Category: College Admissions

Let’s begin by making fun of folks in ancient India. Dry spells, they believed, were caused by a dragon standing guard over the clouds. But a storm god could lure the dragon away. The people, therefore, cheered for the storm god. The resulting rain, or lack thereof, was attributed to

Those of us a certain generation will not only immediately recognize the above reference but also conjure up associated feelings. We may not remember exactly what we were wearing when we first heard Harry Chapin’s Taxi, but we have a connection nonetheless. I’m told that the Elizabethan Age had a

A Parent: “Emerald Pools is nice enough, I suppose, but the hoodoos at Bryce are exquisite. So much more interesting.”  Another Parent: “You’re kidding, right? The museum at Zion is not only bigger but better than the one at Bryce. Much more educational.” A Parent: “There are 175 species of

Devon is deciding courses for the last year of high school. Devon’s counselor suggests a fourth year of Spanish. Colleges like to see four years of a language, intones the counselor. Devon wants to drop language to make room for three history courses. Oh, no, responds the counselor. Colleges don’t

Forty-something years ago, my girlfriend and I are in Biscayne Bay on a rented 13’ 9” Sunfish, maybe a mile from shore. We are chatting, having a lovely afternoon, clear skies–even though there isn’t room on the small sailboat for more than eight or nine sandwiches and a six pack

One of my running buddies describes how a family member prepares a return: six sharpened pencils, a speed dial connection to the IRS help line, spreadsheet software open on two computers, and a bottle of antacid. Robin puts in several hours a day over the course of weeks. Every dollar

One of my camping buddies is a musical savant. Peter can play any song he has ever heard, a human Spotify without the concomitant $9.95 recurring charge. What about tunes he has never heard before? Peter listens to the first verse—I met him on a Monday and my heart stood

I wasn’t there. But I have heard tell that Henry VIII divorced a couple of his wives and beheaded two more. Because they did not give him a male heir. Poor planning on the part of two thirds of the spouse census. I load the dishwasher when my bride tells

If fate whispers to you, “you can’t withstand the storm,” whisper back “I am the storm.” Remember whose daughter you are and straighten your crown. –Unknown How do we get from here to there? Because for me, that’s the daughter I want. I want the daughter who can look fate

Discounting the disconcerting possibility of being eaten by a bear, I am practicing what I preach this week and tromping around the great outdoors with one of my adult children. Said child pointed out, “Dad. Nobody on his death bed every said, ‘I wish I had spent less time in