Recently, I was at Tortilla Sam’s (Worcester’s finest establishment for Mexican food) and I began thinking about the perfect burrito. What makes a burrito the perfect burrito? Is it the ratio of rice to beans? Is it the freshness of the salsa? Or perhaps it’s the texture of the tortilla?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that a burrito is comprised of so many components, so many complementary parts, that it’s impossible to identify which one plays the largest role. Put differently, you don’t know what makes a burrito the perfect burrito until you taste it and even then you’re unlikely to know why it’s perfect – more likely, it’s the precise combination of all the assembled parts. In addition, perhaps we all have our own unique tastes which dictate what will make a burrito perfect for each and every one of us. The perfect burrito for one person might be far too spicy for someone else.
As the days tick by on April’s calendar and we move closer to the May 1st deadline when all admitted students must decide at which college to set up their futons and mini-fridges next year, let’s remember the lesson of the burrito. Colleges are complex and complicated homes for living and learning and they can’t be summed up in a sound bite nor summarized in a Facebook posting. The best way to identify the perfect college is to think for yourself and know that when it happens, you won’t know why – you’ll just know that you’ve found the perfect college for you. In the meantime, keep an open mind and keep the salsa off your shirt.
Andrew N. Carter
Associate Director of Admissions
