April 3, 2026
by Dr. Plastic Picker
Our little one is headed to Harvard for college in the fall. It was an exhausting application season for us honestly. We are alumni of the college, and she was initially deferred and then after applying to over 26 schools – ended up accepted during the regular cycle to the school she initially applied to early. She is actually a far superior student than both of us – so we were surprised. It was hard to see her go through this application process, 26 schools in addition to extensive art portfolios which required her being in the ceramics studio (which she loves) to work on additional pieces to submit to the art schools that she was also considering.
What I’ll remember most is how sick she was during the application cycle. She had cold on top of cold, had to have several urgent care visits and treated with antibiotics and steroids. She had a minor surgery and the healing process was long and arduous, and we had her post-op appointment and all is now in the clear. She was so tired and her father plied her with more Starbucks that I was happy with. We had some tense moments about the amount of caffeine she was taking to make it through application season while still keeping her grades up. Grandmother was hospitalized several times during this time, and her father was also starting his responsibilities as chief of the radioactive doctors department.
But all in all, she made it through and she got into several excellent schools. But she wants very much specifically to study East Asian Studies and Ceramics, and Harvard is actually one of the few programs that has Korean, Vietnamese and a strong visual arts program. The other option was Tufts BA/BFA and she was lucky enough to get into that program as well, and we had a wonderful few weeks watching her talk to their director and interview and fall in love with that program. But in the end, she made it through the application process and got the YES to come to Cambridge in the fall.
We are relieved because there really isn’t much of a decision to make, so we’ll skip the college tours/looks for the other schools and just go one weekend to the Harvard early look weekend. Did you see the plane ticket prices have skyrocketed???!!! It used to only cost $275 on TWA (which does not exist anymore) to fly round trip from San Diego to Boston. Now it is $650 one way, and Mr. Plastic Picker used our saved up miles for the return trip. I haven’t bought any clothes for almost 5 years, but a I bought a new shirt at Macy’s (and signed up for their reward program) for our weekend! I’m really excited about that weekend.
I’m actually really excited for our youngest as she enters this next stage. We never pressured her and never expected this for her. There was just something in this tiny being from the time that she was conceived that kept on fighting and living and breathing, and creating. She was so sick as a preemie baby in the NICU. So many hospitalizations and surgeries, and now she has been fine. This application cycle was a little reminder to those early years when I worried mostly about her health and not about her SAT scores.
This is our last child that has gone through applications, and both Mr. Plastic Picker and I agree – THAT WAS SUPER STRESSFUL and WE ARE DONE! We helped her because she wanted help, and she had certain goals for herself.
But she did it, and she’s healthy again. She’s finally caught up on some sleep (although her father AGAIN TOOK HER TO STARBUCKS THIS MORNING!!!! ARRRGHHHH). She’s been eating more vegetables and working out. She’s a normal teenager and worried about prom dresses, and how her acceptance to HAAARVARD is playing out in her social circle. She’s a typical teenager and for that I’m so grateful. I remember when the high-risk OB asked if I wanted to terminate her at 19 weeks and was slightly encouraging me to do that, I became a mommy bear and decided to fight for her the rest of my pregnancy and actually for the rest of my life. I told them no termination, and that however she came – that we’d love her and provide for her.
And that’s what I’m going to do. At my heart, I’m a simple person. My parents gave me everything they had. If there was not enough food, the children got the food. My mother-in-law is the same way. The children get the best pieces of food of any dish that is made at home. And for the rest of my life, I will just work and pay her tuition. I’ll wait for crumbs of her attention. I’ll try to help save the earth. And everything I have will be to help save the world so that my child and all our children can breathe and have a livable earth. I’m so grateful I got to be her mommy! She’s really a remarkable child for living and breathing, and now she gets to go to Harvard. She has big ambitions, but I really hope she finds a cute boy to flirt with. Thank you for cheering on my child, and I’ll continue to cheer on yours. But mostly save the earth for all of us.
