4.47's

This is for you. You know who you are. The nerdy kids. The smart kids. The, “she’s just so bright for her age” daughters and the “he’s always excelled at everything he’s done” sons the wise guys the good kids the hard workers the rule followers the top 10% the built for the big timers the above standards the understanders the future of this country the believers the thinkers This is for you. This for you with The 29 on the ACT and The 2250 on the SAT and The 4.47 weighted gpa and 3.9 unweighted The ones who’ve done AP and IB and Honors and Accelerated classes The ones with the resume ten miles long filled to the brim with service For others for everyone With projects large and small and countless hours (all perfectly accounted for) The ones “destined” for University. Right, just like you’ve been told? This is for you Who were deferred from their from their first choice Ivy League You know the one. Where everyone said, “Sweetie don’t worry, they take the kids with the 6.0gpa first, the one’s who genetically engineer plants to bloom in full rainbows and name them after their great-grandmothers. Don’t worry. You’ve got this. You’re the best. Just wait.” This is for you, The ones who had to settle for second or third choices Because maybe you did hack that Ivy League challenge But some dreams are too damn costly This for you That settled with in-state not because it’s worse, Or you couldn’t do it there, But because you know you belong elsewhere, not here Because that’s what everyone has always told you You’re the best. You can go anywhere you want. You can be anything you wanna be. You’re special. This is for all of you, Who for your entire life have been told the worst possible thing That you are better Because the fact is, you’re not better You’re different – maybe But better? Wrong. Because you’re not all wonder children. You’re not on top forever It’s a system A process And you didn’t have to start low And you never thought you would. This is for everyone who has ever been made to believe that they are the elites Because the fact is you’re not And no one in your life has ever given the tools to fix that. Because your parents, teachers, siblings, peers, friends, relatives, mentors, and even strangers have never told you that you were wrong Or not quite there. So this is for you, Who picked a Fine Arts major Because they said you were the best Whose about to get a letter – no an email – never a letter From University (that you got into like a breeze) It says they won’t be offering you anything. Because little did you know, you’ve been made to make best and good and special look like it it’s easy and that you don’t need help. This is for you Who have been let down by the world And your own ego This is for you who will spend your whole life working With utter distrust Because all that hard work didn’t pay off And all those people Didn’t actually help And now you’re stranded With nothing to do But work from the bottom up For the first time In Your Life. This is for you, who plan to beat it anyway, because now you actually have a reason to prove your worth.