College Has Consumed Us

When applying to their school, colleges always tell you to be true to who you are and just be yourself.  This weekend I had the unique opportunity to witness how colleges have changed who we are and how we view ourselves.

This week was an exciting one for me in terms of visitors.  My aunt, who resides in Ohio, spent the week out here in sunny California with my family.  And my best friend from 2nd grade spent the weekend with me.  But when these two strangers met, it was strange.

Both of these ladies are super sweet and friendly and got a long great.  (Almost to the point where I felt left out.)  Having known my friend for 10 years, it was a weird experience to see how she presented herself to my aunt.  She talked about herself, not in a bragging manner, but as if she was trying to come off impressive.  She listed all the activities she was involved in- sports, choir- and pulled up videos on YouTube to aid her "presentation."

These two had never met, but after spending just a couple of hours together, my aunt was all caught up on what was going in my friend's life.  The way my friend was talking about herself was like she was reading off her college application, listing and describing all the things she had done, including scholarships she had received from colleges and how much each college she had been accepted to would cost her financially.

The more I think about it, their conversation was exactly like the college application process.  You're describing your life to a complete stranger and highlighting all the things you've done in the limited time you have to present yourself in hopes that they will like you.

While we're on the subject of college (a subject I can't seem to escape these days), I'd like to share a video I came across about an impressive sounding high school senior who was rejected by many schools.  It makes me feel less alone in this game colleges play.

http://youtu.be/M00NUOdt1yE