For many high school seniors (and their parents) the last few months have been torture: all of the questions about where to apply to college, all of the college visits, all of the applications and essays and forms, the wait for the acceptance or rejection letters, and then finally the dilemma about the decision.

But May 1 has come and gone.  Decision Day is over.  Your student has made a decision, paid the deposit, and now a strange new phase begins — for both of you.

For high school seniors, the final few weeks of school may be a blur.  It’s time to make sure they don’t let their guard down and jeopardize the grades on which their acceptance is contingent.  And it’s an emotional time — full of the highs of celebrating the end of high school and lows of leaving their friends as they all move on.

Your student is now an almost-college-student, but he is still a high school student as well.  He’s ready to move on, but maybe not quite ready to leave.  He wants to dream about the college he’ll be attending, but at the same time he needs to keep his feet and head in the high school he is attending now.  It’s a pendulum that swings daily, or even hourly.

As a parent, you too are caught between two worlds.  There’s hardly time to think about anything but the busy final activities of senior year, but the information from the college keeps arriving.  Your head knows that the time to start letting go — or at least hold on differently — is coming, but you’re not quite ready for it to happen just yet.

The rule for this in-between time is — be patient.  Be patient with yourself and your emotions.  Be patient with your student as that pendulum swings.  Enjoy the senior festivities now.  Begin to prepare and plan soon.  Celebrate that, at least, the decision dilemma is over.

We’ve previously shared some ideas about things you should think about and do now that the deposit is paid and you’re entering this next phase.  Take a few minutes to read our post Your Student Is Going to College!  What Do You Do Now?

And congratulations!  You’re officially a college parent.

Related Posts:

Can a College Revoke My Student’s Admission?

Saying “No Thank You” to a College Acceptance

Summer Preparations for Your Student’s Transition to Freshman Year

Summer Homework for College Parents