Penn Kids and the Chip on their Shoulders

And so begins a post that will likely piss the fuck out of a bunch of people this being a blog based in the city of Philadelphia...

So the whiny kids at UPenn [not to be confused with this whiny blogger] are all in a huff over their 2006 Commencement speaker Jodie Foster, a two-time Academy Award winner who just happened to have GRADUATED MAGNA CUM LAUDE FROM YALE UNIVERSITY back in 1985, you know, before the SATs became more of a joke.

The whiny kids are upset over the choice and how she's not good enough which I think translates from whiny-ese to "waaaa, she went to a better school than we're graduating from" and so far sixty students who pay some $40K a year for their schooling have signed a petition expressing their outrage. Where's the bonfire of VHS tapes of Fosters' films? Hill field, 10p!

Also on the list that was submitted to the advisory committee: Oprah, PM Tony Blair, Jon Stewart and Steve Jobs.

University President Amy Gutmann said she hopes Foster will be able to inspire students with her speech.

"She's an Ivy League graduate who has really taken on very courageous roles since she was very young," Gutmann said. "I think she is a great role model."

And by "a great role model" does she mean she hopes the UPenn kids will go on to a more prestigious Ivy like Yale? [hint hint, nudge nudge]

For a teensy bit of background into my personal insight on Ivy League schools, let me say this. I went to a pretty posh high school back in NY, a little bubble in precious Westchester County called Scarsdale [insert your "heh" here]. For all intents and purposes, it was a private school with school taxes being what they were, but it was technically a public school. I can't count on my two hands how many kids I knew in my senior class who got 1600s on their SATs in my class of ~330. I think we sent 10% of the class to Harvard and Yale alone. Another ten or so to Princeton, a few to Dartmouth. We also had an "A[lternative]-School" with evaluative grading [no As, Bs and such, but rather, evaluations] like Brown, a shitload of kids in the A-School went on to Brown [you dirty hippies! :) ]. The safety school for the top tier kids in my school were Cornell and UPenn [most kids wanted out of NY and didn't go to NYU and Columbia]. I'm confident in saying that between a quarter to a third of my class went to Ivy League schools or a very top tier equivalent like Amherst, UChicago, Emory, Duke, Williams and the like. Chroist. Isn't that a little nuts?

To add to the madness, the final edition of the snooty/snotty award-winning school newspaper, The Maroon [the school colors are maroon and white] had, as it's center spread, every student's name and the school s/he would be attending the following Fall semester. It was a final outing for all who didn't get into such and such school. I think I recall a few kids who didn't come to school that day because they didn't get into the school they wanted and didn't want to be "humiliated" in front of the rest of the crowd. I know firsthand, and by firsthand I mean knew many kids who were disheartened by their [non-] admittance to certain schools, how UPenn was/is looked down upon by the snobs and the patting on the backs that goes on in those schools in general all the time. It seemed that UPenn's second-class citizen stature provides a setting for the self-aggrandizing to thrive.

So this whole tiff over an accomplished / award-winning / critically acclaimed / box office draw thespian who has taken on social roles with an Ivy League background and prestigious prep school pedigree is pretty fucking hilarious to me.

And for full disclosure, I was a B+ student who got [I think] 1360 on the SATs who played at a fairly high level of soccer about 300 days a year and graduated from a NY State school [SUNY Purchase] after fucking around at [private] American University down in DC for a few years. I had no desire to overachieve and push myself to go to an Ivy, much to the chagrin of my parents, although you're all free to assume that I have a chip on my shoulder if you'd like or if it makes you feel better. I have nothing against my peers at UPenn, but I do think that they have a chip on their shoulders.

That is all.

Postes sine moribus vanae
[Posts without morals are useless]

Comments

[steve]

I went to Penn, non-traditionally. I worked full-time and took a mix a day and evening classes over 5 and a half years. I completely agree with your assessment of Penn kids.

BUT as a diploma holding graduate, I have to defend the place by mentioning that Penn has climbed out of its second tier status in the last few years. I believe they tied for 3rd with Yale in the all mighty U.S. News rankings the year I graduated. They've been top 4 for a while now, right below that Harvard, Princeton, Yale crowd.

[Josh]

I'm also a Penn grad, and while there is a subtle second-tier feeling at the school, I don't think that's affecting the opinions on Ms. Foster on campus at all. Very few people at Penn care at all about Yale.

What they care about is that the past few years have had nobel-peace prize winners and nominees, Senators, and Former Presidents. Not actors. At my graduation I got to sit just feet away from Bishop Desmond Tutu.

I like Jodie Foster, but if I was a senior at Penn this year I would be pissed too. It is after all the 250th graduating class. They couldn't find someone with a greater societal impact than the girl from Contact?

And on top of that, they've got O.A.R., the worst band ever, playing Fling this year.

[Michael Carboni]

I just went to a crappy state school myself so I have no horse in this race, but it seems UPenn does not get the credit it deserves here in its own backyard. I connect with a lot of people and it seems like Villanova gets more 'ohhs and ahhs' than UPenn as a prestigious university.

[danielua]

Well, I am a Penn grad student, and maybe I am out of the loop since I spend all my time at the Law School and the Law School library.

But, as far as I can tell it is much more having a movie star instead of a an activist, and has nothing at all to do with being a Yallie.

And, as for this post generally, I can only assume that by insulting the City's best school and largest private employer, you, um, will not be running for office in Philly. Ha.

Albert, maybe we should duke it out at the PFC meet up? Maybe a duel or something?

[albert]

won't be there, but i'm 100% i could whup up on ya! shotguns at 30 paces, dick cheney will judge. as an added twist, dick will also have a shotgun.

and i doubt that most of the kids at penn would be voting for a public official here in philly, but i know that you'd be more concerned with getting the votes.

[Terrence Ryan]

I too am a Penn Alum. Your comments about Penn and its self esteem are on the ball. Although it is under-recogonized like some of the other alums said.

However, I was stuck with Clinton's secretary of the Treasury as my commencement speaker. Who I can't even remember.

I'd take Foster over Rubin any day.

[Ellen]

Well, I'm an IUP undergrad alum, w/ a MS from Drexel (aka - the red headed bastard Penn stepchild) and - big gasp - actually feel like I got a better education from IUP.

Jodie Foster is not just "The chick from Contact" - not only is she f'ing BRILLIANT but I'm sure will be alot more interesting than many of their choices (though - seeing as Jon Stewart is one of my fantasy hubbies, I probably would have blown someone to get him on board).

Hmm - bright, well-educated, well aware of societal issues and has the ability to orate and keep atention. Yeah - I think I can't really see what they're whining about. If any of those lame-asssed bozos want to give me their grad tickets, I'll gladly suffer the god-awful ceremony and listen to her speak.

[Ryan]

Penn grad here (2002). I never really met any kids there who wanted to go to Princeton or Yale or wherever but couldn't get in (if they did, they kept it to themselves).

Personally, I had the time of my life and I received a stellar education (and got to see the Quakers in the NCAA tournament). I wouldn't trade my Penn experience for anything.