And we thought we were unique: Harvard, too, in the wake of losing a similar percentage of its endowment, has slashed its budget in all kinds of places. The latest victims? Hot breakfasts on weekends and cookies at faculty meetings.

The New York Times reports that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences--Harvard's name for its school of Humanities and Sciences--is facing a deficit of $130 million, has cut $75 million already, and will soon cut more.

The blog is a powerful tool, but can it influence your decision on where to go to college? Apparently, our friendly and socially-awkward semi-rivals at M.I.T. think so, according to an article from the New York Times this week. The admissions office at the school has been hiring students to blog about their life and experiences as a student and posting them--uncensored--on the school's web site for prospective applicants to read.

The article calls it a "powerful marketing tool," and students interviewed by the reporter claim that reading some of these blogs really helped them get a feel for the school and decide they, too, wanted to attend M.I.T. And while other schools, including other semi-rivals of ours, have adopted similar strategies, the blogs at M.I.T. stand out because the admissions office doesn't censor what the students say.

The American Scholar - The Disadvantages of an Elite Education - By William Deresiewicz

I just finished this great essay by a professor at Yale who realizes that he has nothing to say to his plumber; he has no way to make small talk with a lower-middle class guy. Deresiewicz goes on to discuss the three disadvantages of students who graduate from elite universities:

1) You don't know how to talk to people who are not "smart" in the analytical sense (like you are)
2) You get a false sense of self-worth through the way the school bends over backwards for you
3) You lose the ability to accept less than prestigious lives - elite universities do not produce many elementary teachers, artists or poets
4) You don't get a chance to truly explore the intellectual life because you are too busy trying to jump through hoops

It reminded me of Rick Perlstein's essay "What's the matter with College" which I responded to rather viciously. But this essay is either coming at the issue from a different angle (less aggressive, more humble and introspective) or I've just changed my mind over the past year. Maybe a little bit of both.

Even though I've changed career paths from medicine to business (Applied to the Harvard 2+2 program last week), I still agree with the essay's ideas.

One of my friend might make a great teacher, but even his parents told him: "If you wanted to be a teacher, you could have gone to San Jose State. If you go to Stanford, you'll have to do more". So he's applying to law school.

I'm lucky that I've learned a lot about failure through sports - specifically gymnastics. When only one person/team can win, you learn that often, you are not good enough. You learn how to fail and smile and keep trying. There is no equivalent in most other collegiate endeavors.

I daydream about traveling the world, but wonder what my parents and classmates would think. I'm eager to make an impact on the world, but also wish I could spend a whole summer just reading books and playing video games. But how stupid would that be?

Anyway check out the essay and tell me what YOU think. The Disadvantages of an Elite Education

Since I'm ineligible to enter the NYT contest I won't necessarily try to be coherent or, to appease Perlstein, attempt to be all that creative. Creativity, with Perlstein's blessing, is no longer something that I possess. Nor will I feign pretense and write in overly grammatical, awe inspiring prose--I'm now allowed that right? So it goes.

The first thing I want to take issue with is perhaps Perlstein's subtle intimation that students these days don't "[enhance] their social life with special celebrity guest speakers". Is he serious? Today's corporate climate makes it pretty unlikely that a simple phone call will get some big shot writer to show up at your dorm. But you know what? I've seen some great speakers myself. I'm interested in politics and have had the opportunity to see all the current Democratic presidential candidates speak in person (excluding Gravel), having finagled my way into the 2004 Democratic National Convention. I even got to chat and shake hands with Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Wes Clark (who I still consider a candidate).

Student groups have brought Dennis Kucinich and John Kerry to campus. Does Perlstein find nothing special about having the first African American female Senator come to our campus? Her pioneering spirit has made her a personal hero. Bart Ehrman, a writer of early Christianity, whom I enjoy reading and learning from was on campus recently. Does that count as anything to Perlstein? I sure found it exciting. I'm sure all readers here have at one point attended a talk with some public intellectual or artist they find exciting. (I realize the repeated use of such a banal word as "exciting" is very uncreative. I'm allowed as much, right?)

Jason has challenged us here at the SU blog to respond to the NYT College Essay Contest “Why College Matters.” I’m actually not eligible to enter the contest as I’m not an undergraduate, but as someone who became a freshman one year after Rick Perlstein graduated from the University of Chicago (yes now you can start calculating my age), I would like to throw in my two-cents

I disagree with Jason a bit, and agree with Perlstein a bit, but then again, I find the Perlstein doesn’t even seem to be able to articulate his exact grievances. Instead he relies on comparing/contrasting a couple of anecdotes and over generalizes the extent of the problem today while comparing it to a happy yesterday that never existed (so I also agree with Jason a bit too).

The main complaint of Perlstein’s meandering essay is that the culture the students bring with them into college (a culture of overscheduled commitment to resume builders which, in a way, homogenizes students and stifles their creativity) combined with a college culture which infantilizes students (think of all the complaints about drinking and party policies in the Daily) has led to the slow demise of a once great cultural innovator.

Rick Perlstein of the New York Times asks "What's the Matter with Colleges?". He wants to know why colleges no longer lead our society in culture like they did in the 60's and 70's and even 80's. The main reason is that there are a lot more people IN college today.

I'll be honest, I did not like this essay and my response is not going to be politically correct. Rick Perlstein seemed to me to be a stuck up rich literary nerd who is longing for the good old days back when he was in school, oh so long ago (1988-1992). He talks about reading forbidden books, going to see jazz masters play, inviting and engaging with intellectual and cultural luminaries, spending countless hours debating issues in the dorms.

But in contrast, today's colleges lack this cultural and intellectual vigor. One college student complains that "people here are so insanely uncreative, and they're proud of it." The main problem in his eyes was that his classmates "had to spend their entire high school experience studying for the SATs or something and didn't really get a chance to live life or experience things."

To me that sounds exactly like something a rich white kid would say.