Senior Year

It is my youngest’s senior year. Is it me or does it seem like there is so much more pressure on high school students these days? They have started the school year by having the kids prepare college essays, applications and next they have an event where they go around and representatives from colleges tell them they will be admitted or not.

It just seems like a lot. Like, I understand some students do not have people at home that can help them, but college is a huge financial commitment. I am not sure I really understand all of this.

It could also be that I knew I was going to attend college. I applied to about 10 schools. I had to pay application fees, write different essays for each school and I tailored all my applications for each program and school I applied to. I do not see them doing this at all. They seem to just be filling out generic forms, perhaps, it is just for for the state schools?

From my experience state schools were the most expensive. Private schools were able to give me a large scholarship and just waive a lot of fees to get me to attend. Private schools were the ones I seriously considered because they were just my cheapest options. The program I really wanted was a public college. I wanted to go into their dietetic program. It ended up being my most expensive option, so I just could not attend.

I am hoping my kid will not be too disappointed by the results of this admissions event. She has not even taken her college entrance exams and I know her transcript is not stellar. Her current plan is actually to attend a program at a community college. In two years, she could be certified in her chosen field. It sounds like a great fit for her.

Also, on the other hand, I do not want her getting too excited about prospects that are just not financially feasible. A couple years ago, she came home all excited about doing the program she wants in Ireland. This baffled me because she would not be certified for our state, so how would any of that work out in the end?

I hope that all these things they have kids doing these days really helps a lot of them out. It has just created a few headaches around here. Also a few panic attacks from my daughter. She keeps thinking that this is her only option and that this will be the final word on any of this. No matter how much I explain that this is not the case, she still gets all worked up over it. I am just waiting for this to be over then she can get back to regular English class assignments.