Rant: What's in a Name?

Warning:

Today’s post is of a different flavor than my usual (no pictures or emoticons here~)! It’s going to be a rant, so my tone of voice will be serious! You’re not obliged to read it; but really, you’re not obliged to read anything I write!

Disclaimer:

Even though this is my personal blog, I am usually reluctant to post anything too personal about me/my opinions. This is because in the event of a misunderstanding; the Internet is the playground for trolling, not open-minded and civilized debate. I don’t want to start an argument with anyone, so if you disagree, please don’t be offended! These are just my thoughts, based upon my values and experiences, and I need somewhere to express them.

Today’s rant topic is superficiality. More specifically, superficiality as it pertains to “brand name schools”. By brand name schools, I’m referring to the ones that make people ooh and ahh. In the States, that’s usually the Ivy Leagues, private schools, and occasionally huge public schools.

Today a student asked for my help, and basically, he wanted to whine about doing poorly on his exam. Out of a 100, he got a 64.

He wailed,“Wahhhhh I studied so so hard for this exam! I thought I would do good, but I failed! Not even passing!”

Naturally, I tried to console him. “It’s okay…don’t worry too much about it. You can learn from your mistakes and do better on the final. Plus, I got bad scores for my midterms and I still turned out okay.”

“…Are you sure?" He looked at me skeptically. His eyes winced as he asked, "What school do you go to?” 

Can you believe it?! Here I was trying to comfort him and his response was to judge me--and whether or not I really did turn out okay--based on which school I go to?! He should have judged me based on how knowledgeable or helpful I was being. I was so livid!!

“Yes,” I retorted. “I went to ____ and ____, tied number 1 in the nation for my field. Good enough for you? I’m probably younger than you too.”

His mouth opened in awe and he shut up. Man I was piiissssseeeddd!!

To me, that is a perfect example of name brand superficiality (in the academic context). His new-found respect for me was based not on my ability to answer his questions, but based on the shock-factor he got from hearing my schools’ names.

Now please understand, I said what I said to shut him up (and to further prove my point that he needn’t worry so much.) I really don’t give two cents about brand name schools, numerical rankings, and bragging rights. Just as I find judging someone based on appearance narrow-minded, I find judging someone’s worth based on the school they went to just as repulsive.

I remember a few years ago, after everyone had heard about which schools I was accepted into, people suddenly wanted to befriend me. Even people who used to ignore me. Srsly dawg? I was so offended and disgusted. Apart from that acceptance letter, I was still the same person you used to deliberately ignore. So what does that mean? Are you trying to befriend me, or my acceptance letter?

Ultimately, I think the hype on brand name schools is way overrated. Having attended some of those schools, I can assure you, E=mc^2 is the same everywhere. Smart people will be smart anywhere. I have met countless people from small, nameless schools who were far more impressive than my own classmates. And believe it or not, there are plenty of unintelligent minds at the Ivy Leagues as well. I do not lie; I’ve heard them speak with my own ears!

Obviously, I cannot fully express how I feel in one blog post; but all in all, I am in no way hating on big-name schools nor demeaning the students that attend them. It is true that such schools have good reputations for a reason (renowned professors, successful alumni, plentiful resources, stimulating academic environments, strong applicants, etc.) However, I simply cannot agree with people who judge a person’s worth based solely on a name; whether it be the school name on their diploma, the brand name of their purse, or the name on their clothing tags. Such a concept is too superficial to me. Life goes on, and eventually grades, GPA, and school name become but a petty matter. (Heck, I can’t even remember my GPA from a year ago!)

And sorry, I don’t feel like actually revealing which schools I go to, but hopefully you get the point.

Well that’s the end of today’s rant. I feel better now! If you’ve read this far, thank you for sticking with me! Hopefully I wasn’t too boring. Well, I’ll be in a good mood for my next post, since it’s going to be a tag! Many thanks to the lovely Christina for tagging me~ Hopefully this weekend I can finish my last review (for now) and continue with the funner, non-review posts!

Toodles~!