It’s a tough time for seniors right now. Those who have applied to the UC’s, CSU’s, and most private colleges, have already submitted their applications, in and of itself a very daunting exercise. The exhausting process of filling out applications, getting letters of rec, writing personal statement essays, etc. is followed by weeks, sometimes months of waiting to hear back from the universities of choice. You would think the intense level of preparation involved just to apply would at least yield a timely response one way or another, but no. Many seniors are left facing the holidays without any clear direction as to where they might be going to school next year. To make matters worse, they are likely to face a number of extended relatives and rarely seen friends who will unknowingly add to their stress by asking, “Have you heard back from any colleges yet?”