Bloom where you are planted

For the Academy Seniors this could be the best of times or the worst of times. As they receive their college notification letters their level of anxiety runs high. The April 1, 2007 Boston Globe magazine had a timely article by Tom Keane about the disappointment students feel when they are not accepted at the Ivy or elite schools that are often their first choice. His words of wisdom include, “Your success isn’t a function of which college you attend. Rather, it’s all about what you do when you’re there.” He gives numerous examples of very successful men and women who graduated from UMASS and notes that, “It’s pretty widely known that the selectivity of the college one attends doesn’t relate to success in life.” Many of the Academy Seniors have been accepted by their first choice colleges of course, but for the rest of the students, remember the old adage “Bloom where you are planted.”