6. College
“Seamus, do you want to take it the 14th or the 28th?” Mom asked.
“I don’t WANT to take it at all Mom” Seamus answered around a mouthful of turkey sandwich.
“We have been over this a hundred times dear, just because things are all setup, you still have to actually qualify. And don’t talk with your mouth full” Mom countered.
“Argh”, or something like it, he mumbled while he finished up his last bite of sandwich “Ok ok, I’ll take it the 14th” he said after draining what looked like an entire quart of milk.
“See, that wasn’t so hard was it? Now, how about you Becca?” she said turning her attention to her youngest daughter as she walked into the kitchen.
“How about me what?” Becca asked, not sure what Mom was talking about.
“The SAT dear, when do you want to take the SAT? You can take it the 14th or the 28th”.
“What IS the SAT? I’ve heard some kids talking about it recently, but I don’t know what it is. Some kind of test, right?” she asked.
“Of all the things that you guys SHOULD learn on the schoolyard…you would think this would be one of them” Mom mumbled as she picked up Seamus’s plate, glass and dirty napkin. “Seamus, do your own dishes next time!” she yelled after his retreating form as it disappeared down the hall.
“I’m sorry Sweetie, I guess I just assumed one of the kids had explained it. The SAT is a test that all high school kids have to take before they apply. The schools then use your score on this test, plus your grades plus any other activities in which you have been involved to decide who they are going to accept.”
“What school?” Becca asked, still not clear on what Mom was talking about. “Where is Seamus going?”
Mom stopped loading the dishwasher, realizing this was one of those weird moments when her adopted daughter’s lack of knowledge of things they so took for granted broke her heart just a little bit.
She sat down across the table from Becca, and gave her her full attention. “College honey, that’s what Seamus and I were talking about. Almost all colleges get more kids applying to get in than they can fit, so they have to pick which ones they think will be the best fit for their particular school. The SAT test, their grades and extra activities, along with an essay each student writes about themselves, is what they use to try and figure out who they are going to accept.”
Becca nodded, understanding now what Mom was talking about, but not quite understanding why she was talking to HER about it.
“You know that your father and I both went to San Luis Obispo; that is one of a couple of dozen colleges that the State of California operates; there are literally hundreds of other colleges, of all shapes, sizes and types, that are owned privately. "
Becca nodded again in understanding the “what”, but still not grasping the “why” of what Mom was telling her.
“You know Lauren is going to San Luis Obispo, of course; Seamus is also going to attend there next year.“ Mom added.
“But you said that in order for the school to accept someone, they have to give them their grades and the score of this SAT test. If Seamus hasn’t even taken the test yet, how can he know he’s going to San Luis Obispo already?” Becca asked.
“Good question sweetie. Normally San Luis Obispo is very, very hard to get into. I read something just the other day that there are only 4 state-owned schools in the whole country that get more kids applying than SLO. Last year they had over 50,000 kids apply, and they only accept about 5,000 of those.”.
“Oh my gosh!” Becca exclaimed “What do all the kids do who don’t get in?”
“Well, they just go somewhere else. Most kids apply to a handful of different schools, some they know they will probably get in to, based on their grades and scores, and some that they WANT to get into, even if they know they might not. So those kids that don’t get in to one of the super tough schools like SLO usually go to one of the other schools that they DID get in to.”.
Becca nodded again, but then asked “So how does that work with Seamus? Why does he know he already got in to such a popular school before he even took the test? Are his grades THAT GOOD that he will automatically get in, no matter what his SAT score is or something?”
Mom laughed, not unkindly, at Becca’s continued questions. “No sweetie, Seamus is in a bit of a different situation. In addition to both of us going to SLO when we were kids, your Dad teaches down there for a week every year.”
“What? Dad teaches college?” Becca yelped.
“Kind of. Your Dad kept in touch with one of his favorite teachers from SLO over the years, and believe it or not, that professor is still teaching. About 10 years ago he asked Dad to come down and teach his class for a day as kind of a guest lecturer just for fun, to give the kids a change of pace.”
“Your Dad did such a great job that he asked him to come back the next year…and eventually it turned into a whole week. So while he only teaches one week a year, technically he is on the staff of SLO.”
“Oh, so there is some kind of family deal where the kids can go there, is that it?” Becca asked.
“Oh no, SLO is way too competitive to allow the kids of all their professors to automatically get in. When children of professors apply, they still have to meet the requirements and be ranked in the top 20% of the applicants. If they are in the top 20%, then they DO get special consideration and they get accepted automatically at that point. But they still have to be in the top 20%, which is pretty tough to do.”.
“So is that how Lauren got in?” Becca asked.
Mom threw her head back and laughed “Don’t let her hear you say that Bec! No, your sister is a stubborn one. She REALLY wanted to go to SLO, not because your Dad and I did, but because she fell in love with it when she went down to visit while she was checking out other schools she was going to apply to. She refused to apply as a Professor’s child, because she didn’t want to get in just because of Dad.”
“So how did she get in?”
“The old fashioned way” Mom said, doing her best old English accent. “She EARNED it.” Becca cracked up at her Mom’s dorky impression.
“She wound up being in the top 3% of the applicants, so she would not have needed your Dad’s connections anyway.”
"Seamus, on the other hand, is a very, very good student, but probably not good enough to be in that top, top group like Lauren was. He is also a very, very, good swimmer...but not good enough to get scholarship offers from schools that have enough money to pay for the top swimmers to attend."
"OK, now I am thoroughly confused" Becca said, shaking her head.
"SLO is a big academic school, one of the best in the world...but they are NOT a big athletic school. They do NOT offer any sports scholarships, and while they still have some really good sports teams, compared to other academic schools, they can't really compete with the big sports-oriented schools who have millions of dollars to use to attract the top athletes with scholarships."
"So Seamus is kind of an in-betweener...a really good student and a really good swimmer, but not good enough at either to get a scholarship or automatic admission to a top school.”
“So here is where it gets interesting for Seamus. SLO doesn't have a swim team right now, and they have been trying for a few years to start one. Last year they finally got approval from the Dean to start one, and they were able to raise enough money to hire a coach and start getting a new team together."
"Because your Dad and I are graduates and because of Dad's teaching, he and Lauren popped up on a list of potential students that the new Coach wanted to invite to try out for the team. Lauren declined, as she wanted to focus on her studies. Seamus, however, realized that this would probably be the only way he could attend, and so he said he was interested."
"What happened then?" Becca asked, engrossed in the tale.
"Last summer they had a 'swim tryout', where they invited any swimmers already attending SLO and anybody who wanted to try to apply in the next two years to come down and make up a team for the summer. They competed against all the other small colleges in California, trying to figure out how well they would do if they actually created a full team."
"How did Seamus do?"
"Well, in the pool he did very well. He wound up as the 4th fastest kid on the SLO team, and he ended up taking 6th place overall in the league when the season ended. Remember, this was swimming against college kids from SLO as well as other established small college teams all cross the state."
"Wow, that is awesome! So he did well enough to get accepted to SLO?"
"His performance in the pool definitely made him a strong candidate, that is for sure. The deal that the Coach made with the Dean was that each year he could provide automatic acceptance for 3 kids who applied, as long as these 3 kids met all the criteria and were in the top 20%."
"So Seamus might NOT get in, if the three other kids who were faster than him want to go, right?" Becca asked, doing the math.
"Well, that is where Seamus showed why he is, well, why he is Seamus. Even though he was one of only a few high school kids on the college team, competing against all the other college teams...he was elected Captain of the SLO squad. And they actually won the summer league championship.”
“So based on all these things, the Coach told us that no matter what, as long as Seamus is in the top 20%, he will give him an automatic spot. So that is why Seamus pretty much knows he is in...but it is also why I am bugging him to TAKE THE SAT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE" she said, shouting the last sentence loudly enough for Seamus to undoubtedly hear above the sound of his video game.
"Wow" was all Becca could say.
Then...
"But what does all of that have to do with me? Why do you want me to take the SAT?"
"So you can start getting ready for college, why else honey?"
Becca finally put the pieces of this strange conversation together and realized belatedly what her Mom had been trying to tell her. She expected Becca to GO TO COLLEGE.
"Mom, I can't go to College!" she said, shaking her head emphatically.
"Why ever not dear?"
"Because...because...I'm not smart enough! I don't know anything about College! I've been in and out of so many schools, I'm just hoping to barely graduate high school! How could I go to College?"
Mom stared at her daughter, at her precious, beautiful, humble, fantastic daughter, and threw her head back and laughed. And laughed.
"Mom, why are you laughing at me? It's not funny!"
"Oh Becca, I'm not laughing AT you my dear, sweet child...I am laughing at how truly remarkable you are."
"What are you talking about?"
"Honey, despite all the things you just mentioned, all the terrible things you have had to deal with all your life, here you are, with a full load of hard classes at a good high school. You are getting straight A grades!!! Why on earth would you NOT go to college?"
That stopped Becca cold. She opened her mouth to protest, but could not think of anything to say.
Was Mom right? Could Becca actually go to some kind of college somewhere, somehow?
She had literally never in her life thought about even the idea of going to college.
In reality, it had only been since her adoption by the Holt family a few short months ago that she had started thinking more than an hour or at most a day ahead. But she realized in that instant that she had not given any thought to something that far ahead. Could she?
But then reality came crashing down.
"But I know college is expensive. I don’t know how much, but there's gotta be no way you and Dad could afford to put Lauren and Seamus AND me through it..."
"Becca, don’t you worry about that. Yes, college is expensive, but we have been planning on this for many years, and you have some relatives that have passed away that have left us a little extra money for exactly this reason. One way or another we'll figure out the money; you just have to figure out where you want to go and concentrate on getting in."
Becca sat shell shocked, her previously tiny world rocked by yet another concept that was so new to her, yet so tantalizingly awesome she could hardly let herself think about it for real. Mom sat quietly, watching her work through a million thoughts at the speed of light, seeing the full gamut of human emotions flash across her face one after another.
Becca herself was at first focused solely on this new idea, but her wonder and disbelief soon turned to her life in general. Here she was, some street kid, sitting in a nice warm kitchen redolent with the smell of fresh cookies, talking to a woman who called her Daughter and loved her, without reservation...talking about going to college. She shook her head to clear it, trying to make sure she wasn't imagining it all, and hoping beyond hope that she wasn’t.
After a few more moments of thinking deeply, a bright and determined smile lit up her face.
"San Luis Obispo" she said.
"What about it sweetie?" her Mom asked, trying to follow her train of thought.
"You went to SLO. Dad went to SLO. Lauren's going to SLO. Seamus is going to go to SLO. If I am going to do this college thing, I want to do it right." she said lightly, but with a steely resolve.
"Wow kiddo, that is quite a decision to make so quickly sitting here in our kitchen. Are you sure you don’t want to go out and see other places, other schools, check out what is available to you? I don’t want you to try and go to SLO just because we all did; you might not even like it" she said, trying to walk that parental line between supporting her kids and not letting them go down a road that might not turn out well for them.
Mom had no doubt of Becca's intelligence or her ability to succeed, but getting into SLO was a tall order for anyone, especially someone coming from such a limited academic background.
"Holts go to SLO, so I am going to SLO if it is at all humanly possible" Becca said, with even more conviction than before. "I know it is a long shot Mom, but I've got to try. I don’t know anything about colleges, except that you said SLO is a great school, and you guys all love it, so I’m sure I would too."
"But the other thing is...I don’t want to be alone."
"You wouldn't be alone wherever you went honey" her Mom said, trying to ground her daughter.
"I know I wouldn't be alone-alone...but I have just now found you guys, and I can't stand the thought of only just getting to know you all and being so happy and then leaving to be on my own again. I spent 16 years alone, and now that I know what it's like to belong, to have people who care about me, the thought of being alone again feels like hell” she said quietly.
Mom sat very still, understanding dawning on level after level as she listened to her daughter and felt the depths from which she spoke.
"I know that I will want to go out and be on my own someday. But if I can have another few years with Lauren and Seamus, sharing the same things, doing the same things, being in the same place, even if it is just at school...coming home to be with you and Dad together...that matters to me. More than anything."
Mom looked again at her youngest daughter and closed her eyes. All the impossibilities of what she was asking appeared in her mind very clearly. But all she could see was that determined look that Becca got when she was about to put her mind to something.
In the brief months she had known her, Mom had seen that look many times, as there had been so many “firsts” she had had to overcome. And she could not think of a single thing that Becca had failed to accomplish once she got that look on her face. If this kid was willing to commit her whole self to this crazy idea, how could her Mom do any less? All Becca was asking for was a chance.
“Ok Becca. Let’s do it.” She had to raise her voice to be heard over Becca’s screaming to finish “I don’t know what will happen, and you have to understand it may not work, no matter how hard we try”. This quieted Becca’s squeals though not her enthusiasm. Mom continued in a lower voice, full of intense sincerity. “If it can be done, let’s do it. And if anyone can do it, it’s gonna be you”.
“Thanks Mom!” Becca squealed as she grabbed her Mom in a lock down hug. “If it doesn’t work, at least I’ll know I tried!”.
And that, Mom thought, is all anyone can ask about anything isn’t it?
…
“OK kiddo, got some news. You ready?”
“Ready Dad. What’s it look like?” Beccas asked, half excited and half afraid.
“Turns out that all Cal State colleges have what they call the “Non-Traditional Pathway” program.
“What’s that?” Becca asked curiously. “Sounds weird”.
“In the past, the State College system realized that their method for recruiting and accepting students was geared exclusively toward kids coming out of state-accredited high schools, with 4 years of grade point averages, and access to the standard SAT type entrance exams. They realized that there were a group of kids that did not fit into that category and they wanted to make sure that kids who would make legitimate students in the State College system had a chance to get in, even without this traditional method.”
“So it’s like a charity thing, where they take weirdoes like me?” Becca asked, frowning.
“Not at all. The NTP charter says that any 17-19 year old youth can apply to any State College and request a NTP review. The NTP committee reviews their request, and if they think the kid shows enough potential, they do a thorough evaluation to determine if they think the kid can succeed, and if their non-traditional circumstances, whatever they are, are worth setting aside for entrance purposes. “
“It is most definitely NOT a charity thing. I read their reports, and of all the kids that have requested a NTP review, only 5% go through to the formal evaluation. And of those 5%, only 20% are accepted as students. But the biggest thing is…of those very few kids that make it into the State College system under this thing…95% of them graduate in four years. That is much higher than the “normal” graduation rate. So what that means is that they are extremely picky about who they let in through this system. If you make it in via NTP, it means you are already considered a top student prospect, just coming through a different route than the vast majority of the other kids” he finished.
Becca chewed on this, and finally said “OK, so it sounds legit. What do I have to do to see if they will take me?”
“I knew you were going to ask that” Dad said, grinning over at his wife who nodded knowingly.
“I ran your current status through their office, and they said that because you only have one year of identifiable high school grades, you would definitely qualify for consideration. However, you would need to complete at least one more full year, and complete at least the minimum Senior requirements. You would also have to get at least an 1800 on the SAT test. If you do all that, they would then set you up for the formal evaluation.”
Becca chewed on this as well. “OK, that sounds a little too easy..what’s the catch?”
“The catch, if you want to call it that, is that right now based on the classes you have and the classes you would need, you will have to go to one more semester of Claycord High, even if you take a full load next year.”
“You mean I would have to go BACK to Claycord after next year, and go one more semester?”
“Yes, there just aren’t enough periods in the day to take all the classes you need.”
“Hmm….”
“It would be very, very busy, but I’m sure you could do it kiddo, if you really want this” he said.
Becca was silent for a full minute.
“OK, that sounds pretty good…but I do NOT want to have to come back to Claycord for another semester. Lauren is already gone, and Seamus will be gone…I would feel like some kind of freak hanging around for one more semester” she said.
“You wouldn’t be a freak sweetie, you would be doing something almost impossibly hard!” Dad interjected, trying to get her to see reason.
“I get it, I do…but there’s got to be a way to finish on time, with Seamus and all my friends, and still swing it.”
Mom and Dad were silent after that, looking at each other with a weird mixture of guilt and suppressed laughter.
“OK, you two are kind of freaking me out here. What aren’t you telling me?”
They couldn’t hold their laughter any longer and gave in to the giggles, which looks weird when your parents do it Becca thought distractedly.
“I knew that’s what you would say” Mom answered, standing up to do a little victory dance, kind of a half-jig, half-disco bump.
“Mom, what are you doing?” Becca asked, her concentration broken by her Mothers spastic movements.
“My victory dance. I called it! She won’t give up!” she shouted, redoubling her efforts.
Dad was the first to recover from the sight of his wife’s celebration.
“OK, since Mom was so sure you wouldn’t agree to coming back for another semester, we checked into what other options could be even remotely possible.”
“Now we’re talking” Becca said gleefully, rubbing her hands together. “Spill Daddy-O, what’s it gonna take to finish on time?”
“Two things” he said, unconsciously using his Professor voice.
“First, you would need to take three classes during summer school this summer" he said, pacing the kitchen floor like a classroom. "You are only supposed to take two, but the Principal agreed to make an exception, since one of them is PE.”
“Well that sounds easy” Becca said confidently.
“Remember dear, each class is an entire semester’s worth of work condensed into 6 weeks. It’s like triple speed” Mom warned.
“OK, three classes, six weeks, triple speed, got it. What’s the other thing?”
“Second” Dad said in his best academic drawl “You would have to take Spanish Three at the Junior College during fall semester next year. And then you would have to challenge the year end exam and pass it for full credit.”
“What does challenge mean?” Becca asked, all business now.
“That means that after one semester of the college Spanish Three class, you would have to take the High School Spanish Three final exam that the other students take after a full year, and pass it.”
“OK, so the summer school thing, then the Spanish Three class at the Junior College, and then pass the final."
"And take 6 senior classes at Claycord High." Dad reminded her.
"Got it. Anything else?”
Mom and Dad, fully expecting a response like this, were none the less still shocked into silence for a moment, before breaking into wide grins.
“Nope, that’s it.”
Seamus was all for the plan in his usual kooky way “Awesome Sis – that would be so cool to go down to SLO together – three Holt’s on campus at once? They won’t know what hit ‘em” he teased around bites of his burrito.
“Hey, I took one of the classes you got in Summer School last year and I still have my notes you can use. And we both have Chem and English next year, so I can definitely help you study for those too” he said, fist held high for a bump.
…
The months passed in a blur, and come January Becca breathed a sigh of relief as Summer School was a distant memory and she had managed a solid B on the Spanish 3 challenge. With only a full load of Senior classes, she jumped at the chance to spend another season on the swim team, and was good and truly shocked when she was elected captain of the girls team unanimously.
Almost as shocked as Seamus was when she raised an actual bruise on his shoulder when she smacked him after finding out he had turned down the boys Captain position so she wouldn’t have to share the spotlight.
One of the benefits of Seamus's offer to tutor his little sister was that his grade point average rose sharply, putting him into the top 6% of SLO applicants. It was not quite Lauren's 3%, but coupled with a decent SAT score, he was accepted even without the swimming exception.
Becca declined another chance at the SAT after her 1890 on the first try.
"I know I could probably do better if I took it again Mom, but I have taken more tests in the last six months than I thought existed in the world. The SLO NTP guy said 1800, so if they kick me out over an 1890, then I'll know this wasn't my future after all" she said exhaustedly.
Mom thought about all that she had been through the past 6 months, and marveled once again at what a whirlwind of intensity she could be. She crossed the fingers on both hands, toes too, when she realized that the next and final step was the interview.
…
"So Ms. Holt, welcome to NTP, I'm Dr. Johansson. I've reviewed your file, and it appears that there is some kind of problem with the packet of information we received with your application."
Becca, nervous already, felt her heart start to pound even harder "Wha, What do you mean Dr. Johansson? I have another copy of everything with me if there's something missing" she said, grateful that Mom had handed her a duplicate copy of everything this morning, just in case.
"I don’t think there is anything missing, I think we may have gotten some information regarding another student mixed in with yours. What I would like to do is run through the high points and figure out what got mixed in by mistake" he said with the slightly annoyed arrogance of the lifelong academic having to deal with paperwork.
"OK Dr. Johansson, thank you."
"Quite, quite Rebeccah, no trouble at all. Now, let's see, it says here that you were an orphan until you were 16, and were in and out of a number of foster homes and care agencies."
"Yes sir, that's right."
"And you attended a number of different schools and CPS clinics during that time."
"Yes"
"It looks like you were never in one secondary school for more than a single academic quarter, and there appear to be gaps suggesting you were not in full time secondary school at all for months at a time. Is that correct?"
"Yes sir. I was always in class somewhere, but the CPS clinics don't give grades, as they are only for temporary students. And the regular schools don’t give grades for partial terms" she said, trying to sound as smart as possible without tripping over her words.
"Yes, quite right. I am, unfortunately, intimately familiar with the failings of the public school system." he added imperiously.
"Moving on, it looks like you came under the guardianship of the Holts when you were 16, but it also looks like you were adopted simultaneously, which is not normal procedure. Can you clarify how long you were with the Holts before the adoption process started?"
"72 hours sir"
"72 HOURS?" the older man asked incredulously. "I don’t mean how long you were waiting for assignment or in CPS hold...how long from the time you first met the Holts until the adoption?"
"Yes sir, 72 hours, a little less actually. I ended up at their house on a Friday night, and they put in the permanent adoption request Monday morning" she replied vaguely, trying not to overstate things but not wanting to leave any doubts.
"I see, so the file is correct. Quite unusual, quite unusual indeed. Never seen anything like it with a teenager. Hmm... Well, moving on...it appears that you then started at an excellent public high school as a Junior, despite not having any formal secondary school levels."
"Correct"
"Why? How was the decision made to start you so high up the academic ladder with no precedent?"
"My sister was a Senior and my brother was a Junior, and we figured it would be easiest to be in the same grade as one of them, so I just started Junior classes."
"You just started Junior classes? It says here that your first semester GPA was a 3.8."
"Yes sir, I got a B in Spanish".
Speaking slowly and carefully, Dr. Johannsson asked quietly "Do you mean to tell me that with a hodge podge collection of CPS and fly-by-night public school classes for preparation, you started as a Junior on a college preparatory track and only got one B your entire first semester? Wait, it looks like that was your only B the entire year. Am I reading this correctly?"
"I didn’t know it at the time" Becca answered somewhat defensively.
"Didn't know what?"
"I didn't know the classes were preparing me for college. I just took what my Mom and Dad and the principal suggested, and what was open."
"I see" Dr. Johansson mumbled, not seeing at all. "Now I think this may be one of the mix ups in your file. It indicates that you then joined the swim team during your second semester, and there is a notation that until the adoption you had never been on a team before. That doesn't seem to fit in here, can you clarify?"
"Yes, I started taking lessons at the city pool in October, and the season started in February. I really liked