An open letter to Suzy Lee Weiss

You know, Suzy, I was very skeptical of writing a piece in response to your open letter to all the schools that rejected you. For one, I didn’t want to add to the attention that you undeservedly gained from your highly offensive but cathartic letter in The Wall Street Journal. Why should I take the time out to respond to a young woman who goes to Taylor Allderdice High School, which was ranked in 2010 as one of the top U.S. high schools by Newsweek? What would my voice add to those of so many other columnists? But when I read over your letter for the umpteenth time and saw your interview on the “Today” show, I was compelled to say something. Because for a young woman who gloated about being accepted in the big 10 schools, receiving a 2120 on the SATs and achieving an astounding 4.5 GPA, it baffles me how blind you are to a term that perhaps may or may not have crossed your mind before you wrote your letter. Would you like to know what it is?

It’s privilege. Even though you were rejected from elite universities and you have a right to be mad about that, do not forget to understand that you don’t have to deal with the prejudice of being a minority.

You have reaped the benefits of privilege by seizing an uncommon opportunity to rant in one of the nation’s largest newspapers in circulation because you didn’t get into the colleges that you wanted. Do you not realize that there are millions of other students in this country who are not even given a platform to voice their concerns when they are not accepted into any university, let alone afford to matriculate at one after being accepted due to financial constraints? Let’s put this in perspective: You regretted not coming to school in a headdress in order to have more diversity that would attract admission officers. According to the American Indian College Fund, in 2011, one-third of all American Indians live on reservations and have remote access to higher education. Compared to other racial and ethnic groups, American Indians account for less than 1 percent of those who earn a bachelor’s degree, compared to 71.8 percent of whites. Not only were your comments racist and insensitive to an entire group of individuals, but they were also baseless. You can’t assume that minority status ensures acceptance to a university on lower standards when a considerable amount of these people will not have access to higher education.

But it gets better! Actually, no, it gets worse. You then flippantly add, “Show me to any closet, and I would’ve happily come out of it.” Are you aware of how much discrimination LGBT students face both before and after college matriculation? Joyce Slayton Mitchell, an acclaimed college counseling guru, published a book, “Winning the Heart of the College Admissions Dean,” in 2005 in which she admitted that gay admission officers are well aware of the fact that homophobic jokes are made about college essays in which students talk about their coming out. Even more recently, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding Calliope Wong who identifies as trans woman yet was denied admission to Smith College. Being a minority is not a one-way ticket to a life devoid of discrimination. These are facts of life that no one can control.

You believe that college admission officers are judging students on things that they cannot control instead of things that they can. Well, Suzy, I’m here to tell you that that’s life and you with your privileged background will probably never even begin to fathom what others endure on things that they “cannot control,” things that will affect them far beyond a boardroom full of admission officers. There was a time long ago when African Americans, Jewish people and even women like yourself were once denied admission for characteristics that they could not control.

You argue that your piece was a satire. Satire is funny, but it’s supposed to prove a point and provide social criticism. Yes, you definitely were criticizing the admission process, but you made it seem as though admission officers immediately accept all marginalized groups just because they are minorities. And you know what? I fault you for it, but also thank you for magnifying an existing problem. You and many others, even at Princeton, have said either openly or through anonymous comments that some people are just here because of “affirmative action” as if there were no work involved at all. So basically, Miss Weiss, you mocked not the college admission process, but your own self and others of your particular social standing who think that way.

Suzy Lee Weiss, I’m sure that you will make a contribution in whatever you pour energy into. But please do not allow rejection of whatever it is that you wanted to deprive you of sensitivity toward those who are not as fortunate as you are.

Morgan Jerkins is a comparative literature major from Williamston, N.J. Sbe reached at mjerkins@princeton.edu.