<p>I was wondering how many parents are feeling like me right now. I am totally stressed not knowing which schools my daughter will be accepted to, which ones will give her money, and which ones we can afford to pay for. I must say that she is probably doing better than me right now. I am worrying about everything, from whether I completed the financial aid documents correctly, to beating myself up for not saving more, to wondering if I have given her bad advice. I am wondering if anyone is going through this and what you are doing to get through the next month. Thanks.</p>
<p>Count me in. I have been stressed out since last August, when S sent in his first application…For better or worse, thank God the end is near…</p>
<p>Well, I’m not stressed because I’m a year removed, but I’m sure if we were to look at my posts from this time last year I sounded totally crazed. I just wanted to assure you that you are not alone! (((hugs)))</p>
<p>I’m stressed out worrying that D2 will go 0 for 5 on the “reach” schools she applied to and then having her distraught about why she worked so hard in high school with no apparent “reward.”</p>
<p>Keep in mind that this too will pass and there are over 4000 Us in the US that provide quality education. Most kids go to one and in a year, you’ll be sitting back & wondering what all the fuss and stress was about as your kiddo is happily attending a great school that is working out just fine for him/her. I firmly believe there is more than one perfect school for each kid and that there are many schools that most of our kids can do great and graduate, going on to great careers!</p>
<p>some great advice I was told years ago…never worry about something you have no control over.</p>
<p>I know, tough to do, but makes all the sense in the world.</p>
<p>Don’t beat yourself up over not having saved more. Who could have predicted eighteen years ago college costs would be where they are today? I agree with geeps20. Everything will work out and in three months from now, we will all be in a different place!</p>
<p>Count me in on the stressed moms. I keep worrying about how she will make her decision come April - why we can’t have the decisions in earlier to give her some more time and on and on. I know this too shall pass…but I guess I am just a worrier :(</p>
<p>My kids are in their twenties- fully launched, paying taxes, having to set the alarm clock to get up in time for work, just like real grownups.</p>
<p>Relax. I wish someone had told me back when my kids were in HS to keep my powder dry for the next few years…</p>
<p>Thank you all for your very positive and sane feedback. I went through this once before, but back then my son was accepted to his number 2 school early action in January of 2008 and he was pretty much set. Well, one more month to go! Thanks again.</p>
<p>I’ll join in. Yep, stressed.</p>
<p>I know it does no good. I know it will all work out. Still stressed. <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>Try to do something every day that is not related to kid getting into college – bake a cake, take a class, go jogging – and if you find yourself thinking about it, take a couple of deep breaths and let it go. You cannot do anything to change the outcome now and you have to accept that.</p>
<p>With my S, I was actually calmer in January & February, because at that point it was out of our hands. The anxiety ramped up in March as we waited for the results to come in. Every day’s trip to the mailbox was a heart-pounding adventure! I remember being slightly deflated in April when I’d get excited that the mail was here and then realize there were no more colleges to hear from :o</p>
<p>With D, the anxiety was in the days and hours leading up to midnight on 12/1 when her ED application results were posted online. She was accepted 
and that was it. </p>
<p>Novelisto has great advice - it’s out of your hands now. Take a deep breath and enjoy the time you have with your child - 6 months from now you’ll be dropping them off somewhere and wishing you could turn the clock back and have more time with them!</p>
<p>Totally stressed here! My daughter has taken fouling the nest very seriously. She and I are like oil and water these days. We went shopping for a prom dress today and it was not the pleasant day it could have been. While I know this is normal, it still really stinks. I know part of it is my fault, she is so busy and I hardly see her, so when I do I have a laundry list of things to ask or remind her about. She feels like all I do is nag her about stuff, but she just doesn’t have the same sense of urgency as I do. She has known where she will be going since early Nov., which is good and bad. I think it has made her more anxious to be done with senior year. And all the year end stuff starting(already, ugh) seems to be making things worse. Oh well, this too shall pass. Next year we will be commiserating with the 2012/2016 parents!</p>
<p>I see myself in every one of these posts! I am always on edge wondering when an announcement will arrive. My poor son sees right through my daily question… “Anything new?” I know I should keep busy with other things but it truly is constantly in the back of my mind. It will be a relief when April arrives… yet I know I will feel a bit of a letdown as a previous poster stated. Of course, graduation and preparing for DS moving to a new college will occupy my stressful state! It’s always something.</p>
<p>Yup-- exactly . . . this whole experience feels ridiculous and surreal . . . what WERE we thinking-- lol!??</p>
<p>This, too, shall pass, and then there’s April …</p>
<p>Just remember, for some students, the parents will really have to be “on their game” if the student has the “luxury” of several schools to choose from. It’s an art form to provide helpful hints for decision making without grabbing the rudder into your own hands. </p>
<p>In all likelihood, this will be the biggest decision your student has had to make in their short life thus far. And it will be made. Just be careful not to make the family’s life a headache while the budding college student to be is waxing and waning on the decision making.</p>
<p>Yes, and I am sure my son is tired of me asking him, “did you ask your teachers for their rec letters for the scholarship app?”, “have you sent thank you’s to?..”, “don’t forget to sign up for NHS hours”. I feel as though I haven’t yet come down off the application frenzy --some part of me must miss that horrendous stress during the apps. It’s like I’m filling the void with unecessary nagging, lol! </p>
<p>I have upped my workouts. That always helps me calm myself a bit. I just ran in sleet even. Wow, if I keep this up, I will work off the 4 boxes of girls scout cookies by decision notifications in April!</p>
<p>Yep, pretty much all the same stress here as for NJM (and many others apparently): Why didn’t I prepare better, where will daughter get accepted, how much merit aid, what can we afford? Lots of second-guessing already and I see more in my future!</p>
<p>I will try to take all the good advice about not stressing, but it’s not going to be easy!</p>
<p><em>raises hand</em></p>
<p>I’m a basket case. And I keep wondering if we totally wasted our time even bothering to look past anything but the cheapest state school because my GOD they are so expensive and I guess not being a merit scholar and having a 4.0 means you have to be happy about a measly 8000 dollar a year merit scholarship from the school when it costs 40 a year to attend. Yeah, not gonna happen, and no, we aren’t signing up for loans to cover it all. But my daughter’s particular major (theater) means that one school is definitely not as good as another - and not necessarily for the same reasons as anyone else might think - and I’m wondering if I did her a disservice by even looking at private schools. One of which she really, really loves. It’s not famous or anything but it just FELT right to her…but I don’t know if it can happen. Won’t know till we hear on the money…I hate waiting.</p>
<p>Of course with theater you have to apply for so many schools just to even get in, and you have to look at private schools because there just aren’t enough public schools where we are that have good programs - so you have to just hope a miracle will happen with the aid.</p>
<p>I’m really kind of depressed about it today actually. 
Stressed out, yeah I am, and I don’t see myself wondering why I felt so bad today in six months from now…I see myself still wondering if I did the right thing by her or not. I hate, hate, hate, the way that college costs are spiraling and how they just expect you to sign up for stupid amounts of loans just because everyone else did.</p>