![\"Julia\"](\"http:\/\/me.holycross.edu\/blogimages\/julia.jpg\")
Awhile back I found myself in a gloriously gold rented Impala on the Mass Pike, west of Springfield, headed toward the New York state line.\u00a0 It was just one of those days: fake blue sky, fiery leaves, twinkling sun, me pretending I can sing like Bob Dylan – the whole nine.<\/p>\n
It also happened to be the last day of October, quota-filling frenzy day for state cops. Western mass\u2019s unpredictable downhills and traffic-free highways were making it difficult for me to sustain my careful 72 in the 65 mph zone, and I slowly became frustrated by the attention my speed maintenance was requiring. After all, it was taking away from all the foliage-viewing and loud-singing I had on my schedule.<\/p>\n
To remedy the situation, I considered, for maybe the first time in my life, setting the cruise control.<\/p>\n
I scrapped the idea about five seconds later.<\/p>\n
My thinking was this:\u00a0 My hands are on my wheel, I am driving this car.\u00a0 This is my experience, not the Impala\u2019s.<\/p>\n
This decidedly lame analogy is leading up to one anti-climactic piece of advice:\u00a0 \u00a0As you go through the college search-and-destroy process, make sure to keep your hands on the wheel.\u00a0 By this I mean two things:<\/p>\n
Many of you are blessed with guide book \u2013toting parents, schlepping you from college tour to college tour, quite certain that their idea of your perfect collegiate experience precisely reflects your idea of the perfect collegiate experience.<\/p>\n
And don\u2019t get me wrong, your parents\/guardians are great (the Holy Cross Admissions team LOVES parents).\u00a0 Your parents are so great that many of them are financing much of your postsecondary education. They\u2019ve also souped you up with great features; and made sure you\u2019ve passed all your inspections.\u00a0 But they\u2019re not the ones driving.<\/p>\n
Consider them your GPS navigation system, attempting to steer you in the right direction.\u00a0 But (as many of us have learned the hard way) the GPS is not always right.\u00a0 Sometimes, it\u2019ll direct you into a lake. That\u2019s when your instincts can be rather beneficial.\u00a0 When your hands are on the wheel, you are the song that\u2019s playing, you are the one that follows the sign to the farm stand. You are the cloud watcher, the photographer, the ice cream seeker.\u00a0 \u00a0Your parents might tell you how to get to the ice cream shop, but you order cookies n\u2019 cream because your taste buds told you it\u2019s delicious.<\/p>\n
So keep your hands on the wheel.\u00a0 Pay attention to your gut when you take that campus tour.\u00a0 \u00a0Ignore the gossip. Ignore the hype. Hone in on your pitter-patter. If a school feels right to you, it probably feels right for a reason.<\/p>\n
Julia Sanders
\nAdmissions Counselor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Awhile back I found myself in a gloriously gold rented Impala on the Mass Pike, west of Springfield, headed toward the New York state line.\u00a0 It was just one of those days: fake blue sky, fiery leaves, twinkling sun, me pretending I can sing like Bob Dylan – the whole nine. It also happened to … <\/p>\n