During a graduation party for my college-bound goddaughter Melinda, I sat down at a picnic table and hastily wrote out a few lines to include in the card we gave her:

You finished the first part, you’re poised for the next.
Your mind wasn’t broken, but now will get fixed.
Of all the ideas they’ll throw at your brain,
Some will make perfect sense, some you’ll throw down the drain.
As you get your B.A., you’ll hear lots of B.S.
But your heart and your head are prepared now, I guess.
So keep your eyes bright and your mind even brighter.
The load that at first seems so heavy, is lighter
When all of the topics, the books, and idears,
Don’t matter as much as they might first appear.
What’s really the point as you seek your vocation:
Don’t let school ever keep you from your education!