The Waiting Game and Ways to Stay Engaged.

Have you ever been stuck on the freeway and decided that sitting still in traffic makes no sense, so you get off at the nearest ramp and take side streets to get to your location? While it ultimately may take you the same amount of time to arrive at your destination, moving forward even with stoplights and detours may feel like your trip is more within your control than creeping along at three mph. I often tell students that the application season, which includes the notification season, can feel like that. When in the middle of writing essays and completing applications, students can see tangible progress that will lead them to their ultimate destination – college. There is a lot of talk about, “Can’t wait to be done with all of those essays and have all the college stuff behind me.” What happens once the essays and applications are submitted, however, is just like being on the freeway: students and families find themselves stuck in the middle of the college admissions journey, waiting to hear where their ultimate destination may be.

Just like being stuck on the freeway, even with good music or a sports game to listen to, feeling stuck and waiting for college decisions is just hard, but you can prepare now to hear the news. For some students, re-engaging in life with college applications and essays behind them may come easier with school sports, extracurricular activities, or senior events kicking in. However, as we dance back and forth with COVID protocols, students and families may need to get creative and make a concerted effort to manage the waiting game, whether for a few weeks or a few months. In her article, Dr. Lisa D’Amour wrote about the different types of distraction and engagement that can help frame what works and why. With that in mind, here are a few suggestions to get comfortable with the road you’re on while making the trip meaningful.

Tips for What's Next

• Take a deep breath.

• Embrace your high school experience and head into finals and second-semester feeling prepared.

• Do the things that make you happy.

• Reclaim senior year and the path to graduation.

• Inoculate yourself from catching "senioritis." Grades matter, and the schools that have offered you an acceptance expect you to maintain your academic standing.

• Check your emails, set up your college portals.

Focused Distractions

• Homecooking

• Support Your Favorite Football Team to Find Your Happy

• Make a Playlist with the Best Songs of 2021

• New York Public Library Events

• Take a Hike

• Discover a New Podcast or Two

• Nobel Prize Lessons

• Listen to the Tiny Desk concerts, NPR

• Watch the Kennedy Center Awards

• Prepare for the Oscars and see all of the nominated movies

• 12 Art Museums You Can Visit Virtually

• The Complete Guide on How to Stay Sane: A 13-step Process

• Fold in Holiday Gifting that Helps

Seed Your World

• Start a Garden

• Seed Catalogs

• Rareseeds - Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

• How to Work Out At Home

• Nest Yoga

• The Dailey Method

• Sink into a New Book and Read

• Move - How to Start Running and Become a Runner

Volunteer

• San Francisco Chronicle -SF Homeless Project

• Community Seva

• EastOaklandCollective

• The Eater SF Guide on How to Help

• Volunteer Match Oakland

• Volunteer Match Berkeley

• Milo Foundation

• Berkeley Humane

• East Bay SPCA

Subscribe today for more tips and articles about the college search and application process.

Have more questions or looking for more support? Email me at dane@collegeu.solutions

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