I've submitted my college applications, now what??

College application season is upon us! For so many high school students submitting their college application is the first of many milestones on their way to making their dreams of attending college a reality. The college application process can be daunting and charged with emotions. This is a great time for students and their support networks to press pause and celebrate how far they have already come! Celebration is key, as the road ahead can be bumpy and uncertain.

This can be an emotional time, filled with anticipation, uncertainty, hope, fear, excitement and anxiety. One of the best ways to live with the emotions associated with this time period is to take a deep dive into the actions, or non-actions that feed these emotions. This is a time for honest discussions! Questions posed by family and support members may be along the lines of: "What happens if you get into your top school and your best friend that applied with you doesn't?" "What happens if you get wait listed at your top school?" "What if you get into your top school but the financial-aid package isn't realistic for us as a family?" "What happens if you change your mind about where you want to go?" Students can ask themselves (or better yet, talk it out with their team) "What happens if I have a difficult time making friend?" "What happens if I struggle to adapt to living on my own?" "I had academic accommodations in high school can I get them in college?" "How will I approach my professors if I need help?" "How do I do laundry?" Some of you might laugh at these questions, but throughout my career these are the types of questions that we have witnessed students and their families struggling with throughout the admission process all the way into their first year of college. Having some of these discussions now can greatly reduce the emotional impact of these events should they arise down the road. In essence, talk now, worry less tomorrow.