And still I find it VERY curious that you somehow think you know anything whatsoever about me and max in real life, unless your super secret personality is someone with hidden cameras scattered around his house for the past two years.

I was surprised, and relieved, to hear your retraction of the “disgust” comment, and less surprised to hear your stubbornness to rethink the rest of your comments, but still I would venture to say it’s best to leave it on that note.

Max I said some harsh things
but things that I thought you
needed to hear. It isn’t really
my place to do so, but I couldn’t
resist. In my frustration I said
“You disgust me” which isn’t nice,
and it isn’t true. With that exception
I don’t think I would change a thing.

” I would 100% agree with the following revision: “Well, whats actually happening is that your refusal to reveal your identity coupled with your absolutely ridiculous tone has Max choosing to dismiss and disregard everything you’ve said” ”

Anon, what you don’t seem to realize is that *nobody* *anywhere* can listen to the idiotically condescending way you speak and take anything you say as serious advice worth considering. You may not realize this; it’s clear that in your own head you are the smartest guy around, but when you talk to anyone in that absurd tone the only actual information that gets across is what an asshole you are. Maybe you think people listen to you because it’s clear that in your head you have a very high opinion of yourself, but if you approach conversations with other people with anywhere near the amount of arrogance you’ve shown here, I can assure you that you get neither respect nor any serious consideration of your opinions.

And I dont want max to get the wrong idea about some of this so let me provide some counterarguments to comments above:

—–
““I did all I could and put the onus on the admission
committee to make the right decision, unfortunately
they made a mistake”,
are seemingly innocuous. In actuality they are
quite problematic. Though his word choice may be
a somewhat subconscious process, it very
clearly communicates Max’s immaturity and inability to
be accountable for his own situation. ”

So, by taking a year off to get internships, try to start up a non-profit, and pad his resume is “not being accountable for his situation”? To be in the top 20% of applicants to Stanford is an extremely impressive achievement, and if it’s Max’s goal to go there, then I think the path he has chosen to come back next year with real world experience and a better resume is exactly the path he needs to take to achieve that goal. At that high level, the college application process is extremely stressful and everyone needs to deal with stress and rejection in different ways. Confident that he is capable of getting in and taking steps to do so is a very healthy response to that. I don’t think max was trying to tell *us* that he is worthy by that quote, I think he needs to tell *himself* that he is worthy, which is the mindset he needs to be in to achieve those goals. Not to mention being humble counts for nothing in the college admission process, any college advisor will tell you to present yourself as great as possible, and that is simply the mindset he is in.

—–
Another:
“UC Berkeley’s tuition is – 8 semesters@$4,465.75=$35,720 Stanford’s tuition is – 12 quarters@$12,010=$144,120″

Yes, that’s an enormous difference and something else max should take into account as much as he is able to. I don’t know enough about his field and the classes offered to know if Stanford is significantly a better choice academically or not. But if money is the issue, then you could also consider:

Taking a year off – 12 months@ $00.00 Tuition.

Now of course there are still expenses, but room and board are not included in the above tuition costs either, so if tuition is the problem, I dont see how taking a year off makes that any better or worse. Assuming max can get into berkeley next year, that option is still open to him whether he decides to do it now or in a year.

—–

Another: “Traveling abroad and interning and reading books and doing some writing are all rewarding experiences, but there is a time and a place. ”

So, what makes you think that after high school and before college is NOT the time and place for an internship, and getting real-world experience in your field? How is this not the time to improve his Stanford application and get a taste for the world he wants to be a part of, so he knows what field he wants to study in? This is exactly the time for him to figure out what he wants to do with his life and thats exactly what he is doing. If all max does is write and read than sure, it’s a bad time to have that sort of year, but that’s not what max is proposing.

—–

“Just because our academic institutions here are very regimented and Max has a problem with authority, doesn’t mean he can just circumvent the whole thing.”

Again this has absolutely nothing with the words max wrote on the page, this is all about your own superiority complex. Where did max say he was circumventing college? He is going to college, but he’s taking a year first to explore his field. Would it be better if he spent the first 2 years in college switching majors because he didnt know what he wanted to do? That’s a waste of money and time. His decision had nothing to do with hinging on the regimentation of the school system or his bucking authority, and is all about getting more experience in the field he is interesting. Your comment just doesnt reflect what is going on here.

—-

And for the record:
“You disgust me, this whole blog disgusts me. Grow the fuck you up! Don’t be so scared of failure you pussy!”

In addition to being so far out of line its barely worth mentioning, I might ask what the fuck fear of failure has to do with any of this? If anything max’s plans are overly ambitious, starting a nonprofit in a year and getting internships is a hell of a lot to do, books aside. Max is taking an opportunity to jump headfirst into his field as soon as possible and then using the experience he earns to submit a more impressive college application than he had last year. For an 18 year old, thats pretty fucking grown up and pretty fucking ballsy, and regardless of how it works out for him its an ambitious plan.

—-
“Anon”: It’s clear you have barely understood any of max’s post, choosing instead to read the post you wrote for him in your head where he sits at home and reads all year. You stopped even trying to give helpful advice awhile ago, and it’s clear you have come here for no other reason than to gratify your own inflated superiority complex. You have innumerably more ego issues than max ever will, so if I might give you some advice: get the fuck out of here and deal with your own shit before you think you can go telling anyone else how to run their life.

Max: Looking forward to your next update. Curious to hear a breakdown of Berkeley vs Stanford for what you want to go into.

“Well, what’s actually happening is that your refusal to reveal your identity coupled with your absolutely ridiculous tone has led to everything you’ve said being dismissed and disregarded.”

That isn’t exactly what is happening. You have forgotten the
most crucial part of the situation. I would 100% agree
with the following revision:

“Well, whats actually happening is that your refusal to reveal
your identity coupled with your absolutely ridiculous tone has
Max choosing to dismiss and disregard everything you’ve
said”

Max words on admissions,
“I did all I could and put the onus on the admission
committee to make the right decision, unfortunately
they made a mistake”,
are seemingly innocuous. In actuality they are
quite problematic. Though his word choice may be
a somewhat subconscious process, it very
clearly communicates Max’s immaturity and inability to
be accountable for his own situation.

Taking a year off, COULD be a helpful experience. A quick
survey of the Marmer family history would show that this
most likely will not be the case. The problem is when we
start looking at ourselves as solely exceptions and not
examples. I believe it was Max who in his admission’s
essay stated that people who have manual labor jobs
are lazy and that his academic interests clearly put him
in the upper echelon above the lowly proletariat. This kind
of thinking is very disturbing and it is my belief that
Max’s year off will only serve to reinforce this “biggotry”
for lack of a better term.

UC Berkeley’s tuition is – 8 semesters@$4,465.75=$35,720
Stanford’s tuition is – 12 quarters@$12,010=$144,120

In this case you’d have to adjust that $144,120 in the case
of Stanford to account for all the expenses incurred from
year of funding Max’s conferences and travels which would
put that figure well over $150,000. Now money is not necessarily
appropriate for kids to talk or know about, but I think that
changes a little with age and when you are talking about that
much money, over $100,000 while we are in a DEPRESSION.
For what purpose, because Max has made what he thinks is
“logical” argument about why doesn’t have to follow the rules? Traveling abroad and interning and reading books and doing some writing are all rewarding experiences, but there is a time and a place. These things Max wants to do are well within reason, except of course not going to school. The reality is that all of those things Max wants to do are what you do in college! Just because our academic institutions here are very regimented and Max has a problem with authority, doesn’t mean he can just circumvent the whole thing. I don’t know why his parents didn’t just say NO, I think that they don’t know how, and saying no to your kids is hard, but it is what’s best for both parties. Max’s dilemma with wanting to get into Stanford but not getting in, isn’t an unprecedented problem. Many kids do what is known as a post-grad year of high school at a prep school for exactly this sort of situation. That won’t be free either, but thats not important and it shouldn’t factor into Max’s decision, however what should is that it will offer Max structure which is exactly what an 18 year old needs.

This is from Max’s page on “force for the future”:
“The Ultimate Goal of Force For the Future:
To influence a large group of young people to become intrinsically motivated lifelong learners who have the tools and resources to make a difference in the world.”
Unfortunately for Max his nonprofit will be competing against
every academic institution in the country as this is what they
already do for _their_ students.

More:
“There is very little correlation between success in school and success in life.”

Are you starting to see the intricate web of rationalizations
Max has constructed for himself? It is like a cocoon to
protect him from the fear of failure. Of course we know
that Max will not be a failure, but that is only on the condition
that he actually goes out and does the damn thing. Max
knows too well what sitting around and “reading” will get
you, and I think thats what motivates him to pursue things
like entrepreneurship (which I also hate spelling), he wants
to be successful, and whatever his definition is, I’d be inclined
to agree with as I’m 99% sure it includes Max earning a living
and being industrious.

As you get towards the end of any phase of your life,
the impending uncertainty leads to fear & anxiety,
this is natural it is called “regression”. What’s important
is that you confront it and push forward, take the next
step Max. Go to UC Berkeley.

Thanks for the life update, I was wondering where you were at with this. Getting into UC-Berkeley is huge, by the way, that’s extremely impressive. I dont know enough about its programs to know how it compares with Stanford, but a degree from UC-Berkeley is impressive anywhere (though I believe they still have a reputation for being the hippie liberal school they were in the 60s/70s, but I dont think it is particularly deserved these days). So if you think is Stanford is a better shot, by all means apply next year, but dont burn your bridges for Berkeley.

Also, being public school berkeley is going to be a hell of a lot cheaper and keep in mind your parents don’t have an income and things like student loans are something you should be starting to think about. If you are thinking of going into entrepreneurship (I *hate* spelling that word) then you probably know thats something that takes a lot of money to start up front and takes awhile to actually start *making* money, esp. if you are talking about nonprofit type stuff. Something to keep in mind.

And your plan for your year off is impressive, though I suspect overly ambitious. Something like “starting a non-profit” could easily occupy years worth of preparation so trying to do that in one year including “traveling” and “internships” might be stretching yourself a bit thin. I would suggest on prioritizing what you think is most important, and then do more based on how much time you think you have. Planning for all of them out of the gate may find you without the time you need to devote to any one of them fully, so keep an eye on that. Still, if you come out of this year with solid work experience in your field, your application for stanford will be very impressive.

Anon:
Though max does need to work on communicating thoughts in a way that come off how he wants them to, (i.e. sentences like “I did all I could and put the onus on the admission committee to make the right decision, unfortunately they made a mistake” sound much more arrogant than I think max intends or realizes), his issues communicating are nothing compared to yours.

For example, this: “The only reason you want my name is so you can disregard what I’m saying based on my identity. ” Well, what’s actually happening is that your refusal to reveal your identity coupled with your absolutely ridiculous tone has led to everything you’ve said being dismissed and disregarded. Even assuming you have good advice for max, by presenting your “advice” like such a flaming asshole, any substance you might have in there is completely ignored because of the style in which you present it.

For the record max, taking a year off can be a very helpful experience, so long as you have something to show for it. Showing that you’ve worked in your field, or done something meaningful in the real world- outside of academia- most certainly counts for something for both schools and future employers. It sounds like you are thinking in those terms, and so long as you come out of this with internships you’ve done or references from people you’ve worked with, or if you can actually get this nonprofit idea off the ground (which I admit I’m skeptical of, but am willing to wait and see), then that’s good, if you accomplish something concrete. So long as you recognize that as a goal, I think you’ll do fine.

The only reason you want my name is so you can disregard what I’m saying based on my identity.

If you wouldn’t have been so fixated on how you are better than smarter than everyone you might have learned a thing or two in high school. Anonymous writing has been an essential ingredient in the American political process since the debate over ratification. Don’t believe me? Look it up, “Federal Farmer”, “An Old Whig”, “A Columbian Patriot”, “Brutus”, “Aristocratis”, “Centiel” to name a few.

“…anonymity protected the author from possible libel charges. Under the cloak of anonymity authors were free to savage individuals and ideas they found objectionable” – Saul Cornell in the “The Other Founders”

I find you and your ideas objectionable.

Acceptance is the answer my friend. When you get denied from college it isn’t because the admissions made the wrong choice! You can’t continue to blame others for your problems. We all want to pursue our hobbies and interests but there is a time and a place. Right now the time is for you to either go to school or get a job, and move out of your parents house and start becoming an adult. This prospect is scary for you so you are experiencing some regression. This is normal and doesn’t make you a “bad person”. Instead of internalizing what I have said you have found a way to take exception to it without having to actually consider it. This is something you will learn is not helpful in life. You can look at what I said and choose to disregard based on its anonymous & abrasive nature or you can look at it and try to find which parts are useful and which parts aren’t. I personally don’t believe that all my comments were useful, if that makes you feel better.

You said:
“If you cared about where my life is leading you wouldn’t reply in the tone you did.”

This is simply not true and it is just one more in a long string of rationalizations you have created to discredit anyone who thinks what you are doing is a bad idea.

I’m not going to read your dimwit friend’s blog. This is part of your problem you are always seeking someone to support or explain what you already believe to be true. I don’t subscribe to the blind leading the blind.

Don’t be a parasite your whole life Max, reading & writing doesn’t mean shit, neither does going to your conferences. Go to school or get a real job. Those are your choices, maybe you can convince your parents to let you do whatever you want, but it won’t serve you well. You will learn a lot more from attending school, or working a job. I’m not talking some paper pushing touchy-feely job, you need to get your hands dirty and find out what hard work is. You for some reason think you don’t have to do anything that isn’t “fun”, well guess what buddy your play time is up, it is time to start being a man.