I wanted to go to schools with a strong Geography program and Library Science. Univ of Rhode Island was my first choice and I was accepted, but they then unaccepted me because the draft ended and RI residents had to be taken first, so I applied to North Western but they rejected my Villanova class credits (and I wasn’t taking those classes again), so I went to Syracuse University. The day I had my interview I found out that I’d done all of my requirements already and just had to do a senior seminar for my graduation. I ended up taking some really fun courses. By the time I entered Library School for my Masters, the other library schools had closed and Syracuse was the only one still viable. Lucky for me. I also made a lot of friends and when I switched to Massage, there was already a massage school up here. So Yes, though no spouse, life is good!
I was rejected by THE Ohio State Law School even though I received my undergraduate degree there. Cleveland State University Law School offered a partial scholarship so I went there, eventually met an entrepreneur/businessman who set me up in practice in 3 states (Ohio, Georgia and Florida where I now live) and also started an internet company with the man in the internet's infancy that has provided me a life of travel and leisure.
With all the constraints and perhaps the lack of qualified students, they over-deversified the acceptance policy and can't find enough to fill the quotas. It won't matter because with the direction we are going you will need to either hire a chat bot, social media influencer or crypto trading junkie to get your car repaired, plumbing repaired or any other physical repairs or construction.
We are losing real physical world workers and they are being replaced with mostly useless day long screen watchers. Many young adults can't even check the air in the tires of their vehicles.
Wanted to go to Notre Dame; Ended up at Vanderbilt
My plan and confidence was to go all in and only apply to one school, Notre Dame.
Thankfully, my gem of a high school counselor, Mrs Escobosa wisely counseled me to apply to at least two other schools.
I was waitlisted at Notre Dame who selected legacies over first generation future college graduates like me.
By the true grace of God, I ended up going to Vanderbilt (which ranked higher in US News in 1992 to boot).
Vanderbilt exceeded my expectations for college. Nashville was so perfect for me, I stayed after graduation and became an entrepreneur at 25 years old. The Vanderbilt alumni community embraced my entrepreneurial spirit and provided tremendous guidance. I am convinced, I would never been able to start my own business at 25 in any other city. #govandy
P.S. Attended a football game in South Bend in 2017. Seeing and meeting the alums of ND was the icing on the cake that “my peeps” wear black and gold
I went to Grove City College from 1972-1976 as it was the only private school that I could afford to pay for by working a jackhammer busting up concrete in an oil refinery in the sumner. First semester room, board and tuition was $2,340- I remember writing that check like it was yesterday!
Made life long friends, received a great education and went to law school thereafter, where I worked vacuuming the library floor six days a week at 7 am. Hard hours and work but gratifying!
My husband and I both went to a SUNY school after being rejected by our first choices. The fact that we weren't strapped with crippling debt (we both had loans but paid them off in 10 years instead of decades), made it easier for us to have choices about where to live, jobs, furthering our education, etc. My husband wound up getting certified as a Financial Analyst through the Wharton School, and I got my Masters at Rutgers. At one point early in my husband's career he lead a mentorship program at his company. One of his mentees was a kid who had just graduated from Harvard. He was elitist, had no work ethic and pushed back on all of the requirements needed to move on to the next milestone. After several months and lots of performance meetings, the firm let him go. It doesn't matter where you get your degree. If you don't have a desire to earn your job, you wind up without one.
Oh dear. What do we hope to teach our children as they grow - and ourselves? For better and worse we don’t always get what we want, and rarely (ever?) is it the end of the world. Please. Raise your children to be resilient, flexible, to seek understanding of the wider world. Don’t create a world where disappointment and failure cannot happen. By 8th grade, I knew I’d be an architect. I was lucky: educational opportunities, early decision college acceptance. Alas, my 17 yr old self dismissed warnings from my beau’s architect father: women can’t be architects. I would soon learn my rigorous design school felt the same. I considered transferring. I fell in love with the young man I knew I’d marry - I didn’t. The beat went on. One of my children became the architect. Still later, I began pursuing an M Arch. I loved every minute, even as I juggled an impossible life with school, as a biz owner and spouse of one w a neurodegenerative disease. I gave up; not on the dream, but the pursuit. Looking back almost sixty years at that young teen who was so sure of life’s trajectory? She had so much to learn.
The irony is it is far more important to go to a great school for graduate work. Most people would be better off going to a less expensive undergraduate school.
I didn't want to go to college. During my junior year of high school, I announced to my mother that I was smart enough and didn't need college. For some reason, she had chosen Villanova for me but never really said it. She made me apply there, but she also let me apply to schools in warmer climes, which is where I would have preferred. I did well on the SATs and received solicitations in the mail (long before email) from a lot of schools, most of which contained stamped return envelopes. Villanova's didn't, which made me think the school was arrogant. It took awhile to receive my acceptance, and during that time my mother, being an amateur (but master) psychologist (graduated from the Motherhood School of Child Psychology), kept saying, "You're probably not going to get into Villanova." So, of course, my attitude became, "Not only will I get in, I'll go there to prove you wrong!" And I did. Met my wife and about 15 lifelong friends. I cried twice while there, the first day because I was two hours away from my friends at the Jersey Shore and on graduation day, because I didn't want to leave. Go Cats!
I married VERY young and worked 3 years while he finished college. Then had my first child. When she was 6 months old I started the University of South Carolina at Aiken ( because it was daily driveable). Had to transfer my last semester to the main campus in Columbia to complete student teaching (also driveable but in different direction). I had no choice if I wanted to go to college. But it was the choice for me. I had several of THE outstanding leaders nationally in Business Education, got to work for one post-grad, and had an outstanding career at the secondary and post secondary levels. Graduated Magna cum all degrees . Received several Teacher-of-Year Awards during my career. Served on state and nation levels professionally. After retiring, was asked to continue teaching as an adjunct (this is 14th year!). Over 40 years teaching Business Education and Computer classes (started on manual typewriters and Bookkeeping!) . Personally all three daughters and granddaughters earned degrees with honors from FSU, Georgia Tech, Auburn, and UL at Lafayette. The earning of my BS, MAT, and postgrad studies with a family while commuting set the bar for my girls—all at the outstanding Business Education institution of my “unchoice”. It was the foundation for my very successful career. Sometimes the choice not made was the best choice!
I wanted to go to schools with a strong Geography program and Library Science. Univ of Rhode Island was my first choice and I was accepted, but they then unaccepted me because the draft ended and RI residents had to be taken first, so I applied to North Western but they rejected my Villanova class credits (and I wasn’t taking those classes again), so I went to Syracuse University. The day I had my interview I found out that I’d done all of my requirements already and just had to do a senior seminar for my graduation. I ended up taking some really fun courses. By the time I entered Library School for my Masters, the other library schools had closed and Syracuse was the only one still viable. Lucky for me. I also made a lot of friends and when I switched to Massage, there was already a massage school up here. So Yes, though no spouse, life is good!
I was rejected by THE Ohio State Law School even though I received my undergraduate degree there. Cleveland State University Law School offered a partial scholarship so I went there, eventually met an entrepreneur/businessman who set me up in practice in 3 states (Ohio, Georgia and Florida where I now live) and also started an internet company with the man in the internet's infancy that has provided me a life of travel and leisure.
With all the constraints and perhaps the lack of qualified students, they over-deversified the acceptance policy and can't find enough to fill the quotas. It won't matter because with the direction we are going you will need to either hire a chat bot, social media influencer or crypto trading junkie to get your car repaired, plumbing repaired or any other physical repairs or construction.
We are losing real physical world workers and they are being replaced with mostly useless day long screen watchers. Many young adults can't even check the air in the tires of their vehicles.
Wanted to go to Notre Dame; Ended up at Vanderbilt
My plan and confidence was to go all in and only apply to one school, Notre Dame.
Thankfully, my gem of a high school counselor, Mrs Escobosa wisely counseled me to apply to at least two other schools.
I was waitlisted at Notre Dame who selected legacies over first generation future college graduates like me.
By the true grace of God, I ended up going to Vanderbilt (which ranked higher in US News in 1992 to boot).
Vanderbilt exceeded my expectations for college. Nashville was so perfect for me, I stayed after graduation and became an entrepreneur at 25 years old. The Vanderbilt alumni community embraced my entrepreneurial spirit and provided tremendous guidance. I am convinced, I would never been able to start my own business at 25 in any other city. #govandy
P.S. Attended a football game in South Bend in 2017. Seeing and meeting the alums of ND was the icing on the cake that “my peeps” wear black and gold
I went to Grove City College from 1972-1976 as it was the only private school that I could afford to pay for by working a jackhammer busting up concrete in an oil refinery in the sumner. First semester room, board and tuition was $2,340- I remember writing that check like it was yesterday!
Made life long friends, received a great education and went to law school thereafter, where I worked vacuuming the library floor six days a week at 7 am. Hard hours and work but gratifying!
As the old country song says; “Thank God for unanswered Prayers.”
My husband and I both went to a SUNY school after being rejected by our first choices. The fact that we weren't strapped with crippling debt (we both had loans but paid them off in 10 years instead of decades), made it easier for us to have choices about where to live, jobs, furthering our education, etc. My husband wound up getting certified as a Financial Analyst through the Wharton School, and I got my Masters at Rutgers. At one point early in my husband's career he lead a mentorship program at his company. One of his mentees was a kid who had just graduated from Harvard. He was elitist, had no work ethic and pushed back on all of the requirements needed to move on to the next milestone. After several months and lots of performance meetings, the firm let him go. It doesn't matter where you get your degree. If you don't have a desire to earn your job, you wind up without one.
Oh dear. What do we hope to teach our children as they grow - and ourselves? For better and worse we don’t always get what we want, and rarely (ever?) is it the end of the world. Please. Raise your children to be resilient, flexible, to seek understanding of the wider world. Don’t create a world where disappointment and failure cannot happen. By 8th grade, I knew I’d be an architect. I was lucky: educational opportunities, early decision college acceptance. Alas, my 17 yr old self dismissed warnings from my beau’s architect father: women can’t be architects. I would soon learn my rigorous design school felt the same. I considered transferring. I fell in love with the young man I knew I’d marry - I didn’t. The beat went on. One of my children became the architect. Still later, I began pursuing an M Arch. I loved every minute, even as I juggled an impossible life with school, as a biz owner and spouse of one w a neurodegenerative disease. I gave up; not on the dream, but the pursuit. Looking back almost sixty years at that young teen who was so sure of life’s trajectory? She had so much to learn.
The irony is it is far more important to go to a great school for graduate work. Most people would be better off going to a less expensive undergraduate school.
I didn't want to go to college. During my junior year of high school, I announced to my mother that I was smart enough and didn't need college. For some reason, she had chosen Villanova for me but never really said it. She made me apply there, but she also let me apply to schools in warmer climes, which is where I would have preferred. I did well on the SATs and received solicitations in the mail (long before email) from a lot of schools, most of which contained stamped return envelopes. Villanova's didn't, which made me think the school was arrogant. It took awhile to receive my acceptance, and during that time my mother, being an amateur (but master) psychologist (graduated from the Motherhood School of Child Psychology), kept saying, "You're probably not going to get into Villanova." So, of course, my attitude became, "Not only will I get in, I'll go there to prove you wrong!" And I did. Met my wife and about 15 lifelong friends. I cried twice while there, the first day because I was two hours away from my friends at the Jersey Shore and on graduation day, because I didn't want to leave. Go Cats!
Good idea on the Ivies expanding to multiple campuses through acquisition. Though, a Harvard U/Gary campus may not be ideal.
I married VERY young and worked 3 years while he finished college. Then had my first child. When she was 6 months old I started the University of South Carolina at Aiken ( because it was daily driveable). Had to transfer my last semester to the main campus in Columbia to complete student teaching (also driveable but in different direction). I had no choice if I wanted to go to college. But it was the choice for me. I had several of THE outstanding leaders nationally in Business Education, got to work for one post-grad, and had an outstanding career at the secondary and post secondary levels. Graduated Magna cum all degrees . Received several Teacher-of-Year Awards during my career. Served on state and nation levels professionally. After retiring, was asked to continue teaching as an adjunct (this is 14th year!). Over 40 years teaching Business Education and Computer classes (started on manual typewriters and Bookkeeping!) . Personally all three daughters and granddaughters earned degrees with honors from FSU, Georgia Tech, Auburn, and UL at Lafayette. The earning of my BS, MAT, and postgrad studies with a family while commuting set the bar for my girls—all at the outstanding Business Education institution of my “unchoice”. It was the foundation for my very successful career. Sometimes the choice not made was the best choice!