<p>Jennifer Moses shares the trials and tribulations of her family as they tried to avoid a meltdown on their quest "to hit as many college campuses as possible between Grandma Lola's, in Philly, and Grandpa Sabi's, in Maine." </p>
<p>
[quote]
...Not surprisingly, the admissions office, like those of other colleges we've visited, is filled with people who seem, more or less, just like us, trailing kids who seem, more or less, like Sam. There are slightly rumpled couples wearing sandals-- with very little in the way of makeup on the women, lots of Eddie Bauer for the men -- and boys and girls in various stages of nerves and excitement. Everyone radiates a kind of hopeful, earnest sameness....
<p>I honestly cannot relate to these obsessive, angst filled college admissions articles. With families like these is it no wonder why so many children are dealing with mental health issues.</p>
<p>We did take one "colllege tour" during spring break junior year but the extent of the college related chit chat boiled down to, "How did you like that college?"</p>
<p>Ours was a stress free process by choice and in the end our son has had a great three years, an plumb internship in Pasadena this summer and looking forward to graduation next year and life beyond college. </p>
<p>how old is this article?author says S is plugged into a "Walkman" in the back seat...when's the last time a kid used a "walkman" and not an "ipod"????</p>
<p>Well, I can relate to that feeling of discomfort and insecurity. I was 18 and it was the spring before I was headed to a university. I was already accepted, so I did not feel the same type of anxiety as Sam, but I did not know anyone who was going to attend the same school. My aunt knew of someone in Manhattan who was heading there too. She arranged for us to meet, and it was a complete disaster. It created more inner angst than I had before. The other young lady was from a wealthy family, and attended a private prep school. I came from a middle class backround, and attended a suburban public high school. It seemed to me like we were from different planets. I perceived her as very snobbish, and wondered why she even agreed to meet me. The other girl seemed very disinterested in getting to know me, and I felt so awkward. I could not wait to leave the situation.</p>
<p>Fortunately, I had a great orientation experience, and made friends very quickly once I arrived on campus.</p>
<p>Cathymee--my D carries a Walkman everywhere (she ran a race carrying it last Sunday.) not everyone buys the latest electronics. She came by her cheapness honestly--learned it from her parents.</p>
<p>Having read the article, I have to say, Sam doesn't sound much like my kids at all. I can't imagine them obsessing about a score like that. I wonder how he feels about her writing this--it does not present him well. She tells us how insightful and inquisitive and engaging he is, but she shows us a whiny kid--not great writing, and maybe not so great parenting, either. </p>
<p>(Our local paper's "family-oriented" columnist got very vague when her son hit the teenage years. Even as she discussed college admissions, she left out all talk of scores, grades, where he was applying, where he got in, or even where he decided to go.</p>
<p>I think I also remember Calvin Trillin saying he was on a moratorium of writing humorously about his kids when they hit their teens.)</p>
<p>This article says at the end that Sam will be attending Swarthmore in the fall. (I was betting that, when she said they visited two schools while in Philly, that they were UPenn and Swarthmore. I didn't see many safeties on their list!) They were worried about Sam's lack of a hook. On the other hand, the tag line at the end also says the author has written a new book about "Bagels and Grits: A Jew on the Bayou" - so I assume Sam brought his own slant of cultural diversity! And I wonder if Mom helped with the essays? :)</p>
<p>I read this column as a humorous bit- with some factual stuff thrown in. Some of it sounded familiar, but some of the angst made me laugh. Our college tour road trip was way more relaxed, as was son's approach to applications. Of course, he didn't care about getting into 'the best' college, but the one that 'felt right'.</p>
<p>Meltdown???
You haven't SEEN a meltdown until you've been in a car with my two sons on our "college roundabout" a couple years ago. NEVER again. Both have the capacity in totally different ways to get under the skin. To the point that I'm a raving lunatic, sitting in the passenger seat going down the interstate 75 mph.<br>
The kid in the article- yeah he was a bit whiney, sort of preoccupied with what appeared to be a stellar math score (mom and dad's combined?). Mine have got him beat in the able-to-turn-mom-into-basket-case-while-driving-on-interstate department.
I should write an article.</p>
<p>We had lovely angst-less road-trip visits to colleges with both kids. We had a blast - and looked for the best and cheapest food in each town we went to, checked out the book stores and the vintage clothing stores and the record stores -no angst, just fun, family vacation. But it is a totally different mindset down here in the central-south!!!! ;)</p>
<p>KarenC. - I read the article the same way you did and laughed at the angst having a 6-feet- two inch S of my very own who has turned having a long-term anxiety attack into an art form, although I am not sure if low-key is the right way to describe it all. The road story struck me as both humorous and semi-fictionalized. I think her son Sam must be used to it all by now because Moses has been writing about him, and her whole family, in the same vein for years. I suppose I like reading all these college tour articles because I haven't made one and don't have any plans to do so. Although, right now I can't help imagining what it would be like to make one of these cross-country treks carpooling with Doubleplay. </p>
<p>Both my cousin and my sister either had a blast or must be gluttons for punishment because they both have generously offered to take my S on the "college tour" this summer. Thus far, he hasn't accepted either invitation - it is hard enough to get him to even glance at a college website these days. My cousin can be considered to be a pro after going through all of this with three kids. I posted about my cousin's D's trip - after many miles of travel upon arrival at one well-known LAC, she barely got out of the car before shouting as loudly as humanly possible- "let's get out of here, I wouldn't be caught dead at a school where people dress like that!". My sister's D also had a few knee jerk reactions to certain schools after a few minutes on campus, and of course, when all things were said and done, she wound up accepting admission to a college that she didn't visit. Kudos to cousin who not only managed to finish the road trip in one piece but continues to entertain us with some great stories - semi-fictionalized or not.</p>