Guzman 1

Ashly Guzman Brito

Professor Lucia

ENGL 21001

February 21, 2017

In the article Don't Send Your Kid to the Ivy League by William Deresiewicz,

Deresiewicz explains the flaws within the coveted ivy league system. He begins by explaining

his experience in the ivy league acceptance process and how the applications are read and judged

by the acceptance panel, some applicants have too many educational qualifications and too few

extracurricular activities, others have too many extracurricular activities, but low GPAs and class

rankings, and others must be judged based on contributions to the college by their parents. He

then transitions into how college students have over achieved but have no purpose or drive, they

do things to get into college, but dont know why they want to go or what they want to do in

college. Deresiewicz discusses the cultured experiences students receive like going to Europe

and spending days with exclusive clubs, but they still do not know how the other half lives and

how their non-privileged counterparts must give up college, even with the skills he suggests

them working a simple job school cant train them for so that they can see that although they

may be book smart they are not smart in all aspects. Lastly, he discusses the students on edge and

anxious personalities, they treat life as a test and take no time off an experience that students in

state and city schools dont feel too often, students in the ivy leagues feel a sense of pressure to

keep up with their peers and focus on seeming smarter than developing their intellectual skills

and discovering themselves and what they want. Deresiewicz ends his article by stating what

we really need is to create [a world] where you dont have to go to the Ivy Leagueto get a first-

rate education. (10) This sole statement creates a feeling of relief in an article full of grievances

towards the ivy league.