I learned that UCLA receives 90,000 college applications each year. They accept only 3,000-4,000 students. The Ohio State University receives 30,000. They accept only 7,000 – 9,000 students.
Does that stress you out?
Yes. It is that time. I have been burying my head in the sand, trying to avoid the whole overwhelming process of actually transferring the bundle of joy I brought home from the hospital 17 years ago, out into the outside world to live on his own.
IMPOSSIBLE! No way. I refuse to do this.
As I have tried to hold down the lid on the inevitable, I pretend that I am working on this, by keeping my mind busy with a dizzying array of inconsequential silly worries as I go through my day:
- “Does he know how to stock a pantry so he can make himself quick, cheap meals on the fly?”Â
- “What will he do when he has holes in his socks?”
- “What if he runs out of spending money, and he’s starving?”
These thoughts are just pointless, and in reality, make no real sense in day-to-day life. I just think them up, because running them through my mind makes me feel like I’m being productive.
Today I did do something productive. Well, it all started last week, when I actually dragged my ostrich-self to the parent college prep meeting at the high school. Yes, I wanted to stay home and avoid the whole drama: many of my friends did — and they did miss out. But I faced it all, primarily because another girlfriend texted me and said she was holding a spot for me, and I hadn’t seen her in awhile. “I will go just to see her!”
We held hands through parts of the meeting… how are we EVER going to get through this?
The work they laid out in front of us to get our kids to college was overwhelming — and so much different than when we went to school.
I learned some basics on how to stand out among the THOUSANDS of applicants:
- In addition to off-the-chart SAT, ACT test scores, they want exceedingly high GPAs.
- They want you to have a resume that shows the jobs you held while trying to achieve those incredible grades.
- They want to see an internship in the field of your chosen major
- They want to see a really caring service learning project.
- Don’t use humor in your entrance essay.Â
- Please don’t do this for your child. He is entering college – not the parents.Â
I heard it all and swallowed. Hard.
Then, I checked online to find out if there were any advertising agencies, or media production companies in the small little town where we spend our summers at the lake.
Surely, this must be a long shot? Why even bother to call?
Yes. There are.
“Do you hire interns? My son is thinking about majoring in media arts, and he would like to learn more about this business.”
You could just  hear the excitement oozing over the phone. It seems this is a rare request.
An internship in the summer, in the field of his chosen major? Peace I’m telling you. This brings peace. In just a couple of simply phone calls. One less thing to worry about.