You are the privileged few. You are the leaders of tomorrow,” a voice echoed through an auditorium during a small Oregon private school’s graduation.
When I was first accepted to Northwestern, a similar image reverberated through my mind as I read opinion after opinion regarding the university’s elitist, upper-class, private and boarding school infused image.
Considering my barely middle-class, public school matriculated self, I began doubting my ability to find any niche within the community.
I’m the girl who takes approximately ten minutes to get ready, wearing my typical jeans, flip-flops and t-shirt combination.
“Everyone wears designer clothing,” I saw critiqued on a college commentary Web site.
Oh, great.
Although I am well aware the flip-flops will have to be traded in after the first snow – being from Oregon, rain really doesn’t faze me – I am quite certain that a full wardrobe upgrade is not covered by my scholarship monies.
My ability to attend NU is largely due to the Federal Application for Free Student Aid and the fact that private schools have more money to grant students than those that are state-funded.
Being responsible for paying my own way, the phrases “work-study”, “student loan” and “scholarship application” are far from foreign.
Coming to NU provides a twinge of irony for me – my public high school days were spent mocking our biggest rival, the Catholic private school, with its predominantly white population, private funding, higher test scores, selective admissions and ability to recruit athletes.
It’s been a strange realization of mine to recognize that I worked hard for four years during high school, taking advantage of every opportunity, in an attempt to prove that my public education was equal, if not far superior, to that of the private school down the street, just so I could attend the private university of my choice.
I’m trading places; I’m going to be perceived as “the kid driving daddy’s Lexus,” one of our “insulting” chants during intense football games (although I don’t even speak to my father, let alone drive his Lexus – but that’s another whole column in itself).
Why did my perception of public education change when it came to considering which university I would attend? I’ve always claimed to be a believer in the seemingly cliche phrase that “education is what you make of it.”
But now that I have the choice, I’m going to the private school across the country. The idealism behind the aforementioned slogan no longer applies.
In the end, I’m being stereotypical and exclusive – the exact qualities I used to condescend – by wanting the university with the more selective admissions process, the higher test scores and grade point averages, and greater access to funding.
Although my socioeconomic status may not be equivalent to that of the typical NU student, we’ve all enrolled for similar reasons: the private university “better education” and the abundant opportunities the school provides.
Backgrounds might be different, but there are other things in life for people to find common ground on.
And that does not include shopping.
Daily staffer Jasett Chatham is a Medill freshman. She can be reached at [email protected].
