Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Getting In, Part 11: Transitions

For so long, the college admissions process is about winning--picking the "right" school, and then waiting to see if you will be rewarded with the prize of admission. Our children, hopefully with our support, do so much to get to the win--they manage their grades and take tests and write essays. They audition and interview and spend months trying to prove to themselves and to others that they are worthy of the victory, only to find that the work that they have done only sometimes matters, that the "officials" who witness their race only sometimes judge in their favor. And then suddenly, after all the months of training and racing and judging, the whole thing is over. Visits are scheduled, and decisions are made. Deposits are paid, and a single destination, rather than many, becomes the focus of conversation. Where there was confusion and uncertainty, suddenly now there is clarity. Where there were questions to be answered, suddenly now there are plans to be made. Where there was the blur of too much to see all at once, suddenly now there is a point of focus. Where there was competition, suddenly now there is transition, almost as if the competition never really happened.

"Getting in" has happened--our family will be proudly sporting Ithaca College swag in no time. And, as with most things in life, it turns out that the "getting in" is just the beginning. Let the transitions begin...

No comments:

Post a Comment