Gary

People. Lots of people. Lafayette Square, illuminated by the dim street lights. Chow is packed as usual. It is freezing, yet the tables outside are filled, using heat lamps as a final lifeline. Tattooed and pierced, the waiters speed through their intermittent routes. Gary lurks. Across the street, Petars welcomes the young to dance and the old to decay. Diamond Dave wails. Back at Chow, the madness is incessant. A few single, middle-aged men sit at the bar watching the basketball game. The rest of the population is coupled, dating and married, young and old. The fresh faces of energetic new parents starkly contrast those of the seasoned veterans, a glimpse into the future. Children have graduated and the guard has been passed. This isn't the same town I grew up in.

Twisted: College Admissions and the Warped Interpretation of Self-Worth

I sit here pondering my future. Millions of college-bound students do the same, though I'm one of the few nerdy enough to write about it (like the title?). No, I wasn't accepted by Harvard or Princeton. I wasn't personally offended either- I'm sure hundreds of kids far smarter than I were denied as well. But therein lies the problem. No one but the admissions officers themselves know what qualifies certain candidates and axes others. In fact, I doubt they could even define the ideal applicant. Boston College was impressed with me enough to invite me into the Honors Program, whereas Vanderbilt merely added me to the purgatorial waiting list. According to Forbes' latest list of the top colleges in America, BC ranks 26th while Vanderbilt comes in at a very respectable, but much lower, 53rd. Such a nonsensical situation shows why students beginning the application process should avoid putting too much stock in rankings... These are my scattered thoughts as I prepare to leave for college, but the real point is that acceptance or rejection to a particular college should have absolutely no impact on one's self-confidence. Do I feel I deserved to get into H or P? Yes, I probably did. I am, however, still going to attend an incredibly fine institution, BC, and in the end, I believe I'll be much happier on this path. Besides, there's always graduate school to give me a second shot at the behemoths. But for now, screw them- I'm headed to Boston.