Faces of the Meritocracy | Teen Ink

Faces of the Meritocracy

November 1, 2011
By phsieh93 BRONZE, Saratoga, California
phsieh93 BRONZE, Saratoga, California
4 articles 0 photos 1 comment

His report card: straight A’s no B’s,
Got that 2400 on his last SAT.
In the last year took six AP’s.
His life goal, you see, is to get to MIT.
He’s got no life, can’t spare the time,
A little lonely sometimes, but he’ll be fine.
He’d get out more but his parents don’t let him.
Feels like he doesn’t know a single person who gets him.
His peers think he’s weird, ‘cause he dresses so sloppy;
Only talk to him when his notes they want to copy.
Bothers him a bit, but makes him feel appreciated
Because being used is better than being hated.
He keeps his eyes on the prize, GPA at 4.5,
Dreaming ‘bout the future is what’s keeping him alive.
So forget his peers, wait till he’s out of here,
He’ll be rich in twenty years, and they’ll still be sipping beers.

He’s just an anomaly
Made by the great meritocracy
Trying to figure out who he’s got to be
In this fast-paced, rat race economy
Examine his life, Socrates
Take a close look, there a lot to see
The price he’ll pay, no, it’s not for free
To get into his dream university

Her teachers call her the overachiever.
Think she can’t do it? She’ll make you a believer.
To try something new, she’s always so eager.
Excel at it too, she’s a natural born leader.
Student officer, sports, always a captain.
Anything she wants, she can make it happen.
Start a new club to put it on her application
It’s pretty stacked already, but can’t get complacent
But it’s so much crap that she’s about to snap.
Wants to block it all out and take a much needed nap.
Another all-nighter, everything’s hazy.
Going a little crazy but she can’t get lazy.
But she pushes through it, persistence is a must.
Since she can remember, it was Stanford or bust.
That rejection letter is what she fears the worst.
She always been cursed, the one who’s always first.

She’s a curiosity
Made by the great meritocracy
Trying to figure out who she’s got to be
In this fast paced, rat race economy
Examine her life, Socrates
Take a close look, there’s a lot to see
The price she’ll pay, no, it’s not for free
To get into her dream university

Found out in 6th grade that he couldn’t compete,
So the system he played, and decided to cheat.
Felt guilty at first, but he didn’t confess.
And with every passing test, it hurt a little less.
And now he’s swapping answers, he’s got no shame.
Integrity’s a joke ‘cause it’s all just a game.
Getting in the room, always finds a seat
Next to the smart kids, so he can take a peek
Every time they’re not looking, it’s way more efficient
Just don’t get caught, there’s only one condition
Try or get high? He’ll choose the latter
Life’s not fair anyways, so it doesn’t really matter
The only thing that counts is making your wallet fatter
Think there’s more to it? Your dreams will get shattered
At UCLA, he’ll party every day
Get laid, get paid, forget what people say

He’s another oddity
Made by the great meritocracy
Trying to figure out who he’s got to be
In this fast paced, rat race economy
Examine his life, Socrates
Take a close look, there’s a lot to see
The price that he’ll pay, no, it’s not for free
To get into his dream university


The author's comments:
Updated version of the last song I posted

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