With the holidays behind us and the reality of winter all around us, many of us have plans to hibernate for the next several months.  We’ve got some good books, a stack of firewood, and anything else we need to enjoy the downtime that January and February bring. But, for some parents and their kids, this is anything but a relaxing time. It is in fact an incredibly stressful time if they have a son or daughter applying to a private high school or college. By now, most kids have filled out and submitted their applications. So, the time-consuming part is primarily done.  But now, as many of us remember from our own experience, comes the stressful part—waiting to hear something from the schools.