🎶 The Cycle: First Reads
Every counselor has a first cycle. Every story has a first read.
This is Album 1 of The Cycle, a serialized musical told 12 songs at a time following a first-gen counselor in his very first year on the job. Inspired by the real admissions cycle, each album is a self-contained season while building a larger narrative across ten full albums.
In First Reads, we meet the protagonist as he steps into the admissions office for the first time, full of hope and ready to be “who he needed” when he was a student himself. But the cycle isn’t kind. Through travel season, call sheets, rivalries, and the crushing realities of financial aid, he learns the hard truth: you can’t carry every student.
C01FR 01 The Call Sheet Awaits
The protagonist begins his first day as an admissions counselor. The call sheets, maps, and office buzz overwhelm him, but he’s filled with hope: he will try to be “who he needed” when he was a student.
C01FR 02 I’ll Be Who I Needed
A late-night reflection. He remembers how admissions once carried him into college as a first-gen student, and vows to carry others in the same way.
C01FR 03 Welcome to the Table
The admissions team bursts onto the scene. The Rival, Mentor, Aid Officer, and Director are introduced with their distinct voices. The protagonist realizes he has stepped into a world far more chaotic and political than he imagined.
C01FR 04 Territory Map Blues
Travel season begins. Hotels, highways, fast food, and endless gymnasiums. He’s weary but pushes forward, joking at the grind while still trying to connect with students.
C01FR 05 The First Gen Who Looked at Me
At a fair, he meets a student who mirrors his own story. The student’s uncertainty reignites his mission. This encounter becomes the emotional anchor of the season.
C01FR 06 Can I Carry Them All?
Doubts set in. With so many students in need, he questions whether he can truly help everyone. Mentor advises patience, while the Director pressures him for quotas. The Rival mocks his idealism.
C01FR 07 Road Show Season
A fast-paced travel montage. Schools, airports, and fairs blur together. He struggles to keep energy, while the Rival thrives on competition. The Mentor encourages steady endurance.
C01FR 08 Admissions Arcade
The Rival takes center stage in a show-stopping villain song, treating recruitment like a carnival game of numbers and wins. The protagonist sees the uglier side of the profession.
C01FR 09 Signed, Accepted
The high point. The first-gen student he connected with signs an enrollment form. He feels victorious and believes he’s truly made a difference.
C01FR 10 When the Ledger Speaks
The collapse. The student’s financial aid falls through. The Aid Officer delivers the harsh truth. The Rival sneers. The Director only cares about quotas. Mentor offers quiet wisdom, but the protagonist feels crushed.
C01FR 11 Empty Chair at Matriculation
Matriculation day arrives. He looks into the crowd and sees an empty seat that should have been filled. He is haunted by the student he couldn’t carry.
C01FR 12 One Light Still Burns
The finale. Alone in the office with his desk lamp burning, he accepts that he can’t save everyone. Yet, he recommits to the mission: even one light is worth carrying. The cycle continues.
This album is written for everyone in admissions, financial aid, and enrollment management who has lived the heartbreak, humor, and humanity of the cycle.
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