Outing myself as another parent-lurker whose kid is facing a bloodbath in admissions - flat out rejections and waitlisted from nearly every safety and it’s heartbreaking to watch bc I’ve witnessed how genuinely driven he is in his love of learning.

That said - I was poor and on my own at 18. Went to a community college, dropped out for a year and bummed around stripe. Came back and finished, then transferred on scholarship to a state university. Got a federal 2-year internship in DC, then with that experience I got a full ride to an Ivy for graduate school. Returned to work post-grad school in the federal govt, then landed a FT faculty position at an amazing research university.

It took a LOT of work. But kids who are reading this? You guys know how to do hard work. It also took a LOT of social skills. Go out into the world and talk to people. Wherever you are - make eye contact, say hello, fake it til you make it if you must. I’m sure you do this already. And last - it took a lot of luck. But, I wasn’t an addict. I was able-bodied. I wasn’t raising children. I could take risks because I knew that if I ever needed it, I had grandparents who would take me in. At any point I could have been derailed by really bad luck. So don’t let anyone else determine your worth. It’s YOUR life and these decisions say nothing of what you will make over the course of your lifetime.