Imagine the most beautiful girl in the school trying to attract the perfect boy. She’s not sure yet who that is, so she sets out to charm as many possibilities as she can find. She entices them with compliments. Tells them how special they are. Boasts of her selectivity and each boy in turn feels like he has a good chance of winning her over. She invites him to visit. She lures him with sweet words and kind deeds. She’s a master seductress. She shows him a great time. The best. No one else even comes close. And although she doesn’t come right out and tell him he’s the one, her actions suggest that he is. He’s convinced she’ll choose him, among all the other contenders. He’s already imagining himself in her arms. Taking long afternoon walks. Sharing confidences. It’s a perfect match. There is no one else. He is sure.
But then she doesn’t choose him. No reason. No long explanation of why. Just some throwaway comments about what a nice guy he is, just not for her. It’s his first heartbreak. Something a mother wishes she could protect her child from, but knows she can’t.
Everyday Alexander receives 5-10 letters and emails from colleges all over the country. Some we’ve never heard of. But many we have. Almost all the top schools have written to him. Yesterday he got some mail from Harvard and an email from MIT. He’s also heard from Princeton and Yale and a bunch of other great universities. And when we visit these schools, the charm is turned way up. It’s hard not to be enticed by the school’s beauty, academics, and reputation. It’s easy to forget that all this seduction may still lead to a "sorry; we've found someone else."
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