The Stanford Delusion | Hacker News Reader

The Stanford Delusion

camwiese.com

2 pointscamwiese5 comments

For the longest time I thought that Stanford was where I wanted to go, but after getting rejected and going to check out other colleges, I realized that Stanford wasn't what I really wanted. This is my personal reflection on my struggle with the college admissions process and my emergence from "The Stanford Delusion".

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Thanks for the read Cam. Being 17/18 is tough. Your dad sounds like a wise man. You sound like a stubborn and thoughtful kid. You'll do well.

CalPoly is great school. Make sure you take courses from Staley (tough but good). Use the Pass/Fail option liberally. Do the ACM Programming Contest.

Lastly, Disneyland has a weird enjoyment curve. Sometime around your age it lost its appeal. But by my late 30s it became one of my favorite vacation spots. And now with kids I love it again. Something about going to Disneyland with your parents on your 18th birthday was touching to me.

Thanks for reading! It is, especially for those like myself who don't really fit in (Literary comparisons to: Winston (1984), Guy Montag (Fahrenheit 451), and Hamlet (Hamlet..)) Luckily I do have a wise father to help give me some direction (even though most of the time I feel like he's asking me provoking questions - which may be rooted in my stubborn nature...) But again, thanks.

I know, I'm looking forward to starting school in the fall! It's going to be a great experience.

Right now I'm in the process of writing about Disneyland; I'll be sure to send you the link. I agree that it's appeal does fluctuate, but I'm not sure if it will lose its appeal entirely. - I guess I'll have to wait and see. Either way, I'm glad that it was touching to you and that you enjoyed reading it!

My first impression upon reading this was that it was written by someone very impressionable and obsessed with name brands. Perhaps that's just my adulthood talking, though.

I used to be, but not so much any more. What specifically gave you that impression?

*Obviously my desire to go to Stanford may seem like I was pursuing the 'name'. But I thought I made it clear that I wanted to go to Stanford because of the types of people there, not the prestige associated with the school.

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