好的还在后面.四年大学还没开始。一切都有可能。
应该很会投资、经济很好吧？您这个思维应该是会outthink a lot of people 的。
想起一个熟悉的 quote:"In case it's escaped your notice, but Life. Isn't. Fair."
(发自我的文学城离线浏览器)
资质混得好。但，很多家长自己思想都不行，所以普通娃最终还是普通人
作为家长， 我们要为他们的胜利鼓掌， 更重要的是做一些planing 和studying， 搞好一个solid 的safety schools list， 为孩子在这stressful的一年，准备一个相对平稳的环境。好孩子到哪儿都是好孩子的。