People come up to me all the time and ask, “Hey Alec, what’s your secret to having such healthy gums?”

And I say, “Flossing.”

I’m not sure why people are so obsessed with my gum health, and my secret isn’t much of a secret. My hygienist, Patti, tells me to floss, so I do. But all hygienists tell their patients to floss, so why do I listen when most people don’t? Why are my gums so much healthier than all those people I mentioned earlier who keep clamoring to me in the halls and barging into all my classes uninvited to inquire about my dental hygiene?

Is it because I’m afraid of Patti and I think she makes fun of me with her other hygienist friends when I have plaque along my gumline?

Yes.

But it’s also because Patti knows more about flossing than I do. Patti tells me that if I don’t floss, I’ll get gingivitis. I don’t want gingivitis, and I’m afraid of Patti, so I floss.

If you haven’t caught on yet, this is a metaphor for the college admissions process.

It’s Feb. 5, so Finding the Fit packets are officially one year late for all you terrible, slacking seniors. They’re also due today for juniors.

Finding the Fit is a program used to help juniors and seniors through the college admissions process. It’s tried and true. The program has been around for years, and for all that time, students have been getting into college.

Like flossing, completing the Finding the Fit self-assessment packet is slightly inconvenient and not very fun. People blow off the packet required for guidance counselors to write a letter of recommendation, then justify their laziness by saying it doesn’t need to be in by the due date.

Listen to your guidance counselors, juniors. I listen to Patti because she has seen gingivitis first-hand and knows more about dental hygiene than I do. You should listen to your guidance counselors because they have helped get kids into college and know more about the admissions process than you do. Also, turning in a packet one year late is not a great quality to show someone who is recommending you to a college. Once the packet is turned in, keep listening to guidance counselors and messages from the College Resource Center.

People come up to me all the time and ask, “Hey Alec, how did you not go absolutely bananas throughout the college admissions process?”

I listened to what Patti told me. A little fear was involved, but it was mostly trust.