Amanda Lamb: To the college-bound teens - bloom where you're planted

If you’re the parent of a high school senior, chances are you have this week circled on your calendar.

Even if it’s not technically circled, you have it circled in your mind. This is the week where students around the country will hear back from colleges about whether they have been admitted to the college of their choice.

Sure, a few students who submitted early applications may already have an acceptance or two in their pockets, but for most, this is the week of reckoning. I don’t remember it being this big of a deal when I was growing up. For my daughter, her friends and their parents, it’s practically all anyone can talk about.

The stakes seem so high, but I think it's important to pull back a little and realize that what colleges our kids do or do not get into does not define their futures. Being successful is not directly connected to which college you go to.

In fact, no one will ever ask you where you didn’t get into college. It’s all about what you do with your college experience. College is an opportunity for students to figure out what they are passionate about and to hopefully pursue that passion.

Yet, somehow, we’ve made this decision seem like a life or death moment when, it reality, it’s just one more stepping stone to help them morph from teenagers into young adults with a purpose in life.

Here’s my takeaway: Parents need to help our students put everything into perspective. This week you will find out where you will likely spend the next four years, and where you will not spend the next four years.

It is not an end game, but a beginning of new opportunities, new friendships, new experiences. What’s important is that you embrace this moment and take every advantage of the place where you land. We can’t wait to watch you soar …