Finally got around to reading this one. Colton is going to be just fine. Proud of that kid for taking initiative on his own and following his heart instead of the norm. Although my dad didn't gamble or drink, I had a similar upbringing. Never knew where the money went and never had much of it. Just enough to have a home, a car and be in debt for most of my childhood with no real money for anything else. One pair of shoes per year of school if we were lucky and thankfully got a scholarship to study acting in NY. Instead of taking the easy road out going to Windsor University as an English major, drama minor which would have been almost a free ride (following a Basketball and Volleyball partial scholarship)... I took a leap of faith and moved to NYC on my nineteen birthday and the rest as they say...
Kudos to Colton man... kudos to you for being a great mom and to both of your kids for not relying on the comfort of dad's money but striving to do something more than just follow the "path."
Good for you! And Colton. The emphasis on "where did you go to school" (especially in the US) is insane. Also, I think we did about the same on the SATs. It's been 46 years since I took 'em and I still remember how poorly I did! I knew I'd be lucky to get credit just for signing my name on the math exam. By the way, I loved Dartmouth and wanted to go there because the campus was so pretty (that's what was important to me; the aesthetic) but I knew I'd never get in because of those math SATs. I wound up at Syracuse because it was only an hour from home (easy to get to) and I could major in journalism or music, or both. I thought it was a loser school because they accepted me. But I blossomed there: I got involved with the school newspaper, I made lifelong friends, and I did really well, and 42 years after graduation my J-school friends and I (who have all had very satisfying careers everywhere from IBM to the New York Times to Capitol Hill) are still thriving. (And, most surprisingly to me, I wound up getting an Ivy League degree—an MFA at Cornell!) You bloom where you're planted. Decades from now what will be most important to Colton won't necessarily where he went, but what he did there, what he learned and, most crucially, the friends he made. But I'm guessing you've already told him that.
Dearest Debby. Wow. Thank you for taking the time to read and even more time for putting together this thoughtful and inspiring comment! I'm totally forwarding this to Colton whom I'm sure will appreciate it just as much as I did. You and I have a lot in common: music, writing, and shitty test scores! Love that. And I love the creative mark you have made and continue to make on the world. You just gained a fan. xx
If you and Colton really want to have an interesting discussion about the insanity of competitive higher ed, read "Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the way to a Meaningful Life" by William Deresiewicz. And then, for even more fun, binge watch "Gilmore Girls" and count how many times Rory talks about Harvard. (I wrote an essay about this, which I never did anything with, and am thinking now that maybe I'll put it up on my Substack this week...") I'm really enjoying your writing. You've gained a fan, too!
Finally got around to reading this one. Colton is going to be just fine. Proud of that kid for taking initiative on his own and following his heart instead of the norm. Although my dad didn't gamble or drink, I had a similar upbringing. Never knew where the money went and never had much of it. Just enough to have a home, a car and be in debt for most of my childhood with no real money for anything else. One pair of shoes per year of school if we were lucky and thankfully got a scholarship to study acting in NY. Instead of taking the easy road out going to Windsor University as an English major, drama minor which would have been almost a free ride (following a Basketball and Volleyball partial scholarship)... I took a leap of faith and moved to NYC on my nineteen birthday and the rest as they say...
Kudos to Colton man... kudos to you for being a great mom and to both of your kids for not relying on the comfort of dad's money but striving to do something more than just follow the "path."
Good for you! And Colton. The emphasis on "where did you go to school" (especially in the US) is insane. Also, I think we did about the same on the SATs. It's been 46 years since I took 'em and I still remember how poorly I did! I knew I'd be lucky to get credit just for signing my name on the math exam. By the way, I loved Dartmouth and wanted to go there because the campus was so pretty (that's what was important to me; the aesthetic) but I knew I'd never get in because of those math SATs. I wound up at Syracuse because it was only an hour from home (easy to get to) and I could major in journalism or music, or both. I thought it was a loser school because they accepted me. But I blossomed there: I got involved with the school newspaper, I made lifelong friends, and I did really well, and 42 years after graduation my J-school friends and I (who have all had very satisfying careers everywhere from IBM to the New York Times to Capitol Hill) are still thriving. (And, most surprisingly to me, I wound up getting an Ivy League degree—an MFA at Cornell!) You bloom where you're planted. Decades from now what will be most important to Colton won't necessarily where he went, but what he did there, what he learned and, most crucially, the friends he made. But I'm guessing you've already told him that.
Dearest Debby. Wow. Thank you for taking the time to read and even more time for putting together this thoughtful and inspiring comment! I'm totally forwarding this to Colton whom I'm sure will appreciate it just as much as I did. You and I have a lot in common: music, writing, and shitty test scores! Love that. And I love the creative mark you have made and continue to make on the world. You just gained a fan. xx
If you and Colton really want to have an interesting discussion about the insanity of competitive higher ed, read "Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the way to a Meaningful Life" by William Deresiewicz. And then, for even more fun, binge watch "Gilmore Girls" and count how many times Rory talks about Harvard. (I wrote an essay about this, which I never did anything with, and am thinking now that maybe I'll put it up on my Substack this week...") I'm really enjoying your writing. You've gained a fan, too!
Pleeeeeeeease post that essay! Such a clever idea and VERY on point right now with everyone deciding on their schools. xx