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| View from my window, July 2022 |
The road to college isn’t always straightforward. You can do everything right - follow the advice of the experts, create your timeline and check the boxes, but you can’t control the process, the timing, or the outcome. Unexpected things come up and summon you to listen and act from a deeper place, with trust that your son or daughter is in greater hands than your own. I’m sharing a bit of our college application story as encouragement should you find yourself on a winding road through senior year.
A year ago my son was writing college essays and getting ready to start the tedious process of the ApplyTexas application for college. He focused on the school he wanted to attend most, which has an automatic admission for the top 10%. He was in the top 12%. So close.
We calculated service hours and checked dates for his summer jobs. We deliberated majors, made our selection, and pressed “send” on August 1. We did our part - there was only the wait. Even if we didn’t get in the traditional way, the university of choice had several pathways that would eventually get us there.
By January we were still checking the college’s portal to see his application was in review. Meanwhile, friends were beginning to post about their after-graduation plans. Baseball season was starting and one night my son came to his Dad and me to say, “I think I might want to see if I can play ball somewhere. I’m not sure I want to be done with baseball after this season.”
But the application was in, and we had already done all the work. The essays were written, the transcript was sent. I had mentally moved on from the application process. I didn’t know anything about being a college athlete and even less about the road to get there. Everything felt up in the air when it seemed like we should be settled and moving on.
I didn’t say anything right away, but got quiet and listened. I listened to my son and as a person of faith, I listened in prayer. That still small voice said, “You need to let him chase the dream.” And we did. I took charge of the academic part and my son and husband were in charge of the baseball part. We put in a new application, we requested an updated transcript, and we wrote new essays on the fly - and we received an acceptance letter. The baseball situation seemed promising. We went to an orientation and registered for classes. He got his housing assignment. He met the coach in person and was motivated to earn a spot on the team - it was a reach, but the best thing we had going by the time graduation arrived.
Even as I was creating his graduation announcements, I had the thought, “wouldn’t it be something if we send out these announcements and this isn't his school after all?” Mother’s intuition.
Over the summer, my son continued to dedicate himself to baseball and on July 1st, a coach contacted him from a school that wasn’t on our radar. A friend at his baseball training facility recognized that my son would be a good fit for his college team and made the connection. Another application, another essay and a quick trip to the campus sealed the deal. The coach offered him a spot and my son accepted with enthusiasm.
Looking back over the last year, we have all learned many life lessons. We have learned to allow life to unfold in the way and in the timing that it happens - that posture has yielded a better and more beautiful outcome than we could have imagined a year ago. Family & friends who pray and care about our son sustained all of us in mysterious and loving ways. We have learned that now is the time to chase dreams.
