Big sigh of relief today. My daughter in high school got her scores back from the ACT test she took in March, and they look good enough to get her into the college she likes.
This is my third experience as a parent with the college admissions process, and it seems to get more stressful all the time. When my older kids were applying to colleges, I remember their school counselors saying that they were unlucky enough to be born during a mini Baby Boom in the late 1980s, and that meant there was more competition when their generation reached college age. The counselors said that when this demographic bump passed through the educational system it would not be as competitive for the next group of kids.
I don't know what happened to that idea. Every college I research seems to have raised its academic standards and lowered its acceptance rate. It seems harder than ever to get into one of the elite colleges. I talked to a parent recently who told me his son was president of his class, scored over 1500 on the Math/Verbal sections of the SAT, was a starting left tackle on a state championship football team, did hundreds of hours of service work during high school, and still got rejected by the college he wanted to go to.
It's madness, and it's contributing to some very stressful times for a lot of young people. When I was a high school junior many years ago, my father told me my college choices were limited to the schools I could commute to, because we couldn't afford room and board costs. I don't remember perusing any lists of "50 Best Colleges" and agonizing over my SAT scores. In fact, I only took the SAT test once, and only applied to one college. I got my acceptance letter and didn't spend one more minute worrying about whether I was going to a good college or not.
There are a lot of good colleges out there, even if they're not on the "50 Best" lists. The important thing is to get a degree and then go out and live your life to the fullest. I've worked with people who went to Ivy League colleges and made a mess of their lives, and I've also worked with people who went to community colleges and were a success in every sense of the word.
When I get too caught up in this college admissions craziness, I have to step back, take a deep breath, and tell myself that college is just a waystation on the journey through life. What the station looks like is not as important as where you go once you leave it.
John McDonnell's Smashwords Page
This is my third experience as a parent with the college admissions process, and it seems to get more stressful all the time. When my older kids were applying to colleges, I remember their school counselors saying that they were unlucky enough to be born during a mini Baby Boom in the late 1980s, and that meant there was more competition when their generation reached college age. The counselors said that when this demographic bump passed through the educational system it would not be as competitive for the next group of kids.
I don't know what happened to that idea. Every college I research seems to have raised its academic standards and lowered its acceptance rate. It seems harder than ever to get into one of the elite colleges. I talked to a parent recently who told me his son was president of his class, scored over 1500 on the Math/Verbal sections of the SAT, was a starting left tackle on a state championship football team, did hundreds of hours of service work during high school, and still got rejected by the college he wanted to go to.
It's madness, and it's contributing to some very stressful times for a lot of young people. When I was a high school junior many years ago, my father told me my college choices were limited to the schools I could commute to, because we couldn't afford room and board costs. I don't remember perusing any lists of "50 Best Colleges" and agonizing over my SAT scores. In fact, I only took the SAT test once, and only applied to one college. I got my acceptance letter and didn't spend one more minute worrying about whether I was going to a good college or not.
There are a lot of good colleges out there, even if they're not on the "50 Best" lists. The important thing is to get a degree and then go out and live your life to the fullest. I've worked with people who went to Ivy League colleges and made a mess of their lives, and I've also worked with people who went to community colleges and were a success in every sense of the word.
When I get too caught up in this college admissions craziness, I have to step back, take a deep breath, and tell myself that college is just a waystation on the journey through life. What the station looks like is not as important as where you go once you leave it.
John McDonnell's Smashwords Page
My daughter is starting junior high next year and they're already talking about the SAT's and what will look good on their transcripts. It's a lot to take in when she's only 11. I can only imagine how much worse it will get along the way, but thanks for the great reminder at the end.
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