Category: College Admissions

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

A tee-shirt proclaiming that, “our sport is your sport’s punishment” is about as snarky as runners are likely to be. There’s not a lot of trash talking within our ranks. Because the other participants aren’t the enemy. We talk about competitions but not competitors. Runners are brothers in arms. In

Can you see the real me? Inquired Roger Daltrey in 1975 on Quadrophenia. Teenage angst wasn’t new to muh muh my generation even half a century ago. Not seeing kids for who they are rather than for who their parents want them to be is a recurrent theme in rock

I have never been kidnapped by aliens. To my knowledge. Although there was a weekend my senior year of college about which I remember very little. Those who do mention having been kidnapped by aliens report remarkably similar narratives. Invariably the alien is described as looking similar to the (second)

When I started touring college campuses 30-something years ago, there was a strong relationship between how hungry the college was and the quality of the meals provided. My colleagues and I—“hordes” is such an unpleasant word—would descend from our chartered buses famished after a two-hour excursion from College A to

My recent column about the randomness of admissions decisions garnered more than the usual number of “attaboys” and “tell-me-mores.” One of my old running buddies shared 40 years of frustration regarding alumni interviews. One of my colleagues described an exemplary student with some disappointment results. Another colleague shared a brilliant

As college admissions decisions continue to descend upon hapless seniors and their well-intentioned parents this week, all involved revert to the cognitive capability of a three-year-old. “Why?” asks a toddler in response to any and every statement. “Let’s brush your teeth,” “it’s time for bed”—are all followed by the ubiquitous

“Her life had been as exciting and varied as our was monotonous” is Willa Cather’s delicate phrase from 1926. Petula Clark sang, “when you’re alone and life is making you lonely…” 38 years later. Another subsequent 56 years, downtown is no longer the venue where the worst thing that could

None of us can sing worth a darn, but we are a highly enthusiastic bunch caterwauling in the woods each summer. One of our chorus is a federal prosecutor. As the mental health professionals sit around the campfire discussing substance use disorder late into the evening, Ben remains thoughtful. Recent