College Shortcuts and Guido Induced Hate

While perusing through the letters to the editor section of the New York Times I noticed the headline Shortcuts to college?, and without hesitation clicked on the link. I figured that the title of this letter was something that I could easily relate to since I am obviously attending college. The letter was written in response to the fact that more and more colleges are sending students "fast track" scholarships which are basically condensed applications that require no application fee or student essay. I chose this letter because the author made an extremely persuasive argument in three sentences. I mean, talk about efficiency. It was written by Gary Ross, vice president and dean of admissions at Colgate University, so his opinion is certainly very reputable. The article was very articulate and clearly stated that no student should take short cuts in the college admissions process regardless of how enticing the offer is, because no offer should compromise a student's right to choose where they want to attend school. I couldn't agree more with what Ross said in his three sentences because for me, the college admissions process was a learning experience in itself.

The other letter to the editor that I chose was Ethnic Stereotyping, written by Rosario Iaconis, vice president of the Italic Institute of America. I chose this letter mainly because it has to do with the MTV show "Jersey Shore", and because I didn't agree with the author's opinions at all. I feel that this letter was really over the top and dramatic. Iaconis is making it seem like Italian Americans are the root of all evil using words and phrases such as "demonization", "Italophobia", and "tragedy of Shakespearen proportions". I think his response was a bit unwarranted and a little harsh. I understand that the show "Jersey Shore" has pissed off a lot of Italian Americans but they have to understand that people who chose to be guido are not the sole representative of negative Italian American publicity. Other TV shows like the "Sopranos" and movies such as the "Godfather" and "Goodfellas" have also painted a poor image of Italian American lifestyle. But the main thing to take out of this whole "Jersey Shore" debacle is that the seven cast members are only representing themselves and it's all of this protesting that has turned this stupid, yet entertaining show into a national issue. As cast member Pauly D perfectly stated, "I don’t represent all Italians, I only represent myself.”