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Are you worried that you, a friend, or a family member may not get into a good college?

That's not a surprise when you think of the scare tactics educators (and parents) sometimes use to motivate students, or all the newspaper and magazine articles about the rapidly growing number of applications some colleges are now receiving.

True, more students are applying for college than ever, but that is not the whole story. Far more important is the fact that only a very small number of colleges are highly selective.

Stanford, NYU, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and schools like them are denying more students than ever before.

In fact, despite the impressive credentials of their applicants, our most selective colleges are admitting a very small percentage of their applicant pools.

Such institutions frequently deny admission to top students, including high school valedictorians.

Students with perfect SAT scores are also frequently denied admission by the Ivies and similarly selective universities. And being being involved in lots of activities, despite what you may hear seldom carries much weight.

Most students, however, wind up applying to far less selective institutions. And, most of those institutions are more than happy to enroll students with a combination of good grades in a college prep curriculum and reasonably good standardized test scores.

Most students, surveys tell us, think colleges are more selective than they actually are. In truth, the average college admits about seven out of ten applicants. So, even if you are not building rockets and toying with Einstein's theories in your spare time, there are many fine colleges which will be happy to have you.

If you are a little nervous about getting into college, use that nervousness to motivate you to do your best in school and conduct your college search thoroughly and diligently. But, don't worry needlessly. And, don't be afraid to apply to a few colleges that might say no to you. Just be sure you apply to two or three at which your profile (grades and test scores) puts you above the average admitted student. Choose your safety schools well and your worries are over.