Super People? What about Character People?

The following article describes parents' role in helping their children get into fine colleges. It takes money, standouts and pure genius now-a-days for a kid to get into a top college. Long gone are the days when you had to simply be the president of a club or committee at school...

“It used to be that if you were editor of the paper or president of your class you could get in almost anywhere,” Mr. Singer says. “Now it’s ‘What did you do as president? How did you make the paper special?’ Kids file stories from Bosnia or El Salvador on their summer vacations.” Such students are known in college admissions circles as “pointy” — being well-rounded doesn’t cut it anymore. You need to have a spike in your achievement chart."

As Luke attends a hard charging prep school I am often reminded of the pressure he is under as I talk to many parents, parents who are putting the pressure on. Don't get me wrong, I want Luke to do well, maybe better the well, but not at the expense of stressing him out and charging him toward burn out. I still want him well rounded. Better yet, lopsided on one end, the end that says "not I, but Christ". Backwards thinking I know, but eternally sweet and eternally rewarding.

To read the whole column: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/opinion/sunday/meet-the-new-super-people.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1