The New York Times Magazine Announces Winner of College Essay Contest

The New York Times Magazine announced today that Nicholas Handler, a junior at Yale University, won the college essay contest that was launched in July. Applicants were asked to write an essay in response to one by author and historian Rick Perlstein. Mr. Perlstein’s article, which was available online at NYTimes.com/essay, compared the college culture of today with that of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Approximately 600 essays were received by the magazine; the winner and four finalists were chosen by The Magazine’s editors. Mr. Handler’s essay, titled "The Posteverything Generation,” will be published in the Sept. 30 issue of The Times Magazine, along with Mr. Perlstein’s article, "What’s the Matter with College?” The themed issue examines the current state of undergraduate education and college admissions in the United States. Mr. Handler, a history major from Glen Ridge, N.J., will also be featured on mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, and his essay will be posted to mtvU.com. In addition, the finalists’ essays will be featured at www.nytimes.com/magazine, along with an interactive feature allowing users to read and discuss more than 450 of the essays received, searchable by theme as well as the writers’ home state, college and year of graduation. Audio of Mr. Handler and Mr. Perlstein reading their essays will also be available at www.nytimes.com/magazine. The four finalists in the contest are: Liz Addison, Southern Maine Community College; Max Lance and Frankie Thomas, University of Southern California; and Travis Weinger, University of California, San Diego. Each offered a distinct viewpoint about Mr. Perlstein’s provocative article, whether they agreed or disagreed with his thesis. From extolling the benefits of community college to lamenting the lackadaisical education one finalist said he had received at a prestigious university, the finalists offered incisive analysis as well as personal anecdotes to bolster their arguments. "We were very impressed by the quality and diversity of the essays we reviewed,” said Jim Schachter, deputy editor, The New York Times Magazine. "We read passionate and articulate arguments for and against Rick’s thesis from an incredibly broad group of students. While their feelings about college may have been different, they were all united by a shared interest in debate and intellectual argument that was terrific to see.” Mr. Handler’s essay addresses the central argument made in Mr. Perlstein’s article that the college experience today differs dramatically from college as it was decades ago, primarily because it has become saturated with market thinking. As a result, Mr. Perlstein maintains, college satisfies "organization kids” who leap to embrace the highly structured opportunities that their schools offer, but has little to engage the more creative or iconoclastic students who once made colleges the vanguard of American culture and the incubators of revolutionary ideas. Mr. Handler disputes this thesis in his essay, countering that college students today are engaged in revolution and activism – only they are online, rather than on the campus quad, utilizing a whole range of technology that didn’t exist for their parents. He argues that while today’s college activism is less visible than the campus takeovers of the 60’s, it is just as sincere and, arguably, more effective. About The New York Times Company The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading media company with 2006 revenues of $3.3 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers, WQXR-FM and more than 30 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment. About mtvU Broadcast to more than 750 colleges across the country, with a combined enrollment of nearly 7.5 million, mtvU is the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are, through a three pronged approach – on-air, online and on campus. mtvU focuses on content including music videos from emerging artists which can’t be seen anywhere else, news, student life features, events and pro-social initiatives. mtvU is always on campus, with more than 500 events per year, including exclusive concerts, giveaways, shooting mtvU series and more. For more information about mtvU, and for a complete programming schedule, visit www.mtvU.com. This press release can be downloaded from www.nytco.com.