<p>@ scubaguy: When I was applying to college, there were several people from my town who were applying to a very competitive university. There was one guy in town who was the alumni interviewer for this school. He was widely understood to be the “gatekeeper.” My interview was about a half hour. Our other friend’s interview was about the same. And then there was this other third guy, who everyone looked at as the perfect fit for this particular university. Even today I think of it as a great fit and wonder how he did NOT go there. His interview went for hours. The interviewer said that this guy was the best interview he ever had. Nobody doubted that. People talked about his interview for his dream school that winter. I specifically recall parents talking about it at the holiday parties that Christmas. This guy happened to be the president of every student organization that he ever looked at since kindergarten. Sometimes people resent people who are so popular…and then there are the people who are so popular that even the haters can’t come up with something to hate on. And this guy was that guy. So when I tell you that people talked about his interview and how he was going to go to his dream college, it was because they believed it and hoped for it.</p>
<p>Well, I think you know where this is going. He didn’t get in. I did, but I didn’t really want to go there if only because my brother was already going there. The other guy passed on that college, too. And the third guy who was the shoo-in went to a state university. Well, here I am, posting on College Confidential and that other guy who didn’t get in never missed a beat. He didn’t even detour or take time to recover. He was totally unfazed by it all and he’s now the governor of our state, which everybody always knew would happen.</p>
<p>Your kid is exactly the same person he was a few weeks ago. All those observations you shared about him are no less applicable now than they were a month or two or three ago. An admissions decision, yea or nay, doesn’t change who people are. So you’re correct to have no regrets and seek no pity. It may be surprising to you that your kid’s path won’t be through Oberlin, but that doesn’t mean he’s not on the right path. It’s just not the one you expected he’d be taking.</p>