Last Thursday was College Night for Juniors at CJ's school and he was invited to be a member of a student panel for rising seniors. The intent of the panel was to demystify the college application process and provide sage advice for those about to embark on the journey.
A few hours before the panel, CJ received an email from his dean listing possible topics of discussion. One was "What I did during the summer between 11th and 12th grade." Because that summer was a full seven months ago, CJ had trouble remembering, but once he was reminded about his 8-hour a day summer job at a major concert venue, he felt prepared to serve on the panel.
I asked if I could attend (after all, I always need blog material), but of course, I was the last person he wanted in the audience.
CJ said the evening went well, but I had to rely on parents of juniors for details. One mom said her son thought the student panel was the highlight of the entire event, even better than essay advice from the University of Chicago admissions representative. The mom said that panel consisted of kids who had been accepted early to NYU, Vassar, MIT and CJ's school, plus four who were waiting to hear.
Her son had reported that although the students on the panel provided him with great tips, one panelist had constantly used the word "like."
I immediately assumed that CJ was the culprit because of his eight years at summer camp with valley kids. How will he survive a freshman seminar at his prestigious college, I worried. But when I confronted CJ with the news that kids were critiquing his diction, he laughed, then admonished me for jumping to conclusions. He said that one of the other panelists had said "like" so much that it was, like, out of control.
That student is waiting to hear about a full scholarship at Berkeley, where they do not require interviews.