But when the time comes for Daisy to visit guidance the following week, the scene is very different than it is with Albert, because Daisy is a much stronger student.

"Because you're a very bright student, you have a much wider array of possibilities than most. You might want to consider early decision at Tulane; however, if you find Tulane unsatisfactory, you should look far and wide. Speaking of which, how much do your family make?" the counselor asks Daisy.

Tulane is normally debt-free for in-state students provided the family earns less than $100k, the counselor muses about what family income means to VAs at Tulane.

"First, my big issue with Tulane, and with other colleges in big cities, is that big cities have too many distractions. Second, I know that it's a long shot, but Dartmouth is perhaps a closer fit" Daisy talks about what could fit her.

"Daisy, it's not that I want to be mean to you, but you mustn't put all your eggs into the Ivy League basket! Even when you come from a region that never seem to have a whole lot of applicants. For students at your strength, lists tend to be more top-heavy, but I usually advise no more than half your list to be made of reach schools. It's OK to do early decision at Dartmouth if you want, but please be advised that, if you do early decision, you must attend if accepted, and a rejection at Ivies is not an indictment of any lack of talent on your part. Now, you said that you didn't want to study in a big city" the guidance counselor tells her.

And then the counselor goes on to explain what reaches, matches and safeties are, as well as what schools to target. And, of course, the importance of checking against the EFC (expected family contribution; how much a family is expected to pay) prior to applying.

My list is subject to change, but I am okay with LSU if push comes to shove. Bâton-Rouge is a much bigger version of our town, but everything revolves around LSU instead, Daisy feels like she should have the rest of her list at the ready, but refrain from submitting the actual applications until she hears back from Dartmouth. Yet, the counselor gives her a link to a website that will allow her to get a better idea of what a match or a safety could look like for her, given her academic profile and other characteristics. I don't want it to be too large since I believe that I will get more out of college if I get closer to the faculty and other students. I might need to forgo TOPS money, however.

She starts using the tool given by the college counselor and... wow. Most of the colleges that seem to fit her requirements are either in the Northeast or in the Midwest. But then she receives a voucher for a free application at William and Mary. Why the hell did I receive a free application? Did one of their debate team coaches judge any of these games I played at any of these inter-state tournaments? They must have a good reason to throw a free app my way, I don't think W&M would give away free applications to just about anyone. But why me over hundreds of other debaters who competed nationally across formats, many of whom also have numbers in the same range as I...

She then checks against the class profile to see whether W&M is a realistic choice. After having determined that W&M is slotted in the "match" zone, Daisy then writes to the Tribe's head debate coach regarding the team, as well as the free application. Time to start writing the W&M and Dartmouth supplements, I guess... Daisy then sighs, as she starts writing the Dartmouth supplements.

"One more thing, Daisy: it may very well be okay to attend a non-elite college, but if you do so, just pick the cheapest that will let you in" Daisy's father warns her while she is writing the Dartmouth supplements. Of which the first and shortest is nearly complete. A 100-word "Why Dartmouth" essay.

"If two or more colleges end up being in the same price range, it would become trickier to choose" Daisy retorts to her father. "And it's a very real issue I'll likely face"

Still confused as to why W&M would even send her a voucher redeemable for a free application, after she finished the first Dartmouth supplemental essay, she keeps a few tabs open for various purposes, one of which is about what other colleges she could consider if W&M is a match. And she doesn't feel up to writing the other 2 Dartmouth supplements yet.

But as she waits for the response from W&M, she compiles a list of colleges she could potentially like and aren't reaches the way Dartmouth is. Lehigh, Trinity, Connecticut, University of Richmond... and then she needs to get their estimated net prices before she can even think of applying there. That's a lot to take in, but I must find some way to narrow it down. I could be applying all over the place, but essay-writing is exhausting, and I need to prepare for both debate and theater! Daisy seems to be overwhelmed with potential leads.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

The following week, when she meets with Albert again, for the next AP English assignment, Daisy is still struggling with choosing a few colleges she could see herself attending should Dartmouth fall apart, and that are within the budget her parents gave her.

"Damn it! It seems like I'm getting nowhere with this college search! It feels like each college I'm applying to is a lottery ticket. You, on the other hand, don't seem to be gambling your future away" Daisy vents her frustration in front of him.

"No, I am the one who's gambling my future away, Daisy. You seem poised to attend a good college; I wonder if McNeese or UL-Lafayette, while affordable, actually provides a good education" Albert retorts to her.

One of the Tribe's assistant debate coaches then responds to her: I remember you, Daisy, from the Columbia Online Invitational. The university authorized the debate team to send out a limited number of vouchers for free applications to prospects whom they deem as adding value to the university. Geographic diversity in your case.

Yet Albert's comment about affordability triggers Daisy. But, of course, the God-forsaken net prices (NPs)! Even though W&M has the highest NP of the gang, the calculated NP ignored any debate scholarship I could earn. Thus far, Trinity and Conn have the lowest NPs, a little higher than LSU's for some reason, and approximately the same as Tulane's, which my parents calculated for reference purposes, about $11-13k. Why did it take me so long to realize how crucial the EFC was to the NP? Did my search lead me to so many dead ends that I couldn't see past them? I may as well get started writing the supplements for these now...

But after working on the latest AP English assignment, the two complete their respective FAFSAs (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Which contains all the questions colleges' net price calculators use (notwithstanding academic credentials). And then some questions not on net price calculators, including information about parental education.

"If only you saw what rival players and their respective love interests were doing..." Daisy laments, after completing the FAFSA.

"What do you mean?" Albert asks, confused about what could other debate players do that might be worth lamenting.

"Try to imagine me but being far pickier about college. They want to attend in a specific region, sports and/or partying are part of what they want, either as something big or something they don't want to deal with, they want student bodies with certain characteristics, and so on" Daisy keeps lamenting.

And that's only those who are okay with not attending an Ivy. I am not worried about Chantal, and Gaston just ED'd at Tulane. All other seniors on the debate team seem happy to go to LSU, and don't stress out like Chantal or I do, Daisy keeps to herself, before Albert continues to talk to her.

"I am afraid I have no real idea of what I want to do in life. When I see supplement essay prompts for some colleges, sometimes I get asked about how attending X will help me achieve my goals" Albert shivers at the mere thought of having to fill out one such essay.

"It's ok not to have an idea, in which case you can always talk about intellectual exploration and thinking critically about the world. With that said, I believe we made good progress"

It pains me to admit it, but all too often, people at my academic level were given little or no opportunity to explore and follow passions, Daisy can't help but think about her opponents as she starts an online cross-examination drill with another player. Why am I doing this? Why am I losing my mind about college applications? I kept quiet about college applications at school for weeks now, and neither do the others. I don't want to stress anyone else more than necessary.

And then she contacts the debate coaches at both Trinity and Conn. Or faculty even. Which is the next best thing for her demonstrated interest because she obviously can't visit. And yet, she feels the need to check against whether Trinity and Conn require supplemental essays, which neither do. And neither got her any closer to get her to apply at this point.

"Should Dartmouth reject me, I don't know where I want to go to college anymore... However, I will wait until Dartmouth responds to decide where else to apply: my parents won't realize anything until then" Daisy thinks out loud.

"Of course not!" Daisy's dad sarcastically answers. "I strongly recommend that, if Dartmouth fails, you should at least consider Tulane in the second round of early decision! You can apply for free, and, like Dartmouth, seems to be run mostly like a liberal arts college"

"The problem I have with Tulane is the size of New Orleans' party scene, and its exposure to drugs as well as alcohol" Daisy retorts, but secretly acknowledges that she would get mostly the same kind of peers as she would have at Dartmouth, academically anyhow.

"However, its EFC is in the same range as LSU, so I would have no regret paying for Tulane since we paid about that much to get your brother through LSU"

There are other colleges where I can go and do just fine. However, high NPs make me not want to even apply at some colleges. Like Vassar, Villanova or even Kenyon. And certainly not NYU or George Washington. And I can pretty much forget about attending out-of-state public schools, which, unfortunately, W&M is. And yet, W&M could give out a partial scholarship but that's what it will take for me to attend W&M, to the extent it will reduce the NP up to $15k/year or lower. With each college I could possibly hear about that isn't an out-of-state public school, I must run the net price calculator and I must have run dozens of these by now... the ones with the good NPs are reaches for everyone, Daisy seems mired in a trap, while she is about to rehearse her part for theater. It's easy for someone at my level to gamble at a lot of reach schools, and certainly a debater or two.