Sugar Cereal and College Dreams

I surrendered to a craving at the store and purchased a sugary cereal I enjoyed as a kid when allowed. As I poured the tiny cinnamon toasts into my bowl this morning, a "prize" dropped from the box and I was immediately transported to my youth. Every cereal commercial, one after another after another, exulted the toy inside, usually related to an upcoming movie release, overshadowing any information about the (un)healthy ingredients or the importance of a good breakfast to start the day. This was also true of fast food chains and kid's meals. The commercials were dominated by who had the coolest toy inside the special box, not about the food inside or the the monetary, or gasp, health value of a parent purchasing this meal versus another. No matter if it was cereal or a kid's meal, as a child in those years, the toy was the important aspect of the advertising dollars, not the food. Times have certainly changed! So have I. What used to be important, now seems trivial. What we used to freely spend money on, we expect to be value added or even free. Commercials announce balanced meals and low fat/low cal food, not the plastic trinket that may accompany it. As I began to think about what else has so drastically changed in our world (the television shift from game shows to talk shows to reality shows, as another example), I drew an immediate correlation to the college process. Too often, I hear from a parent, "My daughter is in seventh grade. She is in this activity and that activity and also does this when she isn't doing that. Will all of these activities, plus her A+ grades, of course, get her into School X?" No. Your daughter will change drastically over the next six years. So will that particular higher ed institution. And so will the admission process as a whole. Participating in an activity or a service project for the sole purpose of resume building, earning an A+ solely for the grade instead of the value of learning, and fixating on particular campus (usually a super selective or Ivy League) can be detrimental. Students should focus on learning first, the grades will follow. Then seek activities that are not only enjoyable, but that also pair well with what they learn in the classroom. Life lessons are imperative, no matter if it is Stu Co or the soccer field that provides those teachable moments. And this will naturally lead the proverbial horse to cool water...properly preparing for COLLEGE, not just for one particular school. And in five years, maybe she does still has an interest in participating in that same extra-curricular activity. Perhaps School X does match her high school academic profile and still has a strong program in an academic field she might pursue in relation to a potential future career. More likely, however, she has since discovered a new dream within herself and School Z is a much better fit for her current interests, academic abilities, and educational and social needs. The first few bites of this nostalgic cereal were pretty good, but now I have sugar coated teeth...and a plastic toy that I am hoping my cat might enjoying batting around the living room. I have changed. And I now prefer whole grain cereals with nuts, raisins, and a sliced banana on top.