A few weeks ago, Paul and I laid down what I thought at the time was an unrealistic challenge to our new counselors in Boston, New York, Long Island and the San Francisco Bay area—we asked each of them to set up a dozen speaking engagements for July and August. It meant that they had to decide which areas of their respective territories were the most desirable, find and secure locations, identify the audiences to whom we should promote, and do it all in less than three weeks. We’d never set up that many speeches in that short of time. It was an enormous project.
They did it. And in the next few days, we’ll be announcing where and when they’ll be speaking.
There are several college essay clichés I could wedge in here about teamwork and accomplishing great things when we all put our minds to it. But like college essays, this story doesn’t need a larger moral. Working with really smart people who believe, like I do, that college admissions has spun out of control and that we can help stop the madness is what I enjoy most about this job. I’m really proud of what they’ve done and what we’re working toward together. That’s my story.
When you write your college essays, just share your stories. If you learned an important lesson, by all means, say so. But if what you enjoy most about water polo is knowing that you’re one of 12 people at your school who knows what it’s like to practice at 5 a.m. in the pool every morning before school, say so. That’s your story, and it’s good enough without the moral added at the end.