As college admission decisions arrive, students forget the true meaning of higher education.


It is that time of year again. As hundreds of colleges email acceptance letters to thousands of high school students across the nation, it may be the best of times. Or it may be the worst of times, as the same institutions send rejection messages to applicants. Some fulfill their dream, while others watch it turn into a nightmare.

That is a clear problem.

Heading into the application process, many students get a funny notion in their head that they must be accepted into a certain college in order to be successful. Some feel that they must collect acceptances almost like trophies on a wall to show off to friends and relatives. In our over-pampered, greedy culture of society, getting into a high-level college has become a rat race.

Likewise, the college application season is the time when the weaknesses of MVHS education really show up. We are an army of kids taught to compete for the highest grade and conform to society’s definition of the American dream. With Apple and Google just a few minutes away, the expectations of your parents seems to loom over individual hopes and dreams.

Whether or not a college is ranked in the top 10 of Newsweek’s annual rankings or not, it is absolutely essential to remember that we are truly fortunate to even receive an opportunity to attend college. Sure, an Ivy League education is something to strive for, but certainly not to cry for. The selfishness of our upper-class culture clearly shows that our education is undervalued.

It is time to realize that the today’s boasters may well become tomorrow’s paupers. There are many paths to success, so stop the sobbing, seniors.

Because frankly, it is ignorant.