We’ve all asked that question throughout the course of our lives. But for a senior in April, it’s a daily stress point. Because it’s the month that college acceptance letters arrive. It’s the month that all their hard work (and yours) finally pays off. When they rush home from school and open that envelope and see this word, “Congratulations…” (they rarely read past that word) it’s one of those life moments that brings all their high school struggles into perspective.

The New York Times has devoted a series, “The Envelope Please”, to stories of seniors who received that envelope. There are numerous accounts of acceptances and even rejections; because rejection is a part of the process many times and something we all have to learn to deal with. If you’re a parent of a soon-to-be senior, you should read the articles. It might help you with that all-important time down the road.

I remember very clearly that month in my daughter’s life. She had a list of 7 schools that she had applied for admittance. Her #1 choice was Boston University. She had worked so hard with admission interviews, phone calls, and making sure her application was complete. When the letter arrived she was afraid to open the envelope. But when she did, she jumped up and down, screaming with joy and excitement.

As it turned out, she was accepted to all 7 of the schools that she applied to.  The four years of hard work paid off and the wait was over. Now the decision followed: which school would she be attending? This decision was a difficult one. And one that many parents and teens struggle with. Why? Because for most families, college choice is weighted by the amount of the college’s financial aid package. As it was for our family.

Tomorrow I’ll be talking about that decision and the lessons we learned along the way. If you’re a parent of a college-bound teen, you won’t want to miss that post.

Do you have a teen that just received their acceptance letter this year? What was your experience like? Was it a positive one?