Applying to College the High School Musical Way

October 27, 1:04 PMCollege Admissions ExaminerLauren Starkey

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I’m one of those parents who went along for the ride this weekend, accompanying my eight-year old daughter and her friends to see HSM3. Let’s put it this way: it wasn’t as boring as I thought it would be. In fact, the College Admissions Examiner ended up with some interesting, albeit fictionalized, sanitized, Disney-ized food for thought.

It’s senior year for Troy, Gabriela, Sharpay and friends, and college is definitely on their minds. How do they approach the admissions process, and do their decisions have anything positive to offer young audiences and their captive parents? It turns out the movie delves into a couple of intriguing, and somewhat common, dilemmas.

Both Troy and Gabriela have some serious parental pressure to deal with. Troy’s father, who is also his basketball coach, has been grooming his son to become a University of Arizona player since childhood. And Gabriela’s mother has talked of nothing other than Stanford University. Understandably, both students consider ditching mom or dad’s plans as they contemplate what they really want. Yes, there are some cheesy song and dance numbers that guide them through those contemplative moments, but where they arrive is nonetheless pretty interesting.

Here’s the difference: Gabriela’s mother is steering her daughter toward an Ivy League education with which she can do just about anything: premed to psychology, engineering to art history. Troy’s dad is set on his son being a player at the basketball powerhouse, no doubt dreaming of NCAA tournaments. There’s no mention of academics, or any other of Troy’s interests. Troy not only bristles under the pressure (he sings “Scream” after an argument with his father), but decides to apply to (and eventually goes off to attend) University of California at Berkeley, where he can both play basketball and pursue drama.

So far so good. One student sticks with the plan her mother urged her to follow; it made sense. The other found another path that suited his needs better. What’s the problem? As a parent and educator, I saw one: Troy chose a school to be closer to Gabriela. Big mistake! I know it’s only a movie, but the chances of their relationship making it to the graduation where you get a degree is slim. Yes, the other reasons supporting the decision made sense, but I’d counsel any student to leave relationship concerns out of the application process. College choice should primarily be a head decision—not a heart one.

High School Musical 3 is missing the angst-ridden personal drama of “Fame,” the retro passion of “Grease” and “Dirty Dancing,” and the morality play of “Footloose,” but…it wasn’t as boring as I thought it would be. Any other survivors care to comment?