A Michigan Dad Now

I am still preparing the remaining parts of my ongoing series on our homeschooling experiment. But it is worthwhile to report that Apoorv is officially an undergrad at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (UM).

I share this news not with pride, but with gratitude and joy. I am aware that many deserving students get into great colleges all the time, so I could hardly feel proud anyway. I humbly wear the Michigan Dad T-shirt — Thanks to this fine young man, the supporting family and encouraging friends, the welcoming city of Pune, and a great school that is UM. Go Blue!

Although I got to actually take him to UM, I wholeheartedly acknowledge the superwoman part that Deepa played. Without her support and contribution, this would not have been possible.

An outlier does not need to go to a college to study, but usually colleges are where many young people study, and, more importantly, find themselves. Of course, as the adage goes, in college, some pursue learning, and others learn pursuing!

US universities still hold sway worldwide when it comes to serious and fun higher education. Even the great Don Knuth has said (somewhere in an interview; I couldn’t find a link to it) that he gets a kick out of the US university atmosphere; universities take him back in time to Greece.

I have shared my Letter to a Young Undergrad with Apoorv!

He is in the school of engineering. They offer 18 majors. Although Computer Science is what he wants to do, the school encourages several courses (and minors) to increase the intellectual breadth of students. I browsed the CS curriculum (and Data Science and Computer Engineering curricula) and it looks pretty good. I was excited to visit UM and felt like I would enjoy the milieu a lot (if I were somehow associated with the university …) The campus is beautiful (especially in summer) with its three main campuses at Ann Arbor. Of course, one has got to prepare to face the Michigan winter.

He is also interested in Sanskrit and I know that Professor Madhav Deshpande founded the school of Asian studies at UM. I hope he gets to study at least some Sanskrit there.

I understand that all of this comes at a cost and higher education in the US is a (financial) mess according to many, but even if one is less privileged in their early youth, one can still dream to be at a college later. Enough perseverance should let them study at a coveted school. I wish everyone wanting to get college education luck and patience.

At some point, students feel like getting out of that cozy atmosphere and enter the real world. But for now, I hope that he and other freshers around the world find a seat at their colleges. I understand that personal care, the weather, the dorm, the food, social aspects, loneliness, self-control and self-regulation, tough courses and tough graders etc. need time to get used to; it takes time to belong to a place.

So, my suggestion to everyone: Hang in there!