Don't tell, don't ask...the college process

I find the college process to be fascinating...it used to be that we hand wrote applications after visiting a couple of schools and our parents occasionally checked in to make certain that all the bases were covered...now its is big business...first off if you are a athlete and have been training at your game since pre-k, have had coaches, summers spent perfectly your sport and played on numerous select teams you are now paying big bucks to have professional videos created so that you can market yourself right through the college process...ooooyyyy

Starting junior year families begin traversing the US in a effort to locate the perfect school...you can buy a college route map on amazon to plan the trip stopping in cute college towns and making certain to purchase a hoodie at every book store....i myself am still on the hook for a few unused plane tickets after an aborted mission to pick out a school in the mid-west...i guess i'll pay the re-booking fee to catch a plane to a spa after this process is done..anyone coming with me???

If you don't have your wits about you it is fairly common to select a private college adviser who at the cost of about half a years private school tuition will do everything from identify a well balanced list of schools, help choose the perfect SAT tutor, work on essays and create a 'brag' sheet that can be attached as a supplement to the common application....if you are really on top of things chances are you have brought this person on board your college team at the end of sophomore year so that for the next 2 years your family can obsess about the process....after this process you are going to need to hire a party planner or a shink.

Things really get fun senior year...early choice applications are due by November...so about 4 weeks into the school year the buzz starts...who, what, where, when, and how!!! if you don't wont to have the conversation over every lunch and dinner date for the next 6 weeks you best just stay home...some folks are just curious...like those who read directories...they just want to know who is looking where...other want to know because they want to play the odds...still others want to make certain that the competition is not to strong...people ask questions...its natural...but whats not natural is to ask, to pump, to be concerned...not only about one kid but about everyone they know...and then when the conversation turns and they are asked about their prodigy they explain they are just hanging low...hanging low, really, if you just asked all those questions; how many here, who there, what sport etc...you are not hanging low, you are accessing the situation, not being honest and the only hanging is the person who you are talking to...they are hanging up on you...so if you have no intention of telling...do us all a favor and don't ask!!!