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2 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Schneider Art Museum installation re-imagines Rivera UPDATED: Two lanes open after I-5 truck crash near Siskiyou Summit 10 things to know for Friday Ashland Rowing Club hires highly touted coach and national-award winning team director to lead expansion 10 things to know for Thursday Education Why OLLI matters: A personal perspective Southern Oregon University names director of marketing Dianne Williamson: College admissions mania ill-advised Rotary Club of Ashland names Riley O'Sullivan as Student of the Month Teacher's Tips: Who gets to teach history? Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Snow hopes dashed, Mt. Ashland Ski Area hosts season-ending party Saturday Iconic Ashland bookstore to celebrate 35th anniversary on April 19 Test Drive: 2015 Honda Accord Cars We Remember: The original Candymatic Ramchargers Politics and elections Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for first year Grassroots group campaigns for Plaza paver do-over Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries Death Notices Alicia Applegate Hardy Death Notices Rosalind Dee Death Notices Shareable Sports Latest Stories Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Ashland Rowing Club hires highly touted coach and national-award winning team director to lead expansion Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Blazers fight back, edge Jazz Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory High school Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Grizzlies rally past GP, to 2-0 start Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Southern Oregon University Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Ducks enjoy the challenge Oregon bows out Voices Latest Stories Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Letters to the Editor, March 27 Jeffrey Gillespie: Pax Americana? At what price? Arthur I. Cyr: The legacy of Singapore’s leader Lee Kwan Yew Editorial Our View: Build it; they will play Our View: How it should work Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class Our View: Tuition trauma Our View: SOU's economic clout Letters Letters to the Editor, March 27 Letters to the Editor, March 25 Letters to the Editor, March 23 Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Columns Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Jeffrey Gillespie: Pax Americana? At what price? Arthur I. Cyr: The legacy of Singapore’s leader Lee Kwan Yew The rest of the story Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Top 5 things to do this week Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Community blog: Words, wine and Craig Wright 4 Things To Do This Week Theater Ticket Availability Ashland Contemporary Theatre seeks new artistic director Ticket Availability The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Ticket Availability Music Futureshock: Kendrick Lamar release points to road ahead Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: In ‘Danny Collins,’ Pacino helps us imagine a Lennon story Noah Baumbach talks Ben Stiller, adult comedies and more In 'Timbuktu,' lust for power disturbs peace Movie review: ‘The Gunman’ misses the target Movie listings: March 20-26 Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque App Finder: Best barbecue apps Health Watch: It’s OK to have a cheat day Inner Peace: The good, the bad and the spiritual Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW UPDATED: Two lanes open after I-5 truck crash near Siskiyou Summit ... Jeffrey Gillespie: Pax Americana? At what price? ... Ashland Calendar: Friday, March 27 ... UPDATED: Two lanes open after I-5 truck crash near Siskiyou Summit ... Jeffrey Gillespie: Pax Americana? At what price? ... Ashland Calendar: Friday, March 27 ... Dianne Williamson: College admissions mania ill-advised Comment By Dianne Williamson The Worcester Telegram & Gazette DailyTidings.com By Dianne Williamson The Worcester Telegram & Gazette Posted Mar. 24, 2015 at 8:25 AM By Dianne Williamson The Worcester Telegram & Gazette Posted Mar. 24, 2015 at 8:25 AM » Social News When I was a senior in high school, I posed one of the cruelest questions ever to my parents. “So,” I asked, one night at the dinner table. “How much money have you saved for my college education?” The question was mean because I knew full well they had saved nothing for my college education. My parents worked hard to provide a nice life for their kids, but extra dough for college wasn’t in the cards. The guilt on their faces when they revealed what I already knew haunts me still. So why did I do it? Well, most of my classmates at Notre Dame Academy were applying to elite schools that their well-heeled parents would pay for. And I was a selfish 17-year-old who wanted to stick it to mom and dad; never underestimate the eagerness of a teenager to embarrass her parents. I ended up at state colleges and turned out fine. Would I have become a better writer had I gone to Harvard? Doubtful. Would I be working at The Washington Post had I attended Georgetown? Who cares? I’m happy and have no complaints. Not many, anyway. This is the period, late March to early April, when college seniors wait breathlessly by the mailbox — or their email accounts — to learn what many consider the decision that will affect the rest of their lives. If they’ve applied to elite colleges, an estimated 70 to 95 percent of them will be crushed when they hear the news: they’ve been rejected — they’re not (fill-in-the-school’s name) material. And if the kids are dejected, consider the parents. Sure, they want the best for their offspring. But they also consider their children’s college success a reflection on themselves and their child-rearing skills. Lots of them love the bragging rights; Facebook is already filling up with college acceptance announcements from boastful parents. This time of year, I wish I could tell these kids that where they go to college won’t matter much a decade from now. I’d like to share my long-held belief that the best thing about an Ivy League education is all those classmates with summer homes. I’d like to point out that college is what you make it. Good and bad professors can be found at the best and the worst of schools. While the application process has always been grueling, the frenzy for acceptance to the Ivy Leagues is crazier and more competitive than ever before. The daughter of a friend is a high school freshman who already has her heart set on Yale, so mom is seeking any tips that will give her child a leg up. A relative’s son is a sophomore; he’s urging him to volunteer for some unique cause because “we’ve heard that colleges like that sort of thing.” These days, it’s not unusual for kids to take SAT prep courses and hire costly college admission consultants. Now comes a provocative new book, “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania” by award-winning New York Times columnist Frank Bruni. In it, Bruni argues that a degree from a prestigious college is neither a requirement nor a harbinger of success, that colleges have become cutthroat businesses, that the craze to get accepted does little but leave families saddled with debt. “The amount of importance that parents and kids seem to be attaching to the selectiveness of where they went to school did not seem to me to jibe at all with the ingredients of success as manifest in the people I’ve met who were successful and even more to the point content,” he said, in a recent CNN interview. “And so I felt like that contradiction really needed to be pointed out in a bold way.” Parents, it’s worth checking out. And I wish I could apologize to my own, for behaving like a brat. Contact Dianne Williamson at [email protected]. By Dianne Williamson The Worcester Telegram & Gazette DailyTidings.com By Dianne Williamson The Worcester Telegram & Gazette Posted Mar. 24, 2015 at 8:25 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. 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