“Tango Lessons Can Get Your Student into Harvard” – Part II/Kayaking

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Turns out the cutting edge test prep specialist who wanted me to promote him on this blog was fibbing about the tango lessons.  That student actually got into Cornell, not Harvard (not that there's anything shabby about Cornell).  Mr. Tango's publicist also had claimed that his efforts had resulted in an eighth grader's guaranteed admission into medical school.  When I asked Mr. T. about that, he said he had no idea why his website gave that info, and in fact, the early med school acceptee had been a high school senior.

Then he went on a rant about certain parents, as well as the administration and faculty of one of the Ivies.  Finally, he said, he intended to raise his rates for his wealthier students and start a Robin Hood model of test prep (teaching wrong info to the wealthy kids so the needy can snag their places? Hmm…there's an essay topic.)

So, that leaves nothing to blog about besides Parents' Weekend, a time when parents drop everything, fly across the country, have dinner with their kids, send out their linens to a fluff 'n fold, then go for a run because the students have too many lab reports to complete before the next dinner, when they will be seated with six friends at the other end of the table. 

One dad in jogging clothes in the elevator said that his younger son (at another school) had blown him off completely.  "I hope you didn't buy your Parents' Weekend plane tickets," he said, "because I'm going kayaking."

“Tango Lessons Can Get Your Student into Harvard” – Part I

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I know you're all waiting for updates about how GC's friends are faring. I'm happy to report that despite one case of mono, a mild concussion, a citation for public urination and a complaint that "nobody on campus knows anything about indie music," they are all moderately satisfied to thrilled with their college choices.

There are reports about classes being "too hard." We heard about one freshman who became furious when he got his first "B" on an essay ever – not a grade used often in high school these days. But for the most part, everyone has settled in, joined a capella groups, attended football games and stayed up all night playing Settlers of Catan. 

One girl has even become enratured with 19th Century Literature, comparing her professor to the one in the Dead Poets Society.  "He even jumps on tables," she said. And a gap year kid we know is making great progress in Hindi.

Parents who are snooping on their kids' facebook pages have mentioned that it looks as if their college students have had access to a "dress-up box," the kind you'd find in nursery school. Even at the artsier schools one can see smiling freshmen in wild sunglasses, crazy tie-die, loin cloths, unitards, Native American garb, luau wear and Gangnam style parody outfits.

So with new college life under control, it is time to worry about the current class of high school seniors who are freaking out big time as they decide whether or not to apply early, and whether to mention their internships in London at Mulberry in their essays. 

One family, not too happy with their education consultant, is suing him because the $2.2 million they spent did not get him into Harvard.

What can get you in? Tango lessons, according to another Cambridge consultant, who contacted me through the PR firm he hired. And even if you take those lessons in Buenos Aires, as he advises his clients, they'll cost a lot less than $2.2 mil.

Next: "Tango Lessons Can Get Your Student into Harvard" – Part II

 

 

 

 

Desperate college-touring mom accepts a ride from a stranger to catch up with her son

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We're on our epic Indian monsoon journey, starting off our new lives with a slow oil drip Shirodhara ayurvedic treatment  – a stream of medicated oil poured over the forehead for 40 minutes, to release tension and stress and take you to a different level of mental peace.

Not sure where blogging fits in with mental peace.

Lots of drop off stories will eventually show up here, but first a report from a reader about a mid-summer college road trip:

 

- Our trip was
good overall. It was certainly informative, but what I already knew was
confirmed: K really can't take being with a parent for more than two
nights.

  
- The best story I
have about how far this trip was from a mother-son bonding experience
was in D.C. K and I did the Georgetown info session and tour, had
lunch, and then walked around M Street for a lot longer than I thought
he'd be willing to do. So far all was o.k. But then we set off to find
the Mount Vernon campus of George Washington. (We had seen the Foggy
Bottom campus the day before.) K grabbed the map and started walking
ahead. We walked
and walked in the 104 degree heat and I was getting progressively more
tired and thirsty. The gap between K and me grew. I figured
he'd slow down to let me catch up but soon he was nowhere in sight and
he wouldn't answer his cell phone, which he later claimed he couldn't
hear. I also couldn't find any taxis. Finally, I was so desperate
that I accepted a ride from a man I had asked directions of – something
I would be horrified to hear my kids had done. Soon after I got in the
car we saw an exhausted and confused K puzzled over the map. The man
screamed across the street, "K, get in the car! I've got your
mother." I've never seen such a shocked expression on K's face.


Other observations:
  • I
    was surprised and disappointed by the lack of coffee in the information
    session/tour waiting areas. On the other hand, there was often water.
  • Washington U. : The one tour where the guide has a mic and you could hear well. One of the buildings was described as “Hogwartesque”
  • Vanderbilt: 
    •  In
      the info session, the presenter had the students introduce themselves
      by stating their favorite TV show. Then the presenter gave them “points”
      for shows they liked.
    • It was mentioned that the squirrel: student ration  = 3:1
    • The residential houses were described as “Harry Potterish”
    • In discussing study
      abroad programs, they said they had places in “every continent except
      Antarctica." This would have been funny had I not heard the same thing
      at at least a couple of other schools.
    • One of the parents asked “What are the chances of tornadoes?” The response was, “I’m not a meteorologist.”
  • Duke
    • The
      student companion was dressed a lot more nicely than at other places.
    • In talking about the potential for on-campus clubs, the presenter mentioned that students had started an innertube water polo club. I know I heard exactly the same thing at at least one other school.
    • One parent on the tour referred to another when talking to the guide as a bozo. 
  • Georgetown
    •  They had coffee here!!!
    • The info session was the shortest of anywhere, but there was lots of information, just no jokes.
    • Most
      annoying question by parent: (to tour guide) “What is your least
      favorite thing about the school?” This was obnoxious because the
      daughter had asked the very same question on the George Washington tour
      the day before.

 

Submit your tour horror stories – Win chai with the neurotic parent, plus a free pen if your report includes at least two Harry Potter references.

 

 

Misery loves….Facebook

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GC is not letting me reveal the details of his transition.  So for now, I will share a status post from a recent parent of a new college student:

Here
is the crazy thing about being a parent- you work and plan to prepare
your child for college. 13 years with singular focus. Pushing to provide
them with a great education. Then the day comes to realize your
parental dream and all you want to do bring them back home.

And, here's one from a student:

COLLEGE IS HYPE!

New Trend: Helicopter Kids

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Turns out that helicoptering is not as detrimental to the college process as we thought. According to the (very dynamic) dean of admissions at GC's university, the new freshman class includes a child soloist at the Metropolitan Opera, a golden glove boxing champ, a community activist responsible for the clean up of a toxic waste site, a creator of 3D sidewalk art, a unicyclist, a model/Alzheimers advocate and the survivor of grizzly bear attack. The kicker: A teen helicopter pilot. After all the over-hovering by the parents of this generation, how refreshing it is to see a kid at the rudder.