I had this journal in my head about writing up G’s colleges and I couldn’t believe I didn’t do the same thing with Sam!
But I did.
It was just sitting in drafts.
College application season and we are 90% of the way there with 7 results in out of the 9 applications.
It’s a very challenging road
It’s crazy how on one hand, what you decide on in 8th or 9th grade is a huge determining factor of what happens at the end of high school and where you go to college.
On the other hand, there is a college for every kid who wants to go. Even community college with honors programs that lifts you right into an amazing college two years later. There are no “bad” options.
But trying to be very deliberate with what their values are.
And four years ago they were entrenched in Covid world.
Anyway, I had not written much.
But Sam (apparently) submitted to 9 places. I’m struggling with which ones…
She got accepted to CSU Fullerton, SDSU, CSU Long Beach, U of Minnesota with $40k in merit, and then she got an entrance into UC Merced (she did not apply!) because she had a 4.0 but didn’t get accepted into any UCs.
No one likes Merced. (That’s so mean, there are a few people who like Merced. I’m sure.)
She did not get accepted into UCSB, UCSD, Cal Poly SLO, and… and… ugh. I can’t remember what the others were. (Edit: UCLA was one!) And it looks like she deleted our shared Google doc on it. Sigh.
Anyway. She is wildly happy where she is. That’s where she was meant to be. And it all worked out.
Now, we are at G’s turn.
I’m so tempted SO TEMPTED to copy and paste his essays into this post so I can read them in 10 years. Oooh.. I will refrain but maybe I will email them to myself because I don’t want him to delete it like Sam did.
Okay done.
From G’s list, his college submissions:
YAY COLLEGES
UCI – SDSU – Cal poly SLO
OK COLLEGES
UCD – UCSD – UCR – San Jose State
Cal state fullerton (this is a bleh college section)
He got an auto-admit into CSUF and yesterday, January 16, he got admitted into San Jose State!!!
Sam, J, and I were sitting at Terra with JJ, Sharon, and Truck and all got to share the news together when he texted the family chat.
The sigh of RELIEF of hearing my baby say, “I can imagine myself going there!” is just what I needed to get through the next 10 weeks of waiting for the other 6 updates.
It’s the farthest one away but it has an amazing Business Finance program and he wants to minor in Musical Theater, which is also there.
SJSU has an acceptance rate of over 80% so we were expecting this – and I was also freaking out about what if he didn’t get in. But yay, here we are!
Next, we are expecting an acceptance to UCR. It has an 87% acceptance rate and it’s actually pretty amazing even though it’s in Riverside. I think it had something like… $30M into it’s buildings recently? It’s a fantastic school.
UC Davis is at 44%, so with G’s 4.0 and IB Diploma, I think he’s a fairly good choice. They have a really good business school.
With acceptances at UCD, UCR, and SJSU it’s really a toss up of where he would want to go. Which is why I kept Spring Break open. If he gets into those three, we are going exploring.
The harder ones to get into are:
UCSD at 28%
SDSU at 35%
Cal Poly SLO at 30%
UCI at 29%
The last week of November was… not rough. It was anxiety inducing? He kept insisting he was getting writing done at his girlfriends but I do not think that was happening.
But we got the Cal States completed two weeks before the deadline and J, G, and I sat at the table for a good hour editing his 4 personal statements for all the UCs.
That was HILARIOUS.
We worked really well together! I’m not surprised but it was kinda funny. I totally was checking grammar on AI when a sentence looked off. I had to justify why it looked off and didn’t really know why! And while J is an admitted AI hater, his brain IS like an AI, especially with English. And then when he walked away, G totally checked it on AI which made me giggle. He was smart though, he asked AI to suggest one sentence to change. These kids totally know you can’t use AI but they are using it as a tool to brainstorm and suggest better things.
I cosign for that. And he did write them all himself but he rewrote them so many times. Especially after his “smart friend” suggested edits. He didn’t trust ours but trusted his friend. Totally blanking on his friends name. I guess he had already gotten into a good school? Anyway.
Teenagers.
I am going to put a few snippets for me. I enjoy reading over these so much.
My favorite question was asking how he expresses his creative side. He told SUCH a good story about the fire alarm going off during an Improv performance and how they started dancing (they knew it was a malfunction, it had been doing it all day)
This attitude towards unexpected situations was a fundamental concept in improv. There are no mistakes, as long as you hold a mindset of joy and freedom.
I seriously have to shake myself sometimes because the fact that he knows this so early in life is a blessing.
It was an opportunity to make the most out of what I had. Through creatively changing the angle of how I look at “bad” developments, I’m able to find success.
One of the questions asked what his greatest talent or skill was, and how he has developed it.
My greatest talent or skill is bringing joy out in others.
Sniff… makes me so happy. He described 3 different scenarios of how he has worked on this and ended with:
I’ve grown in this talent, and have been able to make more of a difference in people’s lives as I’ve gotten more practice. Now when I visit a Scout meeting, I lead and the younger Scouts listen. I’ve proved myself as someone that brings joy. My goal when in a leadership position is to bring out each and every person’s better self. That’s what I do, and that’s what I’m best at.
The last one, asked why does he believe he’s a strong candidate for the UC system
What makes me a strong candidate is that I consistently take initiative and adapt my skills to any environment. I’m driven by the desire to uplift the communities I’m part of, and I actively look for ways to improve the spaces around me through communication and preciseness. I’m someone that dives headlong into wildly different areas of life, and I use it as a strength.
He’s really going to do well whereever he goes.
But I’m still SO GLAD I took Lisa’s college course, The Admissions Formula, because it helped me get my values in line with what my kids wanted. G did not want to go to prestigious school.
Ugh, one of the FIRST THINGS G said to me, Sharon, and Truck when we saw him last night and congratulated him on SJSU was, “It’s so affordable! It’s only $9k!”
I mean, it’s a gift that they think that way but it also may hamper them from the best opportunity and what is best for them.
I was like noooo, first off, it’s not $9k, they have to house and feed you so it’s $35k. And second off, let’s not think that way!
Never mind the fact I just paid $70k in estimated taxes. Ugh. But still.
Anyway, prestigious school! He did not want that. And going through the College Hunt with him to really figure out the things he DID want like good weather, near hiking, etc. It forced him to think about things he did care about like maybe school spirit, small classrooms, having anonymity or knowing everyone, or being in a college town.
I remember we went to University of Oregon and it was HEAVENLY. GORGEOUS campus and both kids were like, eh. I didn’t like the look of the building. Or I didn’t like all the clouds. They step one foot on the campus and they just don’t like it.
Could be the best place in the world. And they just hate it.
But long ago, we had this conversation with the kids. And really, with myself with TAF through Lisa.
Do I want a partnership with my teen? Do I want to be patient or rushed with the process, especially dealing with a growing mind and body of a teenager. TAF had SO many great conversation starters.
And considering my kids and where they land with empathy, self-discipline, curiosity, balance, confidence, and resiliency. Keeping those intentions when talking about college really helped my conversations with them.
Their mental health was more important to me. And getting them in a mindset that they could SEE themselves at some of these schools and were not super bent on one in particular.
It worked out. I’m happy with it.
After the 8 applications were finalized, he then had 30 days to do the musical theater submissions. Because at the last second, he ended up going in as a Musical Theater major FIRST for SDSU, knowing he could double major in Business there. Apparently you can’t do that at the other schools? Those took forever! I got a rig with a white background so he could do all the recording he wanted in the garage. Two songs and two monologues. They were very good.
SDSU only took 7 people into Musical Theater last year but I guess we shall see what this year brings.
He went into UCI with Business first and then his 2nd preference for a major with MT. He submitted the same ones and also had to write a supplemental paragraph. He did that in an all nighter before we left for New Year. Nothing like the last second on December 31st. But the UCI part wasn’t required so he did that on his own.
At the same time, he was nominated for Best Artist of the Year for the OC Register and was able to send in those as well so that was a good use of time!
At some point he was really thinking of applying to Chapman, USD (University of San Diego) and Santa Clara which are all private schools but he decided not to.
So many decisions for these seniors. Crazy.
I keep chit-chatting with other parents. Have you heard? What’s new? What is your kid deciding?
But it’s all very delicate and you don’t want to say much.
One kid got into Georgetown through early action so HIS parents are super relieved. He wants into Berkely or UCLA but dang if he isn’t THRILLED to be potentially going to Georgetown!
Another is a high performer in the IB Program and got 3 or 4 deferrals already which is a huge bummer. Lots of time left but it just speaks to the fact that you want to have a very good list of schools your child can SEE themselves at AND have a good chance of being admitted.
The fact that these college applications actually have room to list the IB Program over the AP courses tells me that G should hopefully have an edge with it but who knows.
At least we have one good option and hopefully he will have 3 or 4 more.
I’m so relieved he heard from SJSU last night!
Best news ever.
This upcoming college decision has lived in my head every day for months. The planning, the worrying, the hoping, the recalibrating. I know it will keep living there until my last baby leaves the nest. Part of the job…
I’m not going to start obsessing that it’s a 6 hours and 14 minute drive from my house so if we get a call from G, like we did Sam, about being in the ER… it’s gonna be a lot harder to reach him.
I’ll just obsess over that later.
Or at 2am.
One of those.
Comments on this entry are closed.