Nail-biting time is right around the corner.

• Position: College Admissions

With senior year approaching, anxiety mounts for thousands of families hoping for acceptance to their top college choices. How can parents best navigate the months ahead, help a child through emotions related to rejection, and provide constructive support--or cope with concerns about their offspring leaving the nest and making tuition payments? How can students quell apprehensions about making new friendships and keeping up with a more demanding workload?

Here are tips from college admissions consultant Arlene Matthews, author of a number of books, including Getting In Without Freaking Out: The College Admissions Guide for Overwhelmed Parents and, most recently, her first novel, a comedic send-up about the drama of the college admissions process, The Mothers of Country Day:

* The kids should be the ones to find out. It is tempting to open letters or even check their e-mail, but you have waited this long, so wait until they get home from school.

* Let them have their feelings--if they are disappointed, it is okay for them to rant, cry, or do what they need to. It will pass and soon they will be excited about another school.

* Do not take rejections personally--this is not a reflection on your parenting skills; for the schools it strictly is business.

* Decipher the money--the financial aid info that comes with acceptances can be very confusing. Call the financial aid...