For all those with "end of the world" anxieties, here are just a few things that the college-bound shouldn't worry about:

-You missed the Early Action deadline. "It's not the end of the world..." There are literally hundreds of colleges and universities with regular decision deadlines yet to come, not to mention (though we always do) the legion of schools with rolling admissions.

-Your Common App essay lacks formatting and pagination. "It's not the end of the world..." No worries here. If your inserts look good on Common App, there is something wrong! :-) Colleges are fully aware of the many and varied faults and failures of Common App. Fear not the notorious spinning wheel of death! [Just remember: On Common App, SUBMIT and FINAL are for payment. You must complete the SIGNATURE page in order to actually submit your application, AND thereafter, separately submit any required SUPPLEMENTS.

-You haven't received a decision from your Early Action/Early Decision schools (while your friends already have). "It's not the end of the world..." Be patient. There is often no rhyme or reason to the admission decision process. [If you thought otherwise, you haven't been following The College Whisperer™ blog.] Typically, colleges send out decisions on those early applications between December 15 and January 15 (though many have been sending out those decisions on a rolling basis). Good things do come to those who wait!

-You really have no idea how you're going to pay for college. "It's not the end of the world..." To maximize financial aid (whether need-based or merit), be sure to complete and submit all required financial aid applications. These include the CSS Profile, the FAFSA, and all college-specific forms. Also, be aware of scholarships offered by the colleges, in your community, and from outside sources, many without consideration of need, merit or even an essay. Whatever you do, don't leave scholarship money on the table!

-You've been waitlisted. "It's not the end of the world..." Again, good things come to those who wait. Well, sometimes. Just don't wait too long. Give the college admissions committee ample time to review your application. Submit supplemental material and recent transcripts, as well as an additional letter of recommendation. Let the school know that you are reallllllllly interested -- they're your first choice, in fact (along with the twenty or so other first choices on your list. :-). Waitlists often become that proverbial black hole (akin to Common App's spinning wheel of death). If, come March, you still haven't got a decision in hand from that coveted college, move on! Who wants to go to a school that can't make up its mind, anyway?

-You've been rejected from your first choice college. "It's not the end of the world..." No one likes getting a rejection letter. But if you do, don't take it personally. It's not you, it's them! [And you didn't want to go there in the first place, right?] Hopefully, you've applied to more than one college, and surely, there is a perfect fit out there where you will not only thrive academically, but have the best four years of your life as well. How quickly that second, third, or even fourth choice college becomes the school you absolutely love!

Surely, you could add, virtually ad nauseum, to our brief list of "end of the world" scenarios. Please feel free to do so, realizing that, short of life and death, in most cases, "It's not the end of the world..."

So, if this is not how life as we know it here on planet earth meets its fate, tell us, all-knowing College Whisperer™, just how does the world come to an end?

The bad news: Common App gets hold of the Bomb.

The good news: After the folks at Common App press the SUBMIT and FINAL buttons on the detonator, the SIGNATURE page is loathe to appear. The wheel keeps spinning. The supplemental fuse fails to ignite. Life, pretty much as we know it, goes on. Phew!

Take heart, you brave and fearless college applicants (and you too, parents thereof). Whatever happens going forward in the great (if not confounding) college admissions game, "It's not the end of the world..." In fact, for you rising college freshman, it's just the beginning! 
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Plan. Prepare. Prevail!  

When college applications (and the Common App) or financial aid forms get to you, you need to get to us! Whether you're planning for college, applying to college, paying for college, or just thinking about college, COLLEGE CONNECTION can help! 

Contact us at COLLEGE CONNECTION, home of The College Whisperer™ and Official Sponsor of College Admission Success™, for all of your college planning and counseling needs. Nobody knows college admissions like COLLEGE CONNECTION. Nobody! 516-345-8766 

For up-to-the-minute news, apps, info and insights on college applications, admissions, scholarships and just about everything college, follow The College Whisperer™ on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/GetCollege