Applying To A NYC High School Is A Full Time Job

Whether I like it or not, this year K, my ex and I have to dive head first into the mashugana NYC High School application process as if we have nothing else to do all day.

Some of you out-of-towners might not understand what I'm going through over here because chances are there are like three high schools in your hometown, and depending on where you live that's where you go to school.

Well, not in NYC. Here you have the option of attending ANY school regardless of location, and in order to attend the school of your choice you might have to audition (for performing arts schools) or take a test (for specialized & catholic & prep schools) or have an interview (for screened programs). And then you have to have the grades and test scores and go to open houses and OMG! I think I just burst a blood vessel near my temple...

It all starts in 7th grade- your marks from that year will determine where you can get in. That's the year you also get the NYC High Schools Directory- 584 pages of information on everything you could ever want to know about every-freakin-school within City limits. It's the size of the Staten Island yellow pages, for real.

So you have to go through this book and look at the schools you like and determine if, from the school's POV, you'd be a good candidate. THEN you have to attend these HS fairs and speak with reps from all the schools. THEN you have to schedule an interview and attend the school's open house and guided tour.

THEN, depending on whether you're going to Mt. St. Ursula or LaGuardia (the "Fame" school) you need to take entrance exams or put together a portfolio.

THEN you list the schools you want in order of preference- up to 12 of them- hand in this application to your 8th grade guidance counselor, and sometime in the spring you will know where you were accepted.

Sounds oddly familiar to something *I* had to do, too... AS A SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL APPLYING TO COLLEGE!

I mean, am I remembering it wrong, because I did not have to go through all this crap. All you other NYers out there correct me if I'm wrong, but it was pretty much one test for specialized HS, one test for Catholic schools, and an audition if you wanted LaGuardia. For everyone else, you just went to your zone school.

Why does it have to be all complicated when it's MY daughter's turn to go?

I tell you what, this application BS is for the birds... when it comes time to apply for college, I'm gonna just let her father handle it... (yeah, right... he can't be trusted to make such an important decision like that w/out me!)

*smooches...wondering why I can't just have a peaceful, quiet existence*
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what did I do in my past lives to deserve this much chaos???