Decision Season

This college application season was different from Sam, still a little harrowing, but ultimately turned out exactly what needed to happen.

But it was still a journey!

G applied to colleges in November. That was an adventure.

He was auto admitted to Cal State Fullerton, which I only found out because he posted it to his IG story the next day! I nagged him about that one. Doesn’t his mother deserve to know these things first?

But we got good news in January…

Friday, Jan 16 2026 – Accepted to SJSU, San Jose!!

That was so cool because he came home and said, “I can really see myself going there!”

I mean, he quickly changed his mind – AFTER I bought the tshirt to celebrate. But at least he felt better for a few days.

THEN, we got the super duper exciting news.. that he shouted and yelled from upstairs in his room…

Thursday, Feb 26, 2026 – Accepted to SDSU, San Diego!!!

Friday, Feb 27, 2026 – Accepted to UC Riverside

The next day, the expected news rolled in…

Friday, Mar 6, 2026 – Rejected from UC Davis – a week later, came the first rejection.

Thursday, Mar 12, 2026 – Accepted to Cal Poly SLO!! Absolutely shocking news!! This was his top school for 2 and a half years!

Friday, Mar 13, 2026 – Waitlisted to UC Irvine!! I was on my way to Vegas with the girls when I saw this text. HOW FREAKING EXCITING. I can’t even believe he got waitlisted to UCI. And when I looked at the stats? If he accepts a waitlist position – almost EVERYONE got in last year! The odds are good!

And Friday, March 20, waitlisted at UCSD

These last two months have been sort of tortuous. For me. Much much more for G but it comes out in different ways and he doesn’t talk about it so much.

He’s really pushing to just be done with all of this and go to SDSU but I saw the look in his eyes, I see the slightly crazy mental anguish happening, and I am fortune-telling the future and decided to insist we make the decision the right way.

First off, can I say just how insane college acceptances are? From Feb 26th through March 20th, that was three straight weeks of anxiety. It felt like 6 weeks. I had to count twice, was it only 3 weeks? The kids who had to wait for Ivy Day had worse, I’m sure.

“UC Davis is at 44%, so with G’s 4.0 and IB Diploma, I think he’s a fairly good choice.”

My writings from January… His only rejection and I was totally like, he’s got this!

UCSD at 28%
SDSU at 35%
Cal Poly SLO at 30%
UCI at 29%

5 acceptances: CSUF, SJSU, UCR, CalPoly SLO, SDSU
2 waiting lists: UCI, UCSD
1 rejection: UCD

Cal Poly SLO had over 80k applications.

SDSU had over 100k. INSANITY. So many kids!!

It’s really fascinating though, when you dig into it. It’s all by major.

Looking at the applications/admissions by major at SDSU:

For Business Admin / Finance – which is what he wanted at most schools – in SDSU it had 1,112 admitted out of 3,638 which was a 30% admit rate. Only 202 of those actually enrolled. (I would be driven crazy being in the admissions office.)

He went in to SDSU with his major of Theater – Performance Arts which last year was a 50% admit rate. Much better chances! He actually tried Musical Theater first (which was an 18% admit rate!!), got an email that he wasn’t accepted and did he want to still try for Performance (and he said yes!)

50% admit rate over 30% – at least last year in 2025. Better odds. Add that he’s a male, and those odds just went up a bunch.

We are insisting that he double major because we want him to have options after college. So strange that SDSU was the only one he applied to as a Theater major… everything else was Business first.

I think that’s a sign of where his head is and I’m a little iffy about it but that’s not to think about now.

But he’s ALL over the place in insisting why he wants to go to SDSU and I don’t deny it’s a great school. But I don’t like the way he’s forcing it. I don’t want to make decisions like this. So we are going to force it and force him to visit SLO. We were going to visit Irvine but it doesn’t have the business school that he wanted and it’s such a commuter school that I didn’t even try.

The weekend I was gone, J said he argued with G for a straight hour on why he didn’t want to consider SLO. When I came back, I did another 15m of arguing but I was fasting for my colonoscopy and had a huge headache, AND his girlfriend was downstairs but he was really trying to say he just wanted to go to SDSU and “make the decision”.

After that, I really just had to think to myself… I don’t have to get G’s permission to go visit SLO. We are paying for college, all the things. We are the parents.

But I did end up doing a really great argument. I’m not sure if it was me saying I didn’t want him to be homesick and having anxiety a month into SDSU and kicking himself about why he didn’t choose SLO… and that when making big decisions, we thoughtfully make them, and look into all the details. And if I was paying $120k over 4 years, we were going to really look at everything.

I’m not sure what part of that argument hit him but maybe he realized I’m the most stubborn person in the family and then he just flipped a switch and said, okay fine.

This was after him saying, “I’m going to be TERRIBLY ANNOYED if I have to go up to SLO and pretend to look at things when I know I’ll never go there”.

Well, I am going to be terribly annoyed if you have a mental health issue and say you didn’t take the time to consider SLO which was your first choice college for a solid two years.

Anyway.

I have to say I was incredibly impressed that he dove in and really learned more about SLO. He told us some interesting things about the school. Clearly showed some interest.

Admitted Day (more like multiple days…) at SLO!!

We ate at the Lure, where I had the most amazing fresh squeezed grapefruit martini along with this crazy seafood grill. SOOO good. We hit up Gum Alley. G was like WHY DO WE HAVE TO GO HERE and I was like.. it was on the map and I WANT TO, that is good enough. Humor your Mother.

And then I bought G two books at the bookstore.

We did have such a lovely time at dinner though. No phones. Good chats. Ahhh.

Hike the next morning. Huge elevation which was hard on J’s knees but luckily the loop coming down was perfect. Lemon Trail Loop. Highly recommend!

G wanted to go over to the school to look around because “tomorrow, we will be attending talks and won’t get to explore”. I think that is not true but who am I to say NO to go look at the school we wanted him to go to?

We grabbed a light lunch and walked around. We ended the afternoon at 15k steps AND had plans to walk into town and probably back – another 2 miles. I can’t even believe I thought about working out that morning.

He really was looking at everything. Examining the map. Running around every single floor of the library. (Reminded me of New York.) I started to think… maybe he’s thinking about it?

Dinner at the Oak Grille. We were going to go to another pizza place but #reasons and J found this one. It has an espresso martini and I’m really thinking about getting it. (I’m writing this while we all relax before the evening…) Decisions. I think I will get it.

I’m so ridiculously excited to do the Thursday farmers market though. All the clubs will be out. Maybe some performances. Cute little wine bars around. Hopefully.

Edit break… the expresso martini was delicious, and so was the gelato during the farmers market. I got some yummy garlic herb spices but couldn’t find garlic salt anywhere.

During dinner, there was a moment when G said, looking around the school really reinforced that SLO is the 2nd best choice.

Sigh. And then J said, well WHY are we even going tomorrow, let’s just head home and miss the traffic.

DOUBLE SIGH.

G said, well MOM wanted me to go!

Honestly. Another drink please.

We wandered out to the market. SO COOL!

I really loved these pink tulips. I really did. They were having payment problems though and then I couldn’t imagine how they would survive the car ride home.

picture to remember, I guess.

The next morning J woke up sick.

Griffin did not answer the knock on his door, my phone call to his cell, the reception phone call to the room. They just gave me a key to his room. I mean, I was paying for the room but it was under Justin’s name so I was shocked they just gave me the key.

But how else would I have gotten him up? Pounding on the door would have woken up the rest of the floor!

Sigh.

THIS CHILD.

This was AFTER I sat in his doorway and coached him how to ask for a wake up call in the morning. He set his phone alarm for 6:15, and the wake up call for 6:20. And he was sleeping at 6:55 still.

I went to breakfast ALONE and then called Nicole to talk me through how irritated I was that my husband just gets sick the second you take him out of the house, and how is my son going to wake up every morning for college?

It’s gonna be a mystery, I guess.

G did get ready and we packed the car, put the keys back in the room for J, and had a nice walk up to the college.

We sort of wandered. I grabbed swag. I thought the first one we needed to go to was at 9am but nope. So… we walked around and then it started pouring on us. I did bring my umbrella and G was not fussed.

He’s normally not fussed. Sweet child.

I broke down and got a cappuccino.

Yum.

The open house for Theater was lovely. I really liked the visualization the director did. G thought it was super hokey. The black box theater was small but interesting.

G was already predisposed to not like it. He had fluffier words though.

I did love how he was examining the map and guiding me everywhere. It made me super nostalgic for when he was 6yo(ish) and would get the Disneyland map and insist on holding it the whole time and guiding us around.

HOW IS HE 18… ZOMGGGGG.

He was telling J about the theater meeting later in the car. “There was a talkative mom” – I said, were you worried that I would start asking questions? He just laughed.

I guess he was. Haha. There were talkative Mom’s in there though.

But we left to go to the Business talk. That was SO impressive. What a great school.

Even though he was SO sweet and was being super interested, visited the school the day before, asked great questions, this clearly was the “2nd choice” for him.

So it was noon, J was out of the hotel room, and then we walked down and he picked us up and we got back on the road home.

OMG, 6 hours home. Traffic. Eek.

The next morning, G and I were out the door at 6:50am and down to SDSU!

It rained on us a little too but we went to the Business School talk at 9am, Theater at 10am, Webers Honors college at 11am, and then G was so dehydrated so we had a snack and water.

Man, this school is gorgeous.

Did the Open House theater (I REALLY loved seeing/hearing both Directors!!) and then hung around and met his girlfriend – I FINALLY met the Mother. Hmm. And then we snagged K, and did a quick tour of Sam’s dorm room for both kids, and then took Sam for lunch.

And then drove home. So much driving.

I have more concerns about G’s Theater major, what he will be doing at school, what his path is… but that just needs to figure itself out on its own. I think.

But we have another Aztec in the house! Or we will when we do the first payment tomorrow.

So, wow, this adventure has concluded.

I’m so tired. Happy. But tired.