| My 2 cents.
It's perfectly reasonable for a kid to feel some disappointment that he/she didn't reach a goal. The OPs son has done very well to date, seemingly has a bright future, and wishes things had worked out at the ivies or comparable institutions. But, the idea that he will now lose motivation, cease to work hard, and throw away that bright future because he is "only" a scholaraship recipiant at the University of Minnesota--a school which makes every list of Top 100 national universities in existence--strikes me as an extreme overreaction, whether on his part or, as could be the case, on the part of the OP. If it's his reaction, it will likely pass in a few weeks as he gets into the flow of the U. If it's the parents' reaction, well, I have a very hard time with that. He's going to a terrific place, and your parenting doesn't need to be validated by an ivy admission.
I really don't mean to be flip, but the words of an old Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song seem to apply here. "Don't be angry. Don't be sad. Don't sit cryin' for good time you had. There's a girl right next to you. And she's waiting for something to do...Turn your heartache into joy. She's a girl and you're a boy...And if you can't be with the one you love honey, love the one you're with. |