Hacker News: pbui

For me it was at a big house in a wealthy suburb, and we talked one on one in the living room. There was no real guidance or explanation other than here is the time and place.

From what I could remember, the alumni interviewer was kind, I just couldn't articulate answers to his questions as I was unprepared and didn't know what to expect. With some insight on the process, I probably could have done better, but it doesn't really matter.

I ended up on a different path and am content with where it lead.

My larger point is that there are many little ways where legacy advantages can leak through even if you have an explicit policy of not considering it.

I think alumni interviews are such a possible mechanism of still factoring in legacy status or making this advantages stand out without it being on the application.

New comment by pbui in "We Don’t Do Legacy (2012)"

pbui — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 16:30:28 +0000

To me, using alumni to do interviews is just a form of indirection in regards to legacy admissions.

Who is better prepared to discuss MIT with alumni? A student with no idea about college or admissions, or someone who grew up with experience and knowledge of the institution.

The push back against legacy is that is gives an advantage and thus less meritocratic. In this interview situation, a legacy is still at an advantage, and from my experience, a significant one.

Again, I'm not sure this practice is still a part of the admissions process. My point is that non legacy were at a disadvantage when they had alumni interviews.

New comment by pbui in "We Don’t Do Legacy (2012)"

pbui — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 16:15:22 +0000

Maybe this is true now, but when I applied to MIT for undergrad in 2002, I had to meet with an alumnus at their house near me for an interview. Being from California and first generation American and the first of my family to go away for college, I had no idea how admissions worked nor did I know much about MIT. Because of that, I basically bombed that interview as I was unprepared (didn't know what to expect and didn't have the cultural knowledge to converse properly). I was subsequently rejected from MIT despite having pristine credentials for the time (however, I was accepted at other schools such as Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford, and my eventual choice Notre Dame).

Moreover, a classmate of mine from a wealthier family and who was on the football team was admitted to MIT, despite having worse grades and a lower SAT score (he was smart and deserving, I'm just pointing out that my numbers were better).

So while it is nice that MIT claims to not use legacy now, the process I experienced 20 years ago suggests that alumni still had influence then and even athletics mattered too.

To be clear, I'm not necessarily against legacy admissions or athletic preferences. I just wish schools were upfront about it and things were explained clearly to applicants.

Hands-On with the Framework Laptop 16

pbui — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 14:48:11 +0000

Article URL: https://www.theverge.com/22665800/framework-laptop-16-hands-on-preview-modular-gaming-laptop

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36773278

Points: 21

# Comments: 1

New comment by pbui in "Ask HN: Who is hiring? (April 2023)"

pbui — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 15:54:08 +0000

University of Notre Dame | South Bend, IN | ONSITE | Assistant Professor of the Practice - Video Game Development

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Notre Dame invites applications for a non-tenured instructor of Video Game Development at the Assistant Professor of the Practice rank. The department is especially interested in candidates who are well-versed in technical game development and have a specialization in programming video game engines or graphics, optimizing software performance, and building complex and scalable applications.

The primary responsibility for this position is to develop and teach a new two course video game development sequence, focusing on the technical aspects of developing video games across a variety of platforms (PC, mobile, console, AR/VR, etc.). Additionally, this position will also have the opportunity to develop complementary electives in the areas of computer graphics, software optimization, scalable or high performance applications, and other topics related to video game development.

Apply on Interfolio: https://apply.interfolio.com/123398

Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions.

Gnome 44, “Kuala Lumpur”

pbui — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 14:52:44 +0000

Article URL: https://release.gnome.org/44/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35261963

Points: 50

# Comments: 5

The Pandemic Generation Goes to College. It Has Not Been Easy

pbui — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 12:18:48 +0000

Article URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/01/us/covid-college-students.html

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33420172

Points: 2

# Comments: 0