High Performance Academics Blog

You did it. The applications are in. The essays are submitted, the recommendations are uploaded, the transcripts are sent, and the submit button has been clicked for the last time. After months of work, late nights, countless drafts, and more stress than anyone anticipated, it is done. And then — nothing. Just the wait. For many families, the period between submitting applications and hearing back from colleges is one of the most psychologically challenging parts of the entire process. The work is over but the anxiety is not, and there is nothing left to do except wait for other people to make a decision about your child's future. That is genuinely hard. And nobody talks about it enough. After nearly three decades working with students and families I want to give you something useful for this stretch — not platitudes, but real, practical guidance for how to navigate the wait with your sanity and your family relationships intact. First — Acknowledge That the Wait Is Hard Before we g...

 Every fall, families across the country face the same high-stakes question: should my student apply Early Decision? The answer you will hear from a lot of people is some version of yes — Early Decision improves your chances, so if you have a clear first choice, go for it. And there is truth in that. But there is also a great deal that gets left out of that conversation, and after nearly three decades working with students and families I want to make sure you have the full picture before your student commits to something that is, by design, binding. Because that is the part worth sitting with. Early Decision is not just an application strategy. It is a contract. What Early Decision Actually Is Early Decision, or ED, is a binding early application program. When your student applies ED to a school, they are agreeing that if they are admitted they will attend — and they will withdraw all other applications. There is no comparing financial aid packages. There is no waiting to see what ...