Word: orphan
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...with Ms. Grant's culpability than with the problematic state of te College admissions process that her case so vividly illustrates. The New York Times reported that Grant had been questioned about the death of her parents by a Harvard alumni interviewer who was "interested in the orphan angle." How typically shallow of the college admissions process to refer to personal tragedy as an "angle." When I applied to college in 1987, my counselor told me to do some hands-on community service to improve my application. I remember being disconcerted by his frankness; the primary purpose of the service...
...students concerned about unclear war. I think the group met once, if at all. I believe the student was accepted early admission somewhere and his concerns about nuclear war dissipated accordingly. Although inactive, the group has served its purpose. In valuing these things, in looking at being an orphan as an "angle," colleges send a terrible message to young people: talking the talk is good enough. Success is less about making an impact than being a cunning personal publicist...
...other question that the "orphan angle" brings up is this: Is any student's personal life really an admissions committee's business? Obviously the Grant case is extreme, but I wonder if a healthy, middle-class kid with two living parents isn't fighting something of an uphill battle to convince an admissions committee that she is interesting. Likewise, is a student with a painful past obligated to bare her soul to a total stranger in order to obtain a high quality education...
...tried to avoid arrest through clumsy lies, but when this failed, she used Alan Dershowitz's "Abuse Excuse" to sail her way through the juvenile justice system. When it came time to applying to Harvard, she lied about the killing and tried to capitalize on her status as an orphan...
Dickson said the interviewer should not haveasked questions concerning Grant's orphan status...