Life of Wry

So…Peter heard from a college last Friday. Coincidentally, it was the very first one he’d sent an application to way back in November. While it’s a great school and we’d be totally thrilled if he chose to go there, it’s not among his first choices. Still, I have to say, we were all dancing in the aisles when he shared the news. Including Mr. Understated himself.

I mean, right? It’s one of those Big. Deals. You see senior year coming forever, you dread the college application process. It’s months of this low level anxiety as you work hard to have the right attitude and the right approach; you struggle to help just enough, but not too much; you hope he’s making good choices and putting together applications that show his best self. You go to workshops; you collect and pore through all kinds of resources and mailers; you hear from others about how they’re approaching this whole thing and wonder if you’re doing it right. You worry big time about how you’ll ever afford it and wonder how college became such the big business it has become. You fret for our nation and for those who can’t afford basic higher level education, including you. You wonder if a 4-yr college is the smart choice, or if a 2-yr is better, you wonder about the value of education anyway and… and…. and…Then you become hyper-aware of deadlines–which you see come and go, and are sometimes ignored completely. The whole thing is just something to endure, suffer through, and then you’re glad you have these kinds of worries. Mostly though, it’s something you want over in the worst way. When the last deadlines pass, you’re super relieved, but then comes the waiting.

And now it’s the beginning of the end of the waiting part. Peter got his first acceptance and it was a good one and we’re all pretty damn happy about it. And very relieved. He’s got somewhere to go.

Oh… btw, it’s Cal Poly San Luis Obispo!

He’d learned of his acceptance earlier in the day. A classmate said that he’d heard Cal Poly had begun to release some information and suggested Peter check on the status of his application. They spent most of fourth period trying to get into and around the site, until Peter finally got to his account and his updated status. It’s not even like Cal Poly let him know; he had to hunt this information down. No exciting congratulations letter or anything.  It simply said he’d been accepted as a first year freshman in physics for the fall of 2016. That was it.

He texted both Jim and me, which I’m so grateful for… but neither of us got the text (we’re such lame texters).

The text read: I guess I got into Cal Poly. Fri, Feb 19, 12:05 PM.

I wish I had gotten it! On the other hand, it was far more thrilling to be standing in the kitchen with Jim when Peter said, in the most unimpressed tone, “you guys never check your texts,” and then, smiling, gave us the news. And a few high fives.

It was a great family moment.