Campus Visit

Tomorrow I take my youngest for her first campus visit. It's a small, liberal arts college here in the midwest. She doesn't want anything too big and eventually (thinks she) wants to do physical therapy. It seems like a good place to get a well-rounded education that will set her up right for graduate school. The other couple bonuses are, it has a field hockey team and it's only about 1.5 hours away. I just want to get a feel for the campus - see how the kids interact with each other, how much a part of the surrounding community it is, how big it is, are the buildings old and covered with ivy or brand new and all glass, etc.

When it came time for my son to look - he wasn't interested. He wanted Big 10 and as soon as he got accepted to MSU, he was done applying (he was fortunate enough to be invited to apply early, so got the acceptance early). I wasn't convinced such a big place was good for him. Turns out, I was half right. He stumbled and fell during his first 3 semesters, but realized what he had done and took some summer classes to make up for it. He seems to have turned it around and is making huge efforts to get back on track.

My daughter never had it as easy as my son. She struggled early to get the hang of reading and it took her so long that she struggled with everything else as well. The bonus here is that she got some terrific help and created some lifelong study habits that she'll take with her when she goes to college. I don't worry that she can do it (I know she can). I worry that I can't do without her.

I find these last couple of high school years bittersweet. She's a fabulous kid and has been since we brought her home from the hospital. She's ready to go now and while she hasn't hit the "terrible teens", I'm sure we'll have some trying times ahead. She's my Sassy girl and even when we're on each other's last nerve, at the end of the day, she's the only one I want.