April Barker
Getting all your college applications in on time can be stressful, and so can waiting for those acceptance letters to arrive in the mail.
Parents need to step in and make sure their kids are prepared, whether they get in to their top school or not.
High school senior Katie Pritchard and her parents are happy to have the college application process behind them.
Katie spent a nervous few weeks checking the mailbox for responses from her top schools.
Katie Pritchard, high school senior
"I kind of tried to keep a level head while doing it, and you know, not get too attached to any one school, so that I wouldn't be like devastated or anything if I didn't get in."
Karen Pritchard, Katie's mom
"It's very exciting, and it's also very nerve-wracking because you don't want them to be disappointed."
Educational counselor Adam Goldberg says applying to college has become even more competitive in recent years.
Adam Goldberg, The Goldberg Center for Educational Planning
"Essentially it boils down to the insane growth in application numbers, and that's not just the birth rate that's been cycling through as everyone had projected, it's also the fact that through electronic media it's so easy to apply to a number of different schools."
Katie is happy with her decision to attend Tufts University in the fall, but says getting rejected from other schools was tough to take.
Katie Pritchard, high school senior
"You obviously feel disappointed because you're like, 'Why am I not good enough for these people?'"
School counselors say that's when parents need to step in and help their teens through the tough time.
Adam Goldberg, The Goldberg Center for Educational Planning
"More than anything they need to remain positive, and help them celebrate the victories that they did achieve and so not to harp on the schools that they didn't get into, but to emphasize the attributes of the schools where they were able to gain admittance."
Karen Pritchard, Katie's mom
"We talked a lot about making sure that the top choices that she had, the group of schools that she had, that there would be numerous schools that she would be really happy to be at."
And if your son or daughter will be applying next year, just remember.
Adam Goldberg, The Goldberg Center for Educational Planning
"There's a college for everyone out there and it just makes a difference in how you target their specific school strategically. And also, it helps to have some advice on differentiating yourself, so you can lift yourself out of that numbers game."
