I told a friend at work what had happened but that it was for a school my son didn't want to attend.
"Which school is it?" he asked.
"Virginia Commonwealth," I told him.
His eyes got big. "VCU? That's a good school!"
So that was nice to hear. I'd actually never heard of VCU until this year. That's not saying much, though. I'm not sure I'd heard of William & Mary or the University of Virginia either - until I moved to Virginia. William & Mary is Thomas Jefferson's alma mater, and the University of Virginia is widely considered to be as good as the Ivy Leagues.
At this point, a lot of the pressure is off. VCU is a good school and is giving us a strong financial incentive to go there. He'd rather attend any of the twelve others that are still pending, but it will be okay if they say no. I have a hunch, though, that some will take him.
I'd be happiest if he were accepted by Harvard, Princeton or Dartmouth. Dartmouth (in NH) and Williams College (a small school in MA that was James Garfield's alma mater) are only about an hour away from our place in NH, so they would be very convenient.
There's a lot of luck involved in being selected. We know a girl who is highly ranked in Equestrian events. As with my son, her application to Harvard was deferred until March. They contacted her, though, to tell her that Harvard and Yale are "fighting amongst themselves to see which one gets her." Harvard apparently had three members of its Equestrian team graduate in the last year, so they have available slots. But, see, in a different year there might be no slots available and nobody would be fighting over the girl.
It's just the luck of the draw whether you get in.
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