When I was a freshman, I would spend my Friday nights at our high school football games. For one night a week, these ordinary kids became superstars. I longed to step into their shoes, but as a shy, skinny, unathletic kid, I was always too scared to take the chance. After two years, the football bug finally struck a chord with me, and I joined the team. I was faster and stronger than I was before, but had no chance...

Extremely studious, extremely studious, extremely studious, extremely studious, and extremely studious. Note how I did not say "social", or "relaxed", or even "fun-loving". There are...

I did not take any SAT study courses or read SAT study books, or even study for the SAT for that matter. At the time I felt like...

I seriously considered Arizona State and San Diego State for about 15 minutes. Then went back to UCSD. Those schools are more ...

In college, you're allowed to fail. Will you fail? Maybe. You're not inadequate if you do; everyone who got in is adequate. I've had to drop classes to prevent failing, which is about the same, minus the GPA hit. In high school, you can fail, but you almost have to actively try to fail. Showing up and maintaining a pulse is enough to "pass" in high school. In college, you must meet the pace of...

If you know what you want to study, here is a simple formula: don't borrow more money than your first year's salary. The math works out when you account for interest rates and fees and such. You *need* to know before you enroll: how much each year is going to cost, how much you can pay out of pocket, and how much you have to borrow. Times four. If...