So much thinking.....
I have many things on my mind.
First and foremost, I'm not sure if I will be able to maintain the 3.5 that I need to keep my scholarship. How disappointing :( .
Secondly, I am getting along with my roommates suprisingly well, especially after the first bumpy week.
Now for something more philosophical.
It is my opinion that the idea of the honors program is backwards and/or corrupt in its nature. (This doesn't really bother me because I too am corrupt and self-serving.) My opinion springs from our recent conversation in Forum about "cow" and "bull" and their importance. Why does the honors program reward "cow" when it is trying to fight it? Why do we get the Evans scholarship? Dr. Kluthe's response was that our thought processes were shown during the interviews and that this is what we are being rewarded for. I don't believe this. My interview was an abomination. Not to mention that Dr. Martinek even told me that I was being admitted based on my test scores. So I will pose my question again. Is the university corrupt/backwards/hypocritical or is there some unknown reason for my admittance?
All responses are appreciated.
posted by Bryan @ 2:00 PM
4 Comments:
Bryan:
You were not admitted simply because of your ACT score. No one is. If it were the case, Dr. Kluthe and I would have a hell of a lot more free time on our hands!
No, we work very hard to get to know all of our candidates. We take into account a whole set of factors including ACT score, high school GPA, activities, letters of recommendation, and the personal interview.
You sell yourself short by concluding that the only thing you had going for you was your ACT score. I recall a very long, detailed and fascinating interview that we had in my office---don't tell me YOU'VE forgotten already! I was impressed by your wide-ranging interests, your resiliance, and your commitment to social justice. You also had strong letters that spoke highly of you.
OK, have you had enough flattery to get you through the long weekend, my young friend?
Seriously: your skepticism about everything, the Honors Program included, is healthy and to be encouraged. But don't assume you were rewarded only for having a particular number on your ACT.
Maybe I am selling myself short, but the people that I have met in the honors program are amazing. They are well read, fabulous writers, many have their careers planned out. Their interests, from bands to religions to worldly travels, far excede my own. The only thing that I have is ambition and that won't get me through classes that I already feel I am struggling with. All your flattery means little when I odn't think it is true.
Oh my, yes! How dare I attack an educational system! I must have forgotten that I am completely ignorant of my surroundings and that questioning the thoughts and actions of those above me makes me ungrateful! Oh how foolish of me! All I wanted to know was WHY PEOPLE ARE ADMITTED, and I dont want some vague answer either. Are there no standards? Was everyone chosen on a whim? Why is it that a group of one-hundred-some-odd gets everything paid for and the other 5000 don't? And what exactly IS a real Honors Student? How are they different from all the fake students?
Adam:
I wouldn't get too upset about Bryan's questions. I firmly believe that his skepticism is healthy and motivated by legitimate concerns over justice. If anyone can "take" the scrutiny, we can. Also, if you read through the rest of his blog, you'll see that Bryan has a tendency to express himself in fairly strong terms. I responded to this when he made his first post. Sometimes stuff comes out and appears to others in a way that I doubt he intended. Let's all give him a break and not get too ruffled over his particular way of communicating.
Bryan:
A couple of things
1) I can assure you that no one is chosen for the program on a "whim." I've already explained the process and you'll see it for yourself in action in the Spring semester when Dr. Kluthe and I (and the office staff) spend most of our time on the process of meeting, evaluating, and recommending student (who, by the way, are officially "selected" by the committee we report to.
2. You raise some really valuable questions about the "privilege" granted to Honors students. Do they deserve it? Could the money be spent differently? More justly?
Our view is that it is a just and fair use of the resources. If the money that goes to the program was dissolved into the general fund, it probably wouldn't be able to make all that much of a difference for the general student population. But suppose it did. What if getting rid of Honors allowed MSSU to knock a couple bucks per credit off everyone's bill? Would that be more just?
We think it makes sense to give the "best and the brightest" (people like yourself, whether you can see that now or not) who are carefully chosen based on Merit alone a chance at a top-notch college education. It seems to us that concentrating some money and some privileges on those who can do the most with it, we are helping to raise new leaders for the future. We give them something in hopes that they will give back with interest. We want every one of these people to feel responsible to the various communities they participate in. That's one of the reasons that Honors is so community oriented and so social. We want the school experience to be a matter of participating in a community to which all are responsible---not just taking classes so you can get a job and make money.
So in our view, the money we spend on you guys is literally an "investment" in our own future. And that's how the school sees it as well.
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