“Taking the Magic Out of College”
No, I’m not talking about final exams.
This Op-Ed piece in the New York Times by a high school student named Lauren Edelson caught my attention because of its references to Middlebury (and Quidditch!) Lauren’s point, in a word, is that she “[doesn't] care about what percentage of the student body runs around on broomsticks.” Ouch. Although, if Lauren secretly loves Quidditch and wants to come to Middlebury (as I presume), then getting published in a prominent newspaper isn’t a bad way to start.
LAUREN EDELSONLAUREN EDELSON
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Same day in NYT there was an article in the sports section on a short, jewish high school student basketball player at Poly Prep in NYC…Article noted that despite his talent and commitment, the student was unlikely to go to Div. I school or NBA…His ‘model” more likely is a former Midd student who is now playing in the Israeli professional B-ball league….Also, in the background of the picture at Poly Prep basketball court was a Middlebury pennant,,,,
Edelson didn’t mention a major difference between Middlebury Quidditch and other schools’ references to the Harry Potter series. Hogwarts comparisons on the campuses of Harvard or Williams seem like exactly what Edelson was talking about: efforts by tour guides or administrations to make the institutions in question seem fun and magical.
Middlebury’s Quidditch games are different: they are their own phenomenon, a semi-ironic yet legitimate student-created sport that has become almost totally independent of JK Rowling’s books.