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1 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 10 things to know for Thursday 10 things to know for Wednesday Grassroots group campaigns for Plaza paver do-over Iconic Ashland bookstore to celebrate 35th anniversary on April 19 Ashland Contemporary Theatre seeks new artistic director 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. 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Hopkins: Looking for a political straight shooter 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 Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Sports Latest Stories Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Blazers fight back, edge Jazz Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Guthrie kicks off fundraising drive Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament High school 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 Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Southern Oregon University 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 Oregon State women come up short in second-round loss to Gonzaga Voices Latest Stories Arthur I. Cyr: The legacy of Singapore’s leader Lee Kwan Yew The rest of the story Our View: Build it; they will play Granlund cartoon: Kraft and Heinz merger Landgren cartoon: Muddy baseball fields 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 25 Letters to the Editor, March 23 Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Letters to the Editor, March 18 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 Arthur I. Cyr: The legacy of Singapore’s leader Lee Kwan Yew The rest of the story Council Corner: Getting to yes or no — or maybe Chris Honoré: 'Like a ghastly rapid river, through the pale door, a hideous throng rush out ...' Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park Top 5 things to do this week 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 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 Camelot Theatre in Talent: This 'Sunset' is not as dark Music 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 The Farr Side: Madonna — ever the trendsetter Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies 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 More wonderful wrinkles at 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious David Murdock: ZOOOOOOOOOM! Life is like a roller coaster Hot tub: The perfect centerpiece for outdoor living Religion News: Oscar Romero’s memory honored on assassination anniversary Suzette Martinez Standring: Easter — believing in the impossible 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 Calendar: Thursday, March 26 ... The rest of the story ... Our View: Build it; they will play ... Calendar: Thursday, March 26 ... The rest of the story ... Our View: Build it; they will play ... 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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