So the news is starting to dribble in....you've probably heard from a few schools by now, but not all. And for some reason, it is always your first choice that seems to be last! What do you do while you're waiting to hear?

1. Distract yourself. Take your mind off THE FUTURE by throwing yourself wholeheartedly into the present. Do whatever engages you and takes your mind to a different place. Play, play, play. Listen to music, draw, play games, read trash fiction, throw a theme party. You get the idea.
2. Get physical. You can get out of your head if you get into your body. Walk, run, skate, ski, swim, dance, row; it doesn't matter - just do something that shifts you out of your mind and into your body.
3. Establish a ritual for "checking" the news and follow it. Check only once a day at the same time. Obsessive checking is obsessive. Obsessive is not good.
4. Tell everyone who cares about the news what the protocol is going to be once you know. How will you inform your parents, your extended family, your friends what the news is? I often suggest that you tell everyone that, aside from your parents and sibs, you aren't going to share any news until you've heard from all the schools and have an idea which schools are still in the running. You aren't obligated to give everyone the blow by blow - take control of the situation. It is YOUR LIFE after all.
5. Decide BEFORE YOU KNOW what you are going to do if the news is good? If the news is bad? If the news is more waiting? Then share that with your tribe too. As I suggested last week, they are waiting for guidance from you. If you don't guide them, then they will just do what they think is right. It might be perfect or it might be horrendous, but don't blame them if you haven't told them what you want.

One important thing to remember: where you go to college is important, no doubt about it, but it IS NOT DETERMINATIVE. Don't assume you're golden now that you're into Yale; don't assume you're doomed that Williams turned you down. Life goes on and you have lots of it left to lead, so temper your excitement or your disappointment with that reality.

Comments or Questions?

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Alison Cooper Chisolm writes the series 52 Weeks to College. She has worked in admissions at Southern Methodist University, the University of Chicago, and most recently Dartmouth College. She is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Virginia Law School. As part of the Ivey Consulting team, Alison works with college applicants and their families as they navigate the college admissions process. Read more about Alison here.