Bard College

Date: Jun 24 2010
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
Congratulations to all those who had the foresight to decline acceptance or transfer. I speak to you all, because surely you wonder if it was the right decision. I graduated in 2006 and it was one of the proudest days of my life. I "survived" and wrote a huge senior thesis which, unlike too many of my counterparts, isn't a load of BS. I learned so much in the process and my mind was challenged thoroughly by the academics. But, as you all foresaw as a possibility, I suffered "trauma" as my therapist calls it, from trying to make it in a scene that I was not cut out for. I graduated with less confidence than I had in high school and an elite education that meant nothing without elite connections. The last few years of my life, I have been working menial jobs to develop skills in a technical field so I can get a normal job like a normal person. I'm playing catch up and it's okay, but I am not in touch with any students or professors and when I receive the Bardian at home, I cannot open it without conjuring memories of humiliation, ostracization and sadness. Yeah, there are some honest and good people there, but not enough to balance the arrogance and snobbery that no teenager should have to compete with. Here's my advice: just because they admit you, does not mean that you belong there. I'm still convinced I got in to fill some sort of blue-collar "diversity" quota. Good luck kids.