I'm trying not to nag my kid about college applications

My daughter is in high school, and the college-application process has filled our home with stress. At a parent workshop for juniors, the facilitator described more applicants chasing fewer spots and warned that former safety schools are more selective. I began absorbing my teen's anxiety as we navigate a process that feels increasingly competitive.

Applying is easier than when I was a teenager: the Common App and test-optional policies let students apply to many schools. A college consultant I heard from said students now apply to 10 to 12 schools on average. With more applicants for limited spots, juniors feel pressure to stand out earlier — my daughter will finish several AP classes by graduation, while I didn't take any until senior year — and she hears stories of peers rejected despite near-perfect GPAs and deep extracurriculars.

I'm much more involved than my parents were. I help research colleges, brainstorm personal essays, and suggest service projects and summer programs.

college applications, common app, test-optional, college consultant, safety schools, selective admissions, ap classes, extracurriculars, personal essays, parent involvement