To those curmudgeons who believe that the youth of today are shallow slackers, I say not so fast old timer.

Things are much better than you think, even though I doubt those kids will stop riding their bikes over that section of grass near your driveway.

Although I mostly tutor reading, writing, and the reading and English portions of the SAT and ACT, I occasionally get asked by nervous parents to review the personal statements and college admission essays of tutoring clients.

If you don’t have a college-age kid, you might not know, but it’s time for seniors to be submitting their college applications.

I’ve been helping a few students contemplate how one of their meaningful experiences can be transformed into a “concise narrative” for the University of Florida and aiding others in grasping how they exemplify the virtues enshrined in FSU’s three-part motto.

My fellow curmudgeons, there is reason for hope for the generation coming of age right now.

I have done my share of worrying about the world they are going into, but reading a few of their college application essays has made me optimistic about their chances of being successful.

One of my students has been part of ground-breaking research in the heath sciences. Another overcame a fear of speaking by becoming president of the speech and debate team. A third lost a relative to cancer and became a leading money-raiser for Relay for Life.

Let not your hearts be troubled.

If your student needs a little college application essay help or just a second pair of eyes to look over a college application essay, call Eric at 813.787.8959.