<p>So tuesday I turned in all my remaining school reports/counselor junk in. And I'm starting to regret places I didn't apply to. And the thing is, I really really love the places I applied to, and I have a good range of schools, but there's this feelling in the back of me, like "what if I've made all the wrong decisions? What if I'm forgetting some place I would love?" Has anyone else experienced this feeling? Like now that it's out of your hands, you don't know if you made the right decision? Am I crazy for thinking this way after an insane amount of time learning about these colleges?</p>
<p>Not at all crazy. Very normal. The error is thinking that there is one right decision. If you love the places you've applied to, you can relax.</p>
<p>Absolutely normal, celebrian. Even we wise parents have/had thoughts like this about our kids' apps. You have a good range of schools you love. There are undoubtedly others out there you might love also, but you can only go to one and you can only apply to some reasonable number. You've done good.</p>
<p>well knowing you celebrian... it's NOT normal :p</p>
<p>nah, i have the same problem :)</p>
<p>This seems to be the weekend for this type of reflection, Celebrian. My D and all her senior friends feel the same way. Just hang in there, it will all be fine next May.</p>
<p>Absolutely, boringly (is that a word?) normal. </p>
<p>It's the same reaction that led my H to drive me crazy this weekend by comparison shopping 872 models of shelf stereo for a Christmas gift for S, none of which were over $200. Sheesh. </p>
<p>It's called "buyers' remorse" and is common among first time home buyers, but is completely normal for any important, big-ticket item, including college. Trust your instincts.</p>
<p>Just don't let it become a habit so that it takes you 3 weeks to comparison shop for a new toothbrush....:D</p>
<p>I agree with Quiltguru, this MUST be the weekend for reflection and fear and this must be perfectly normal. My daughter had a bit of panic thinking that she's not applying to the right schools this weekend and is planning to throw in some extra applications over the next few weeks. Where? Who knows. At this point, I'm not going to be surprised by anything.</p>
<p>Voltaire said it best: "Better is the enemy of the good" </p>
<p>As others have pointed out, this sinking feeling is common after any big decision. Its a natural reaction because you don't know if you made the <em>best</em> decision. But the way to challenge this is to recognize that any human decision carries with it uncertainty. You'll be paralyzed if you have to know with 100% certainty what the outcome of a decision will be and that you've chosen the best one possible.</p>
<p>When the priest got to the line, 'Do you take...?", I wanted five more minutes. </p>
<p>If the process has been both thorough and reasonable for you, then most likely so will the results. The fact that you love the places you're applying to and that you have a good range says it all to me. After all, you can only go to one...what are you going to do when 3/4/5/21 accept you?</p>
<p>I remember last year, my S suddenly wanted to send in additional applications on the night before they were due. He started looking at which schools took the common application. My H, wisely, reminded him (and me) that he had made his choices after careful thought and consideration and it wouldn't make sense to suddenly throw out some more applications in such a random manner. It was time to take a deep breath and have faith that he had done his best.</p>
<p>Good advice someone gave me once: When making a really difficult choice, list pros and cons of the choices. When you make your decision, highlight the reasons why. When you second-guess yourself later on, look at this list and remind yourself that you put a lot of thought and care into your decision, so there is no reason to re-hash it.</p>
<p>There's a difference between a vague "what if I missed something" and "I wish I had applied to x." If it's a general feeling, then let it go. There are hundreds of excellent colleges out there and dozens would be good choices for you. You can't cover every possibility.</p>
<p>If on the other hand there is one (or maybe two) specific colleges that you'd like to tack on to your list and you have a compelling reason for doing so, then go ahead and do it. It's not even December 1. This is not the same as scrambling at midnight on December 31. You still have a month. If you think you're going to regret not applying, then take action now. </p>
<p>With selective admissions being so capricious I don't consider this the same thing as exporting decision making to the future. I just consider it good sense to be a little long on choices. The decision agonizing (hopefully) will come into play when you get your acceptances. I don't see any harm in upping the number of applications to include a few last minutes.</p>
<p>Normal. Think of something else for a day or so, then if you have lingering regrets about one or 2 particular schools, it may be time to dash off another application.</p>