We all know that before you get accepted in a university's master's degree program you must, at the bare minimum, have a undergraduate degree, especially at a school as prestigous as Harvard. Right? Not if you're a COW (Crony of W).
A few days ago the Harvard Crimson brought us the story of Blake Gottesman, a 26-year-old college dropout who was just accepted into Harvard Business School, the most prestigous MBA program in the country. His only qualifications for the job appear to be that he made peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches for President Bush and dated wild girl Jenna Bush.
Jump down to learn more about this loser, who will probably hold a cabinet post in the not-so-distant future.
As the Crimson reports, Gottesman left Claremont Colleage after just one year to join the Bush presidential campaign and later served as a junior aide to Andrew Card. In February 2002, he became W's personal
ass-kisser assistant. The Crimson describes Gottesman's heady duties:
In his current role, Gottesman performs a wide range of duties, from dog-sitting the president's Scottish terriers, Barney and Miss Beazley, to carrying the president's speeches and giving him the "two-minute warning" before a speech begins.
What better world-class experience could one have to be accepted at Harvard Business School?
The article cites an Economist article in which HBS spokesman James E. Aisner gives a thoroughly ridiculous explanation for why they accepted Gottesman even though he is not a college graduate. He says that "Extraordinary circumstances will sometimes compel it to drop [its] rule" of only admitting students who hold bachelor's degrees. Aisner goes on to point out that Harvard would surely admit applicants like Bill Gates and Michael Dell, both of whom are college dropouts.
Um, OK. But carrying W's breath mints hardly compares to starting up companies that have become multinational giants and revolutionized the world's technology industry. Whatever.
This story makes me sick for many reasons. First, it reveals the utter hypocrisy in the Republicans' mantra that they don't believe in quotas and that we must follow the merit system in college admissions. Gottesman was clearly not admitted to Harvard based on the merits of his education and experience.
Second, it makes my stomach churn to think of all the highly qualified candidates from more disadvantaged backgrounds who could have filled the HBS slot that is now going to this mediocre a-hole, who is no doubt well on his way to the path of power and wealth, pushed along by his elite backers just as mediocre W was pushed along by poppy and his cronies. To get accepted to Harvard Business School, any person of color or any person from a low socioeconomic background would have to have a stellar and impeccable application that would include not just an undergraduate degree but also top grades and a well-rounded college experience, and relevent work experience can also help.
HBS' own website states that to be considered for admission, "a candidate must have successfully completed . . . a degree program at an accredited U.S. four-year undergraduate college/university." It goes on to say that its selection process emphasizes "strong academic ability." Unless, of course, you have experience "holding the president's hand-sanitizer," as the Economist put it.
Preferential treatment like serves as a painful reminder that our country will continue to be run by the white, powerful, wealthy elite, who will do everything in their power to make sure that they hand over the reins to just "their own kind."