All at once, the 17-year-old is the most popular person in the house.
Mail comes daily — stacks of oversized envelopes and glossy brochures from every part of the country.
There's so much to decide: In-state or out-of-state? Private or public? What will I major in? Where will I live?
And how are we going to afford this?
Expectations and fears combine for high school seniors and their families in the weeks of February and March, when most college, grant and scholarship applications are due.
Here's how four Utah students and their families are a lot alike, in other ways quite different — and managing:
Dan Lemke
He has a file box full of admission forms. Not that he's actually going to apply to all these places, but even Dan's short list is surprisingly long.
"Well, my first choice would be the University of Texas at Dallas. It's smaller, new," says the serious-looking Judge Memorial senior who's planning on majoring in computer science.
"But the University of Chicago, that's a nice old school with good science programs."
And there are four Nobel Prize-winning scientists on faculty, notes dad, Howie, an attorney.
Dan continues:
"Then there are a couple of private schools, Seattle University and Gonzaga. Colorado State and Utah State. And the University of Utah; I've already been accepted there."
Dan's mother Nancy, a nurse, says there was always an expectation that the kids would go to college.
Not that it was an explicit rule. "It was something they just looked forward to," she says.
Whenever the Lemkes took family vacations, they visited area campuses. Closets are full of T-shirts and sweatshirts bearing university logos.
Now, on the verge of his big decision at last, Dan feels ready.
"But, you know, my early high school performance was . . . " he wrinkles up his nose " . . . eh."
Dad jumps in. "Daniel had some attitude problems as a freshman. But he picked up and moved on for that long-term development," Howie says. "He's an excellent student."
Dan's sister Amy's decent grades in high school got even better when she went to college — a small Catholic liberal arts school in Iowa.
"I want to be that happy and successful," he says.
Dan works at a grocery store after school, but his parents have let him off the hook when it comes to working while in college.
"We've always said, during the freshman year at college: no jobs, no cars," says Howie. "Lots of people work their way through college, and more power to them. But that's not having a college experience. We're fortunate to have the ability to do that."
LaTeisha Moore
Through the stuffiness of a bad head cold, LaTeisha talks about her college ambition.
She's already finished most of her applications. Georgetown, Brown, and Penn top her list.
"I really like the idea of going out of state," LaTeisha says.
But the editor of the West High student newspaper and president of the Honor Society has no illusions about the fact that the responsibility of paying for college falls squarely on her shoulders.
"Well, there'll be no help from Mom. . . . She and my dad divorced at an early age, and she went through an abusive relationship after that. She hadn't finished high school. But she read to me and that kind of thing. And teachers thought I was intelligent, gave me a lot of support. Even though I have no money, it didn't matter."
Most of LaTeisha's help in preparing for college has come from counselors, who believe her chances at success are excellent. She's considering business, marketing and social justice as majors.
"I'd like not to have to work while I'm in school, but realistically, I may have to," she says. She's also considered student loans and hasn't ruled out going to the U. if out-of-state tuition proves to be unmanageable.
"College has always been one of those things I just thought I would do, no matter what. I'd find a way to get there," LaTeisha says. "But this year, I've come face to face with the whole college process. This year has been hard.
"It's funny how I used to just think I'd work hard in school, and no one would be able to take that away from me. But there's more to it."
Laurie Anne Larsen
Laurie — her mom calls her Laurie Anne, she prefers Laurie — has just about made up her mind.
"Westminster College," she says, beaming.
The youngest of eight children, all of whom went to college, Laurie says getting away from home isn't as important as it used to seem.
"My friends are a big part of my life, and I want to be here for the next year or so to see them off on (LDS) missions," she says.
Laurie has a restless enthusiasm that's evident in her senior-year schedule: student government, basketball, soccer, a cappella choir and seminary council.
"Straight A's isn't everything," says the West High senior who, nonetheless, has a 3.5 GPA.
Ambition runs in the family.
"All our kids worked while they were in college, but they all had scholarships, too," says mother Connie Jeanne, a high school counselor.
She and her husband have helped their children through school but asked them all to do their fair share.
Laurie says she'll probably major in secondary education. "But the last couple of years in high school, I've just loved my history classes, so I don't know."
Laurie has also considered Utah State, Weber State, Southern Utah and the U. But no community college.
"I think a lot of my friends just automatically think Salt Lake Community College; they don't really give themselves a fair chance to get into another school," she says.
Jeremy Clegg
Just a couple of quarters away from graduating from Provo High School, Jeremy is already several semesters into college.
"I've done a lot of concurrent enrollment," he says. The distance-learning program at Provo High is one of the best developed in the state.
Jeremy has no doubt about where he's headed next fall: Utah Valley State College.
Oblivious to an attitude of educational snobbery, Jeremy has to be prodded into disclosing his 3.9 GPA, more than good enough to get into nearby Brigham Young University.
"And I would like to go there, after," he says. "But it's the cost.
"My school's concurrent enrollment goes through UVSC," he explains, "so I've already got a lot of credit through them."
But BYU doesn't accept his concurrent credit.
"Although if I go to UVSC and finish my associate's degree, which I'm only a year away from, they'll take that," he says.
Jeremy isn't sure about his major, perhaps computer networking.