“Will my kid get in?” is a concern often rattling around Senior parents’ minds at this time of year, causing a fair share of insomnia. Worries spike each time these same parents listen to other parents excitedly share good news about their kid’s acceptance, while polite smiling to hide the anxious wonderings about why their Senior has not yet received any response from the same college. Once the conversation ends, unnerved parents feverishly try to hold insistent thoughts about rejection at bay. The idea that their children will suffer the disappointment of a denial letter can be miserable for parents, who will stand witness from the sidelines, feeling powerless to shield their children from life’s adversities. In addition, the concerns that their children will have harder paths toward future prosperity, having not gotten into the “right” college, can be equally distressing for parents. Many parents often begin questioning if there was some other magic extracurricular activity that would’ve made their kid unique and therefore accepted. All these concerns are typical.
Antidotes can help keep perspective, like “When a one door closes, another one opens.” In addition, remembering that every kid who went to a said “right” college doesn’t graduate from that same college, some kids graduate from off-brand name colleges and are wildly successful, as well as those individuals who don’t graduate from any college yet still prosper – can mitigate fears. Alternately, taking a moment to reflect on the resiliency of their child throughout his/her lifetime can help reassure parents that their kid will grow from whatever responses college admissions officers return. Lastly, parents who trust their own experiences having endured rejection will know that life’s ups and downs build character in the long run, even though not fun in the short run. Parents who first work with their own anxieties can then empathize and support their children, no matter the outcome.
