THINGS I WISH MY KIDS WOUD ASK ME

Editor's note: Barry Courter has a 22-year-old son who recently graduated from college and an 18-year-old daughter who is a senior in high school.

Q: Dad, this whole pick-a-college thing is wearing me down, and every time someone asks where I'm going, I want to crawl into a hole. What should I do?

A: Pick a school and be done with it. Actually, I'm only half kidding. Pick the one or two or three you are really interested in, and do everything you can to make it happen. Let the school tell you no. Don't assume you can't get in because of grades or money or your test scores. Strange things can happen, and the only sure way to fail to get in is to not even try. Forget what everyone else tells you or asks you.

-- By Barry Courter