I am using this forum to convey a major complaint against your institution's policies and admissions standards. In early June of this year, I saw a report on the New England Cable News network. On the newscast, a story was aired that has been truly bothering me from the time I watched it. The story dealt with a young, affluent man from Brookline, Mass. and his personal refusal to take the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam. As the members of your administration are well aware, the MCAS exam is Massachusetts high school exit exam. As stated on the news segment featuring this young man, he expressed that it was time for him to find a cause, because his parents had one. He expressed that he felt bad because the majority of the people who were not passing the MCAS exam were inner-city students.
That made me angry. Nothing makes me more mad in this country than fake bleeding heart liberals who only take up a cause because it's "cool." Then I came to the end of the segment, and that made me really angry. The reporter stated that a high school diploma or G.E.D. is required to get financial aid or acceptance to most colleges. Alas, the young man in question need not worry his rich little behind off. Do you know why? Of course you do. Dartmouth College was gracious enough to take him in as a full time student based entirely on his actions regarding the MCAS exam.
The individual was not an exemplary student. He was not even as accomplished as I was in high school. My GPA was higher, I was involved in more extra curricular activities, I volunteered, and I was captain of two sports teams. But then again, 90 percent of Massachusetts' students in his grade are more accomplished than he because they graduated! But because this student has such a caring heart, he belongs at your institution. He took up a cause to soothe his bleeding little heart and now he is now enrolled at your fine institution. He need not worry about federal aid either because his daddy has deep pockets.
Contrary to what you may believe, this is not a letter from an angry refused applicant. This is just a letter from a student enrolled at an area community college, looking at working two jobs just to afford school and life's essentials. Congratulations to this student. He truly knows the plight of the inner city high school drop out. He stood his ground, and now can ride his father's wallet to Dartmouth. Meanwhile, the students he "fought" to shed light upon still didn't graduate. Without their high school diplomas, they are forced to go on welfare or work minimum wage jobs. They aren't even in my fortunate position. Most can't even attend community college. And it doesn't get much cheaper or easier than that. They are stuck in perpetual failure and poverty. And instead of being a little more proactive, this student chose simply to protest. He can breathe easier tonight because he did his part. He was a brave little soldier. Thanks for fighting the good fight. With a degree from an Ivy League institution, his road is truly paved in gold. I'm sure his road is a little smoother than my own. With an A.A. degree in criminal justice from a community college, I get to get two years of college in and then start my career. If things go smoothly, I might be able to take night classes and get my B.A.
The biggest thanks go to Dartmouth. Thank you for encouraging underachieving rich kids everywhere. Maybe if they perform their schoolwork in a mediocre manor, and fail to graduate, they too can attend prestigious Dartmouth. I kindly ask if you happen to find literary mistakes in my letter, just have your crack Ivy League English department put a little "(sic)" next to the mistakes to let your readers know my letter was truly written in that horrible community college manner, assuming you print it. Have a wonderful life, students and staff of Dartmouth. I'm sure we will never meet, and for my sanity, I pray we never will.
