Page 26 - Will Smith: A Biography of a Rapper Turned Movie Star

Will Smith
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Though they were no longer married, Willard Sr. and Caroline
shared the same goal of a top-notch education for their son.
The computer industry was young and booming in the mid-
1980s, and Will’s father believed his son could be a successful
computer engineer. With his parents’ urging, Will took the
Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs), which many colleges use as
part of their admissions criteria. Even though his grades had
dropped somewhat, Will’s scores on the SATs were excellent.
Willard Sr. and Caroline urged their son to apply to
some colleges. Will did so and was accepted right away at
the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Then two recruiters
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
interviewed Will. They tried to interest him in applying for
MIT’s two-year pre-engineering prep course. MIT is one of
the best technology colleges in the United States. MIT
students are among the brightest in the country. Attending
MIT would be a major opportunity for Will if he had any
interest in a career in computer engineering.
But that is not what Will wanted. He told his parents
that he planned to become a rapper. His mother was
outraged—and worried. Music, like all the arts, is a very
competitive business. There are always more musicians
trying to make it big than there are opportunities.
Will was able to work out a compromise with his parents.
He asked them to consider his love for music, along with the
fact that he was starting to have some success. They agreed to
give him a year to work on his rap career. If it did not take off
by the time the year was up, Will would go to college.