College app time

Aidan came home from school the other day ready to get started on the application process. He's had all summer to start thinking about this, but it took his English teacher and the school's college counselor to really wake him up to the reality that THIS IS IT, NOW IS THE TIME! Apparently the English teacher's daughter had her app in at UT on September 1 the year she applied, and she not only got into the school, but got the dorm of her choice.

So we now have made a tentative deadline for ourselves of September 15.

Aidan went online to the "Apply Texas" website (it's for all Texas schools, not just UT) and started filling in the app. And I'm freaking out that he'll somehow accidentally do something wrong. Of course, we're going to have the college counselor (Mrs. K) look over everything, so I don't know why I'm worried. He does have to write TWO essays, and there is a third that is optional (we think he should do it as well). His English teacher has assigned the class to write an essay based on one of the questions at the Apply Texas site. It's due Tuesday.

The thing that's freaking Aidan out is the quality of the essays she read to the class yesterday. They were written by former students at his school, and he said they were "intimidating." The Bjorn said "Oooh, yeah, those application essays really have to stand out." I mean, no pressure! I am SO glad things weren't like this when I went to college!

Aidan had only two schools picked out to apply to (UT and U Chicago). We encouraged him to apply to a couple more, just as "backups." So he picked The University of Colorado at Boulder and Rice (in Houston), since they both have undergraduate linguistics programs. Undergrad programs in linguistics are hard to find, since most schools have linguistics as only a grad-school program (you major in a language as an undergrad, then do linguistics as a grad student, which Aidan doesn't want to do since he is most interested in historical linguistics, not a particular language). Anyway, I found myself thinking, "Oooh, Boulder would be cool!" because Aidan was actually born in Boulder and Bjorn did some grad-level study there. And then I thought, "What am I thinking????? That's nowhere near here!!!" I don't know which one of those thoughts was the more rational one. (OKay, I do, I just don't want to admit it! lol)

I also am not the least bit worried about Aidan screwing up the apps for other schools. I figure if he does that, then that's one less far-away school I have to worry about! Aren't I terrible!!!

I have been praying about this, though. I asked God to give Aidan favor at the school he wants Aidan to go to, and if it isn't the one I want, to give me peace.

Aidan and I have been really enjoying the just-us-in-the-car times we've had this week (since he still doesn't have his driver's license, we're still doing the shuttling to and from school). *SIGH*

He is a neat kid. I'm very, very grateful God gave him to us!