I’m Really Proud of Caden

I’m really proud of Caden. He was recently accepted early to Vanderbilt University, which is one of the best schools in the country and extremely competitive to get into. But it was not an easy feat for him. I think that what I’m most proud of is his perseverance.

One component of admissions is the standardized test score. Although colleges do not rely solely on that to make a decision, it is one of the factors that contribute to their holistic understanding of the candidate. Caden and Alexa both took the SAT three times. Not because I asked them to but because they wanted to. The first one was kind of a test run, and then they sat for a second time. Both received scores in their second sitting that would have gotten them into most of the competitive schools in the country. They were respectable scores that anyone would have been extremely happy with, but they did not rest on their laurels. Both of them independently decided to take the test a third time. That meant sitting in October and having to study all summer. They divided up their summer between studying, family vacations, and college courses, Caden specifically attended Vanderbilt University for two weeks. Both of them got their highest score on their third attempt.

I genuinely believe that it was that perseverance that sealed their fate for them. Alexa received many acceptances including scholarships to both Berkeley and UCLA. Caden received an early decision from Vanderbilt and scholarships to be determined. I think the moral of the story is that nothing is easy and anything that’s worth trying for requires work and effort.

Caden has also taken more APs his senior year than his junior or sophomore year. He did not fall prey to the notorious Senior Slump. He had a very robust but focused resume. Sure there were times when I had to push him across the finish line, but at the end of the day, he put the work in and proved to himself a life lesson that he will carry forever.

“Work as hard as you can on at least one thing and see what happens.” - Jordan Peterson