Today my son got the news he’d been hoping for. Today he was accepted to college. I’m so proud of him.

Now here’s the deal: the kid is bright. He’s a good student, he takes challenging classes (second year of AP Calculus, anyone?), and his SAT scores are pretty impressive. Throw in a little math club, some robotics, a couple of varsity sports, and a few years of volunteering, and he looks pretty good on paper. Add in a couple of awards here and there, and really, he should be a shoe-in. But you just never know.

He’s actually not quite done with his applications. There are two more universities he’s expressed an interest in applying to, which is fine. That would make six in all.  Of the six, this one seems to be his front-runner, which is really nice. He’s going to visit the campus over winter break, and he’ll get there on the last day they’re giving tours before campus closes down for the semester. I’m so glad he’ll get to speak to some students while he’s there.

I’m beyond pleased for him, and know that his future looks bright. Now to finish up the other applications and wait for the other decisions so he can make some educated comparisons. He’s so far ahead of where I was when I was his age, I can’t even believe it.

Oh sure, I knew I would go to college after high school, but I didn’t know what I would study. This kid has a plan, and it’s the plan he devised when he was ten. He took a slight detour in middle school, thanks to a fabulous teacher who sparked an interest in politics and law, but he’s back to his original plan of chemical engineering. Who knows what he’ll end up doing, though. Maybe some hybrid of these diverse interests? Whatever it is, I know he’ll do well. In the meantime, this mom is doing a happy dance because her kid is one step closer to his dreams.