Inspired by the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme Song

Now this is the story all about how
My life got flipped turned upside down
And I’d like to take a minute just sit right there
I’ll tell you how I became the Assistant Director for Minority Recruitment at MIT…..which is in Kendall Square (I know, I know….give me a break, my title is long and I’m not a rapper)

In Piscataway New Jersey born and raised
In the backyard is where I spent most of my days
Chillin’ out maxin’ taking life real slow
Just playing Whiffle ball with my little bro

When I finished 12th grade and finally understood
I had to get out of my neighborhood
I got into one little school and my folks were real proud
I told them I was moving to Atlanta to attend Morehouse

The first degree was fun so I did it again
So I earned a master’s at UMD and now I’m a Terrapin
If anything, I can say that this experience was rare
But I learned a whole lot and I have more knowledge to share

I walked up to MIT on July 7th, 2008
Made sure my shoes were shiny and my tie was straight
Looked at my office, I was finally there
To sit at my desk as the Assistant Director for Minority Recruitment (I told you that I’m an admissions counselor, not a rapper)

Check 1, Check 2…..Is this thing on?

Hello blogosphere! So, now that you have read the abridged Fresh Prince inspired version of my autobiography, allow me to reintroduce myself and give you a slightly less abridged version of my story. My name is Quinton McArthur and I am the Assistant Director for Minority Recruitment. I work in the MIT Office of Admissions and I am a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park for a master’s degree, Morehouse College for a bachelor’s degree, Piscataway High School for my high school diploma, and Theodore Schor Middle School for fun (We had a ceremony, but no degree).

After I finished Morehouse, I landed a really sweet job working in college admissions at Rowan University in my home state of New Jersey. I worked for RU for three years and I realized that I wanted to learn more about higher education and the field of college admissions. So I packed my bags and headed to College Park, Maryland where I worked with college access organizations, educational policy organizations, and research teams while completing a master’s degree at the University of Maryland. Shortly after I finished my degree, I returned to college admissions in a full time capacity.

Over the course of my career, I have worked with many different types of students (urban kids from Los Angeles, rural kids from West Virginia, affluent kids from Bethesda, and kids of every type of background from New Jersey). I look forward to lending advice to all of you through your college application and search processes. This blog will pay particular attention to issues of concern that are most typically associated with Black, Latino/a, and Native American students. Does this mean that students of other backgrounds can’t participate in this forum? Absolutely not! I welcome all students to the table to learn more about MIT and participate in the conversation.

With that said, away we go….

Comments (Closed after 30 days to reduce spam)

Wooo new bloggers!

And props for the rap. I'm impressed.

Posted by: Shannon on September 17, 2008

Why does it sound suspiciously like the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song?

Posted by: Danielle on September 17, 2008

Nvr mind, only read rap, not rest of post.

Posted by: Danielle on September 17, 2008

That was an amazing intro

Yay another blogger!

Posted by: Noelle on September 17, 2008

Love the rap!

Posted by: Mikey on September 17, 2008

That's great, Quinton! You're the next rockstar for our office.

Posted by: Jennifer '06 on September 18, 2008

Nice story, I understand where you are comming from. I think im comming in on the next bus.

Posted by: Demetres on September 19, 2008

Kudos to you on your first blog for MIT admissions.

Oh and thanks for your help. I got a new interviewer assigned.

Posted by: Ester on September 19, 2008

I like the versification at the beginning.

Posted by: Ashwathi on September 21, 2008

I see that MIT plans to visit the Philadelphia area, will you be presenting as well? My son just returned home from the National Black MBA conference, and met an Aerospace Engineer, an alumnae from MIT who suggested that he apply there too since he plans to major in AE. My son is a senior in a catholic hs. We are planning to attend MIT's info session on 10/19 at Germantown Academy. I will await your response.

Posted by: 0 on September 21, 2008

Unfortunately, I will not be traveling to Philadelphia this year, but my dear friend and colleague Karyn Blaser will be there. I assure you that the Karyn Blaser experience will be an extravaganza of epic proportions. Your son (and anyone else reading this blog) can feel free to e-mail me at mcarthur@mit.edu

Posted by: Quinton on September 22, 2008

Ha. LOVE it

Posted by: Jess on September 23, 2008

haha.. (fresh prince theme again)
well this is my response to your rap song
i think it was quite creative and not too long
and I'd like to take a minute and just sit right here
as I read "The Genesis" out loud and clear =]

Posted by: Adil on September 28, 2008

Hello blogosphere, prospective student for class of '13 here.
Genesis was really cool. I used to watch the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air all the time growing up. It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Quinton.

Posted by: Lauren on September 30, 2008

That's my birthday! July 7th!
It seems you are both a rapper and an admissions counselor, and I believe a lot of people appreciate that.




Thank you for the great presentation again! (It was so awesome and I can't explain... [I can, but it just rhymes and I'm attempting to rap ]) I'm looking forward to talking to you soon!

Posted by: Nadia on October 11, 2008

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