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Parents’ Survival Guide
How to Survive the Application Process
Helping your child go through the college application can be stressful and anxiety-provoking, but it also comes with great opportunities to communicate and learn. It helps to acknowledge the anxiety, understand that it comes from the right place, and then work to move past it.
Remember that while college is a big decision, it is not the most important decision that your child will make in their life. You and your child may have different expectations about college. Ask your child why they want to go to college and really listen to the answer. When it comes to finding the right college, it’s not about the name, it’s about the match. There’s not one perfect college, and a more selective college doesn't necessarily mean it's a better college.
Be open to looking at lots of different colleges. Communication is critical. Be supportive and listen. Assist with organizing paperwork and college visits.
The best way to help your child handle the stress is by handling it yourself. How you deal with this process will be an important model for them.
Reading Recommendations
- Almost Grown: Launching Your Child from High School to College, Patricia Pasick
- I’m Going to College—Not You! Surviving the College Search with Your Child, Jennifer Delahunty
- Less Stress, More Success: A New Approach to Guiding Your Teen Through College Admissions and Beyond, Marilee Jones and Kenneth R. Ginsburg
- Letting Go: A Parents’ Guide to Understanding the College Years, Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger
- Parents’ Guide to College Life, Robin Raskin
- The Launching Years: Strategies for Parenting from Senior Year to College Life, Laura Kastner and Jennifer Wyatt
- The Pressured Child, Michael Thompson
- How to Raise an Adult, Julie Lythcott-Haims
Forms & Deadlines
Deferred applicants are reconsidered with regular decision applications in the spring. Decision mailings are sent mid-December.
| Early Decision Agreement | November 15 | |
| Common Application or Coalition Application |
November 15 | |
| Secondary School Report | November 15 | |
| Counselor Recommendation | November 15 | |
| Two Teacher Evaluations | November 15 | |
| Standardized Test Scores (optional) | November 15 | |
| First-quarter or First-trimester Senior Grades | As soon as grades become available | |
| Financial Aid Materials | See Tuition & Financial Aid for deadlines | |
| Midyear School Report | As soon as grades become available |
Where to Send Forms
You can send your documents to us by email, through the mail or via fax. Please make copies of all documents submitted.
Office of Admission
Smith College
7 College Lane
Northampton, MA 01063
Fax: 413-585-2527
Deferred applicants are reconsidered with regular decision applications in the spring. Decision mailings are sent in late January.
| Early Decision Agreement | January 1 | |
| Common Application or Coalition Application |
January 1 | |
| Secondary School Report | January 1 | |
| Counselor Recommendation | January 1 | |
| Two Teacher Evaluations | January 1 | |
| First-quarter or First-trimester Senior Grades | As soon as grades become available | |
| Midyear School Report (if available) | January 1 | |
| Standardized Test Scores (optional) | January 1 | |
| Financial Aid Materials | See Tuition & Financial Aid for deadlines |
Where to Send Forms
You can send your documents to us by email, through the mail or via fax. Please make copies of all documents submitted.
Office of Admission
Smith College
7 College Lane
Northampton, MA 01063
Fax: 413-585-2527
Decision mailings are sent in late March.
| Common Application or Coalition Application |
January 15 | |
| Secondary School Report | January 15 | |
| Counselor Recommendation | January 15 | |
| Two Teacher Evaluations | January 15 | |
| Standardized Test Scores (optional) | January 15 | |
| Midyear School Report | February 15* | |
| Financial Aid Materials | See Tuition & Financial Aid for deadlines |
*If you are unable to provide the Midyear School Report by February 15, please send it to us as soon as possible.
Where to Send Forms
You can send your documents to us by email, through the mail or via fax. Please make copies of all documents submitted.
Office of Admission
Smith College
7 College Lane
Northampton, MA 01063
Fax: 413-585-2527
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