Just can't fall asleep...

I just took out my Vixen 130ED refractor and opened the big bedroom window. But unfortunately I could barely spot any stars because of clouds. I've been so nervous all day and needed something to soothe my soul. And hoped that stargazing could help me forget things for a while. Just can't fall asleep. So instead... I'm writing something on this discussion forum. My son has been working so hard for the past 4 years in high school and is now trying to go to college that he always wanted. But things didn't go the way he hoped. Got rejected by MIT and Caltech (actually got waitlisted but chance of being taken off the list is almost zero)... these two were his dream colleges. Very very disappointed.

Today at 5 pm he will be receiving decisions via emails from ivy colleges. SO NERVOUS! But realistically he will be getting more rejections. He got into all public schools (UCs) that he applied to. So it seems like he will be attending Berkeley. I feel so helpless that... the only thing I can do for my son at this moment is to tell him that Berkeley is a good school and he can still achieve his goal as long as he works hard for the next 4 years.

Anyone else has a son or daughter applying to colleges? Anyway, I am planing a trip to central Nevada (middle of nowhere) with my son during his spring break (and my vacation) for some decent stargazing. Thanks for reading.

Jin,

It is cloudy here as well and I can't sleep either.

It's not which college your son attends that make the difference, it's what he puts into and gets out of the college he attends and what he does with what he learned in the process that counts. Dr. Carl Sagan didn't attend MIT, Caltech or any Ivy League school. After earning his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, he was one of the first Miller Institute research fellows at Cal Berkley, lectured and researched at Harvard and spent time as a full Professor at Cornell, then he got busy in the real world. The rest is history.

I've sweated through my daughter's education ever since she started kindergarten, doing everything I could to encourage her and help her get the most out of every learning opportunity. It worked. She's now a junior at the University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, working on a degree in Ecology Science and doing very well, making the Dean's List every semester. She turned down a substantial scholarship at a university in New York and we traveled all over the Northwest, letting her get to know the schools. She decided to stay in-state (but away from home), take advantage of several scholarships and has loved every minute of it. She could have gone in one of several different directions but she seems to have found the right one for her at this school.

I have the feeling that your son would not be disappointed with Cal Berkley. My Dad wasn't. I wish I could have attended that school as well but I was destined for San Jose State. We all have our dreams but things seem to work out just as well when we decide to make the most of the opportunities presented to us. Your son has one ace in the hole; your support. Keep it up.

Berkeley is a FINE, world class school. Your son is _privileged_ if he is able to go there. Frankly, he would get a good education at the most "lowly" state school...and I don't mean part of the UC system, either. A degree from an Ivy League school is no guarantor of success, and a degree from one of "those" schools is no hindrance.

Our daughter was accepted, if I recall, by two Ivy League schools. She turned them down. In her case, Emory was a better match FOR HER. That is what is important.