I helped my daughter through the chaotic college application process. But there's one aspect no one talks about: the waiting.

• My daughter's senior year was stressful because of college applications. • But we struggled during the long periods of waiting that no one seems to talk about. • We turned to others to help support us through those strange times; Facebook groups helped me.

I spent my daughter's senior year in what felt like survival mode. It was a year of constant decisions and deadlines, culminating in four years of planning.

There were dozens of essays for college and scholarship applications, SATs, an artistic portfolio, supplemental applications, and departmental interviews. We had to complete all of this while managing an extremely rigorous senior year with AP classes, dual enrollment courses, and a calendar full of extracurriculars.

But despite all the chaos, we struggled with the waiting pe