<p>Dear Parents,
I am going to admit it; I am very anxious to the point of being sick. Is this normal or common? Four weeks of essentially dead period until acceptances for Regular decisions.
My son has been accepted at other schools. Am I taking this thing too seriously?</p>
<p>You are not alone! Yes, anxious about acceptances, but also about then having a few short weeks to visit, decide, and negotiate financial aid decisions.</p>
<p>This too shall pass. I found that what worked for me was finding something else to do this last month. And you can talk here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/658245-parents-high-school-class-2012-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/658245-parents-high-school-class-2012-a.html</a> with your fellow worriers.</p>
<p>I am worried sick myself. My kid’s list consists mainly of very reachy type schools. Not getting admitted anywhere is a real possibility. I am practicing to deal with the disappointments if it turns out that way.</p>
<p>Heck, I’m worried about my kid’s acceptance to grad school, and she’s only a college sophomore. (Only slightly joking…)</p>
<p>lol strad mom… yep at this point we can look back and say… pfft what were we worried about??? but now can feel that grad school possibility anxiety beginning to creep in…</p>
<p>good luck to all of you waiting!!!</p>
<p>Put me on the list of worriers - my S also applied to top schools, so it’s a crapshoot. I flip flop from being really, really worried that he’ll get in nowhere to being o.k. with him going to his safety or just knowing that whatever happens, he’ll be fine, and we’ll work it out (my more zen moments). He’s not worried at all, but I worry enough for the both of us!</p>
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<p>If you really are anxious to the point of “being sick”, in spite of the fact that your son already has several acceptances in hand, then I believe you are in fact taking this too seriously. If your son is bright and accomplished, which I believe he likely is, he will do just fine even if he doesn’t receive any more good news (which probably won’t be the case in any event).</p>
<p>Anxious-sure. Sick-no. Try to focus on the positives. Your son will sense your anxiety if you don’t reign it in, and that won’t be good for him.</p>
<p>Look at it this way, what is the worst thing that can happen if they don’t get accepted anywhere, they take a year off and apply next year? Having gone through this twice, it’s NOT worth making yourself sick over. Life WILL move on. I can understand being a little anxious and disappointed if they don’t get into their dream school but not making yourself sick over this.</p>
<p>Good advice SteveMa. I was feeling very anxious too until about 2 weeks ago. D has already been accepted to a couple of safeties and one target, which was one of her top choices. The RD’s we are waiting for are mostly low reaches and a couple of targets. D started to focus on the low reaches suddenly about 2 months ago and really really wants to go to one of them. So I have to keep telling myself she did already get into somewhere great and in the end she will end up in the right place.</p>
<p>Two down, one to go in a few years. </p>
<p>I worried with the first two until the moment they got their first acceptance. After that it was all good because I knew they were going SOMEWHERE, and that they had successfully filled out the paperwork for the applications. Up until that first “yes” I worried that they might have messed up the whole process somehow.</p>
<p>Someone had told me how important it was for your child to apply EA and early for rolling admissions if possible. It wasn’t until that first acceptance came in late November for S1 that I really understood the value of that. S2 didn’t get his first “yes” until late December, after most of his friends had at least one acceptance, and he was a hot mess by the time that first “yes” arrived.</p>
<p>I think that even though the application season is so stressful parents think that as soon as they are done they can relax. I remember last year being so stressed during March waiting for DS to find out. He seemed much calmer so I was quietly stressing and tried not to telegraph how much it was on my mind. </p>
<p>DS didn’t get stressed until the actual day/day before the big acceptances. He got a denial on 3/31 and said he spent the worst day of his life at school on 4/1 getting through the day waiting until the 5pm emails. So you stress now, but be there and supportive when it’s their turn to freak out! </p>
<p>I planned a celebration/condolences dinner. I didn’t tell him about it, just quietly went about it. I figured either way we’d celebrate since it was finally over and the good stuff was ahead–planning their future. </p>
<p>So hang in there and try not to let you student know what’s going on in your head. Be there for the ups/downs and you will get through it together! </p>
<p>I also recommend you share your stress on the 2012 thread. Everyone is in the same situation and it’s nice to be able to hear others going through the same thing and support each other during the roller coaster ride!</p>
<p>We’ve told the kids that they have to apply to one safety school with rolling admissions, preferably one with free online applications. It’s amazing how less stressed the kids are knowing that they got into at least ONE school.</p>
<p>Both of my kids applied to rolling admission schools early in the fall and had acceptances before the holidays. The older, a college junior and top achiever, felt better and better about her rolling admission/nice scholarship school as the year moved along and she ended up at that school. My son, the HS senior, seems to be doing the same thing. He has had the same number one choice for the entire season, but he seems very willing to attend the school we was accepted to early in the fall. Its only downside is that it is a bit farther away than he thought he wanted.</p>
<p>So, I am doing all right. I wish all the decisions were in, but I can wait.</p>
<p>My hat is off to all of you - we were over and done as of Dec 10 (a year ago, not this past Dec 10) with 2 ED acceptances in the space of 15 minutes; I don’t know how I would have lasted til April!</p>
<p>No anxiety for us now, but I know what you’re talking about. The run-up to ED was quite suspenseful, especially the day or two prior, when kids started posting their rejections on CC, detailing their stellar accomplishments. I didn’t tell DS about my palpitations. His college only accepts one student from his hs each year, and they were actively recruiting an athlete this year who also applied ED1. Cue the fainting!</p>
<p>Miraculously, they admitted DS. Just a surfeit of joy to see this particular dream realized. A wonderful senior year since then.</p>
<p>Fingers crossed for everyone awaiting news!!</p>
<p>I’m going bonkers. I think I’m a bit more anxious than D1. She’s been admitted to six of the ten she applied to and has some excellent safety options, IMO. She’s now waiting for her reaches plus one she thought she applied to EA but checked the RD box instead and I failed to catch it. The stressful part is what the financial impact will be. A couple of the safeties are financial safeties too and will mean a more comfortable existence for us, plus being able to save more for D2015, who wants to play Field Hockey in college.</p>
<p>2girlzmum–I will agree that the financial part is much more stressful. We have been ok in the past with the amount of out of pocket we have had to pay, but rounds 3 and 4 are looking at more expensive schools–but they also have better stats and hooks–so who knows. They will apply to at least one financial/academic safety that we could afford out of pocket after fed loans though, just in case. With the schools they are considering, I have no worries that they won’t get into at least one of them (next year) but will it be one we can afford :).</p>
<p>I was more nervous for the EA apps, my D is more nervous for the RD apps. Since I know she’s accepted at two places we can afford and that offer her the programs she’s looking for, I’m fairly calm about the April 1 outcome, whatever it may be.</p>
<p>Right with you. I watch for the mail like a hawk. S has 4 decisions out, all reachy to varying degrees. He has good accepts but NO financial aid info yet, and that will be critical. So we are watching for the accepts and then FA from all of his schools, including the ones he’s already in to, to see if he can actually attend.</p>