How to manage college acceptance decisions

It's mid March, and for most college applicants, that means decisions are just around the corner. Students who applied Regular Decision should starting hearing from schools in the coming days and weeks. For high school seniors, and their families, this can be a time of extreme uncertainty.

There isn't a clear route to managing any stress or anxiety you may feel during this waiting game. There's no magic bullet to make it any easier. But here are some things applicants can consider:

• Check your email and application portals regularly. Parents will remember getting college decisions in the mail. Today everything comes via each college's portal. An email will usually alert a candidate that there is new information in the portal.

• When will this happen? Some schools will tell you what day and time they're releasing results. You can also check a school's social media account to see if there is a specific date mentioned there.

• What are the possible answers? I've written about this before. You could get accepted, rejected or waitlisted.

• If you've been waitlisted, and still want to be considered, you will need to indicate that you want to stay on the waitlist. Write a letter of continued interest to the school. I wrote about that here.

• Think through where you want to be when you open a college decision. At home? Alone, or with family members?

• Talk to your family about how you might react, both to good news, and disappointing news. It can help to envision all sorts of possibilities.

• Finally, be considerate of your friends and classmates. Not everyone will get the news they want. Maybe think twice before posting something on social media or wearing a school sweatshirt to class.