Arrogant little punks.

I've got a bone to pick with my Uni peers.

Congratulations! You're going to an Ivy League university. That's truly an accomplishment - and I'm not being sarcastic. That demonstrates years and years of hard work and determination. You should be proud.

That does not, however, give you the right to look down on the rest of us, those of us who might not be as qualified or as lucky to be able to afford an undergraduate experience upwards of $200,000.

California students are so damn lucky. At half the cost of a private school education, we can go to a UC or CSU. Unlike the public universities of other states, the UC's are amazing schools - all ranked very high. We have the number one public school in the nation! Attending one of these schools is an honor -- not something to be looked down upon.

And 2009! Largest graduating class in history, economic recession leading to more students who would have applied to privates instead applying to UC's, AND UC's cutting back admission due to budget cuts... getting into a UC is quite, quite difficult this year - moreso than any year in the past, by far.

And yet, there are those who pity (not in a genuine, sympathetic gesture but rather one of arrogance) those who choose to attend UC's. I told someone (who asked) where I wanted to go to college, saying I've already been accepted and given the Regents Scholarship, and I was met with disdain for the school simply because it is a UC and this person in particular is Ivy-oriented.

No, I didn't get a 2350 on my SAT, and I didn't join Council and ASB and the like. I got a good score on the SAT, aced essentially (if you omit Freshman year...) every class, and joined activities I'm genuinely interested in. I did what I wanted to do in high school, not what my parents or some admissions officers would have me do, because it's MY life (woah there teen angst).

Does that mean I slacked off, got rejected from my schools, and am now blogging out of jealousy? Not at all! I have a list of accomplishments under my belt, an impressive application (obviously less impressive than those attending Ivies), and through it all I had a social and well-balanced life full of growth and great experiences.

Even with financial aid and scholarship, some of our families can't afford private school tuition. That's a simple truth. California is my favorite place in the world. That's another.

So you can imagine that, when I'm admitted to one of my top UC choices and given thousands of dollars just to attend... I was extremely happy.

Yet there are those who will be unimpressed with where I go to college -- which is something I just can't control. (Look, I get it. If you have a 4.5 and a 2400, UCSB obviously isn't going to be your number one choice - but there's more to a school than prestige, and you don't know everyone's socio-economic backgrounds to judge another on their college decisions, do you?) That said, if your perception is so warped by Uni (and the overly-competitive and imbalanced lifestyle that so many here live), that you actually look down on people going to UC's, can't you just keep it to yourself? Or if you just have to vocalize your arrogance, can't you just fuck off since I don't wish to speak with you?

No, that's not right... it shouldn't be phrased as a question. Keep it to yourself -- or fuck off, since I don't wish to speak with you.

Not everyone's parents groomed them so that they entered the ninth grade with the idea of college in mind. Some kids had to figure it out on their own. And for those of us who managed to put it together by ourselves, and emerge from high school successful, we're not ashamed of where we choose to go. Keep that in mind over the next few months as you hear of where your peers are headed, and above all, keep an open mind.