When College Comes a Knockin'

I wish I remembered the point in which colleges started scouting me and my fellow highschool friends.  I know they did, just a little bit, but yeah, I’m sure its nothing like what going on in our house now.  Part of me fully understand what exactly is going on.  But lets start somewhere else.

C.J. is getting college letters from all over the US.  Reading these turns out to be quite interesting.  About half of the colleges that have seen packets have truly interesting financial aid statements.  Obviously I need to do more research, but they all read in such a way that make me believe that the tuition/room/board free.  Part of me obviously doesn’t believe this, but yeah, its an interesting read, none-the-less.


I’ve always known that colleges are in it for the money, they want that money at whatever cost.  Luckily they provide an insanely amazing service for that money, which makes them, for the large part, worth it.  That’s the reason they send out so many letters to kids nation wide.

It makes sense that they’d be looking for people anywhere, but in the end, why C.J.?  Sure, she’s a bright kid, doing well in school, but the school she’s in is sub-par at best.

The obvious reason is some of the extra programs she’s enrolled in.  Oklahoma offers some interesting resources that really help high school students look into colleges.  Once a summer she’s offered an amazing opportunity to take a bus trip to a location and visit college campuses.  It’s a truly wonderful program, even though, rumor has it that funding has been cut, and they’ll no longer be accepting new kids....  But at least C.J. is in it already.

One of the other big things they do, is have a list of kids that are seeking college.  So, obviously the colleges will look at this list and send literature to the kids on the list.  This, in and of itself, is amazingly helpful.  Colleges are a hard thing to research.  There are many colleges that one might look over because you’ve never heard of it.  Fact is, most colleges are chosen because of proximity, or because of ‘fame.’

Getting this literature in the mail helps parents and students make a very informed choice.  And informed choices help in so many ways.  We even have stuff from an Ivy League college.  It’s a huge boost to self-esteem that you get these packets, for sure.

Fact is, C.J.’s future is amazingly bright, and full of so much hope.  Its hard not to get excited for her, but you really can’t, because then it feels as if you are pushing her.  There is always a fine line/double edged sword thing when dealing with teenagers.  Only time will tell how all this will come out, but for now, its hard not to be a proud step-parent who is extremely ready to help C.J. succeed in whatever path she chooses in life.