So let’s say you get an acceptance letter from Super University. You LOVED this school when you toured the campus, the college has a single digit admit rate, you put forth the strongest application you could and sent it into the ether with your fingers crossed. And…THEY ACCEPTED YOU! 

DO

1. Celebrate with your family-go ahead and scream and yell and hug and scream and yell some more. 
2. Share the news with anyone in your immediate circle that IS NOT a current college applicant or the parent of a college applicant. Call your aunt on the other side of the country, reach out to the family that you babysit, let your neighbor know. 
3. Let anyone that helped you with the college process know the great news. You should tell your guidance counselor, the teachers that wrote you letters of recommendation and any alumni that lent support. 
4. When you are out in the world in a public space, conduct yourself with humility and grace. Do not boast or brag about your acceptance.  (Save the happy dance for when you are in the privacy of your home).

DON’T

1. I suggest that you do not post the news on social media. If you were admitted to a college with a single digit admit rate, there are nine or more other students that are receiving a letter of denial for the one letter of acceptance that you received. There will be time to share the news online, but take a beat and wait to post this exciting news after the dust has settled. 
2. I recommend that you take great care in how you approach your peers that are in the middle of the application cycle. Do not call them screaming and yelling that you got in. (Follow the directions in #2 above) If you have a close friend that got disappointing news, they will need time and space to process the sting of a denial. 

And stay tuned for Part 3 tomorrow…