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The family and I headed to Florida this year to spend Thanksgiving with my wonderful 97-year-old Nana Flagel. I have come to the realization that she and her friends in her posh, independent-living community are the geriatric version of Mean Girls. They delighted in telling me all the women they would not let in The Group, while providing truly outstanding holiday nuggets, such as, “Thank God I’m still thin. If I get fat, I’ll stab myself with a fork and kill myself.”

Nana is pretty much my favorite person to visit. She can both be grateful for everything in her life, yet still want so much more for all of her family. “Are you the school president yet? No? I won’t be around forever, you know.” She is the queen of motivation.

While I marvel at her still razor sharp mind, I also find myself pondering things I’m thankful for (and maybe you should be to).

Thankful for Choice in College Admissions and More

I’m thankful that there are a lot of choices in college admissions — and that we have an education system that, for all its flaws and criticisms, is the envy of the world.

I’m thankful that — and I really believe this — your success depends a lot more on how hard you work and how talented you are than where you get admitted to college.

I’m thankful that students, parents, and educators are starting to refocus on high school as a time of learning and development, not just as four years of preparing for the college admissions process.

I’m thankful to the team at MyCollegeOptions® and the National Research Center for College & University Admissions™ for letting me blather on in this delightful website, and providing it free to everyone.

I’m thankful to work with amazing people: the dedicated staff of the admissions office at George Mason University, and our students and faculty who constantly amaze me with the ways they are changing the world. I could not be prouder to be a part of a place that makes incredible contributions every day.

Holiday Wishes for Your College Application Process

My best wishes for you this holiday season are that all of you find colleges and careers that will help you contribute, to reach your potential and to enjoy what you do every bit as much as I do. While I adore the chance to take a snarky look at everything in the college application process, I hope you don’t miss out on my most heartfelt message: There are plenty of great colleges and universities. You will find many that will both admit you and give you every chance to achieve your goals. Don’t let the college admissions process, a truly awful system, have the power to decide your success.

As I’ve said before, I hope you all (and/or your sons and daughters) get in everywhere you apply, and that you get every scholarship that you want. Of course, I hope most of you pick Mason.

On behalf of all of us at MyCollegeOptions — and Nana Flagel (who says you look great, but you should still probably keep in mind that holiday pounds still count) — happy holidays.

Be seeing you.

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