tiffany hiramine is a teen columnist for contracostatimes.
interestingly, all her articles are about how people should do things for the betterment of their soul and humanity, and not for your resume.
however given that she has "teen columnist" on hers, her message comes across as insincere--as if the whole things is really just an attempt to convince us that she's not a gavel hunter.*
its hard to credibly say that you never care about money if youre rich.
of course, her wonderful writing ability skillfully empolys an all-american this-is-not-rhetoric tone to win you over.

even though im right, it was still wrong of me to think these sinful thoughts.
thus i write them here so that i forget them.
may these things be forgotten.

second semester, jaded seniors give "advice" to naive lowertermers.
next semester it will be my turn.
but kid, ill give you some advice early, if you want it.
the job of adcoms is to belittle your achievements and attack your character.
wanna go to harvard? easy.

1. 1st and foremost, give up your passions
1. they wont help you
2. pick them up after apps if you still care (which you wont)
2. get the grade
1. dont bother learning anything
2. dont put time into things that wont get the grade
3. one B OR two B+'s OR a A- average and youre screwed
4. if youre asian, youre average must be A+
5. ask around to find the easy but impressive sounding courses
6. do not take really hard courses
   
3. join 1 sport
1. hang out after stuff
2. make friends with everyone
3. run for captain
4. dont join more than 1
   
4. join 2 b.s. clubs or 1 real club (ie, debate team, math team, model un)
1. make friends with everyone, and
   
2. run for president junior year
3. dont do shit for your clubs unless required to,
4. but make it seem like you do (do loud but easy things you can put on a resume)
   
5. dont found a club
6. dont join more than 2
5. do 1 community thing. carefully choose the one thatll:
1. sound the best on paper,
2. be the easiest to explain,
3. make the most interesting college essay, and
4. require the least work
5. but dont do more than 1
6. and dont actually be completely altruistic because no one will believe you--you hafta pretend to be altruistic
6. do not hang out with people unless they can vote you into office (see above)
7. do not join a student newspaper. if you do anyway,
1. join your first year and
2. get tight with each years officers, and your peers
3. run for editor in chief
4. after election, do nothing, delegate, and claim credit
   
8. dont let sat prep get in the way of your grades
9. do not do extra credit
10. do not join student government
11. do not join yearbook, prom, etc committee
12. do not try to look trendy
13. do not get a blog

i couldnt let what i had to go. can you?

thin lettered.
now the the chances of rejection in march have risen to 95%.

i feel so stupid that i thought i could go there.
even my councilor didnt think i could get in.
did she know something i didnt?
and they accepted HALF of early applicants.
i was just in the wrong half.

they took something away from me:
i feel like i dont know who i am anymore.
i dont know where i want to go.
i dont want to go somewhere that doesnt want me.
i dont even know if i want to go to a small liberal arts college.
but i dont know if i dont want to go.
i certainly dont know where i want to go in life.
nothing like a thin letter to make you forget who you are.

jenkin > me
100 Years pushed me over the edge.

so i burned the thin letter.
just the envelope. in a pot. with frequent prayer...
it took four matches.
1 to burn a hole in the middle.
1 to burn the right half.
1 to burn a hole in the bottom corner.
1 to burn all but the name of the school.
1 to burn all but the letter W.
that i ate.
it smelled like burnt marshmallows afterwards
i used those brunt matches to blacken under my eyes.
i flushed the rest with a spit.
i scattered the ashes out the balcony.
i filled the pot with seasalt, then warm water.
i washed my face.
i dumped it with a spit.
i rinsed my face with a splash of cold water thrice.
i let it dry in the air.

/m\-_-/m\ i wish i could go to college