Acceptance

The Princeling has been accepted to a four-year college. Nay! A UNIVERSITY! (A subject for another blog will be how annoyed I am by colleges claiming to be universities, especially as I attended Temple University. But I'll have to save that tirade for another day. And no, Arcadia, no Rowan, you are not universities.) Our young Monkey Prince received his acceptance as a transfer student to Millersville University. He will be studying meterology. I'm very proud, and not just for the obvious reasons. The Monkey Prince has taken control of his own destiny. Kong and I have never even set foot on the Millersville University campus. We haven't even looked at the course catalogue. (We've checked the tuition rates, however.) It has been completely the Princeling's decision to study metereology. He's researched schools, visited Millersville on his own, and completed his own application. He OWNS this, and I'm very proud.
These days parents begin fretting over college applications somewhere about three months into their firstborn's nursery school career. Year after year the anxiety ramps up until it comes to a crescendo in the junior year of high school and then the senior year application frenzy. There are worries over getting into "good" schools. A flurry of campus visits, interviews, second visits, etc. etc. And here we sit, having done nothing at all for our eldest son! There are several reasons why we have been uninvolved, not the least of which is that he's quite capable of doing this for himself.
But one of my main reasons for not going on endless campus tours and poring over college propaganda is that I really don't care what a campus is like. I don't care what the average class size is, and I don't care if my child gets the "college experience". You see, I went to Temple University. It's an inner city school, and I do mean inner city. It's located smack dab in one of the more . . . shall we say, seriously real life areas of Philadelphia. There are no rolling hills or grassy meadows. Instead, you'll hear subways running under Broad Street and will probably have to be on your guard against petty theft perpetrated by the students of the nearby junior high school. I will insert a disclaimer and say that Temple has come a long way since I first walked on campus in 1980, but it's still a big city school.
I chose Temple because I looked at the course catalog. Temple offered the program I wanted, had a great reputation, and was affordable. Those are the things that count. And I was more than satisfied with my college experience. I received an amazing education at one of the most miserable campuses you'd ever want to visit, occasionally sat in overcrowded classes, and never once sat on a grassy knoll in the sunshine. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
The same is true for Millersville and the Princeling. I really don't care if he and the school are a "good fit". Here's my philosophy on choosing a college: It's four short years of what one hopes to be a very long life. Deal with what you have to, and get the education you need. It's not play time, kiddies. The "college experience" often includes partying and binge drinking. Let's not play Animal House while away at school. This is work. And it's hard. So do it.
I may be unusual in my thinking. But there has been no stress in our house over college selection. I've always told my children that if they don't know what they want to do when they graduate from high school, then take time off. Go travel, go work. If you want to stay in school, then go to the local community college and take some classes in different areas. See what sparks your interest. When and if you are serious about earning a degree, then go get it. This philosophy may be simplistic, but it works. Parents have a hard time with this concept. Why? Because we all compete through our children. "Where's you son going to college?" "Oh! Our precious is going to Harvard." It can be tough to follow that with, "My son is going to community college."
I feel strongly about this. Our job as parents is to put honorable people into the world. There is no single correct formula for doing that. And "good" schools do not guarantee a life of honor. After all, George W. Bush is an ivy league graduate.