DEAR HARRIETTE: I am worried about the recent college application scandal. While my family is not rich, we definitely want to take advantage of every opportunity before us as our kids prepare to go to college, including talking to our friends who are in high positions at universities, asking them to look out for our twins. My husband and I have never done anything illegal, but I fear that since this scandal, even asking about information on schools our kids like could be viewed as inappropriate. What can we do now? -- Navigating the College Process

DEAR NAVIGATING THE COLLEGE PROCESS: Even before this scandal hit, exposing how some wealthy families have literally bought their children’s way into college, the process has been challenging. Thousands of students are vying for the opportunity to go to the college of their choice, and competition is high. Now that illegal behavior has been uncovered, a lot more scrutiny will be paid to the admissions process. This is good, and it may help you.

You absolutely can call on people you know to ask for advice and recommendations for your children. Getting written and verbal recommendations remains legitimate and legal. Start at your children’s high school. The guidance counselor should be your first resource. Learn what he or she knows about your children as students and what schools could be a good fit for them. You can enroll your child into interview prep courses. You may consider hiring a private educational consultant who knows the college process and can help you find the right fit for your children, especially if the guidance counselor is not helpful enough.

For a wealth of information and resources, read this article: nytimes.com/2019/03/18/well/family/college-bribery-scandal-admissions-advice.html.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a freelancer, and work had been terribly slow. It has gotten busy lately, and now I am juggling, trying to manage my schedule. I feel like I have to accept every job that comes my way because I have often gone months between gigs. I am a little overwhelmed with the workflow, and I’m getting exhausted. How can I manage my relationships with my clients better when I feel like I have a short fuse because I’m overstretched? -- Customer Relations

DEAR CUSTOMER RELATIONS: Get organized. Keep track of each of your jobs using a calendar or software that helps to manage your projects. The goal is to write down everything, including tentative deadlines, so that you have a clear picture in front of you of your responsibilities. You don’t want to double-book yourself inadvertently. Check off each job when it is complete -- and be sure that you turn in your billing at once.

Be kind and attentive to your clients. Do not ever make excuses about not completing a job because you were doing another. It is your duty to compartmentalize. Each client wants to feel like the most important on your list. Be gracious and follow up with thank-you notes that show your appreciation.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: I hosted a last-minute gathering of friends and family, and it was so much fun. I posted a bunch of photos on social media, as I normally post photos of what’s going on in my world. It didn’t occur to me at the time -- because I had kind of spontaneously planned my party -- that I didn’t invite every one of my friends. I definitely forgot a few people. Now they have seen that I had a party without them. I already wrote to one friend apologizing for not including her and saying how last-minute it was. Should I reach out to the other friends, or just let it be? -- Outed By Social Media

DEAR OUTED BY SOCIAL MEDIA: I would contact people only if you feel that they will be upset that they were excluded. For the most part, people understand that events happen all the time, and they are not invited to every one of them. This is true even for people you are close to. Drawing attention to a past event may exacerbate the reality that they didn’t make the list this time.

As you see, the challenge of social media is that it puts your private life in a public space, which can be uncomfortable. You may want to rethink what all you post in the future with this situation as a barometer. But do know that it is perfectly fine for you to host events and not invite every single person you care about. You can be selective, and it will be fine. If the omission of a particular person comes up, you can simply say that you are sorry that they weren’t there for that particular occasion, and you hope they will be present in the future.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My daughter is growing, and she just put all of her too-tight shoes in a bag to give away. Some of them have hardly been worn. I know she didn’t mean to ignore them, but she doesn’t wear dress shoes often and she has been in a growth spurt for almost the whole year. I don’t want to dump the shoes, but my friends can be snobby about accepting used shoes for their kids. What can I do with them other than taking them to Goodwill? -- Old Shoes

DEAR OLD SHOES: There are plenty of people who will appreciate the slightly worn shoes that you have. If you simply want to give them away, consider taking them to a local house of worship. Many churches give away clothing and shoes to those in need. Goodwill and the Salvation Army do accept items and will give you a tax deduction voucher for them, which helps at tax time.

You can also sell them online. Consider eBay or Poshmark, among many other online resellers. It takes effort on your part to set yourself up as a vendor, but it could be worth it, especially as your daughter continues to grow.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: A guy I grew up with just had a massive heart attack. He lived to talk about it, but it is scary. We are all in our late 50s, and while we have some aches and pains, I think most of us consider ourselves pretty healthy. I know I don’t necessarily take the precautions that I have been given over the years too seriously, and this was a big wakeup call. My friend almost died. Apparently, the only reason he lived is that he could tell something awful was happening and he asked his wife to call an ambulance immediately. He ended up having surgery to correct blockages in his arteries. What can my friends and I do to avoid this kind of crisis? -- Afraid to Die

DEAR AFRAID TO DIE: The sad truth is that many of us think we will live forever and often don’t take into account how the choices of what we ingest and how we move our bodies will affect our health and longevity. By the time you reach your 50s, your patterns are pretty well-ingrained. But doctors do say that it’s never too late to make smarter choices.

What everyone should do is get a complete physical to check the status of your body and its functioning. If you have established a baseline with your doctor, you should compare where you are now and where you have been so that your doctor can help you determine what you need to do to make healthier choices. You absolutely have to be honest with your doctor. Admit what you eat and drink and how much you exercise. If you use illegal drugs, say so. If you abuse prescription drugs, tell your doctor. Without a clear and complete picture of your behavior, your doctor will not be able to give you an effective road map toward optimal health. For more ideas, go to: cle.clinic/2TKtshh.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a die-hard coffee drinker. When I was young, I drank like five or six cups a day. I had to cut back a few years ago because I noticed that my heart raced if I drank too much coffee. Now I feel like my tolerance is even lower. I love to drink it, but it doesn’t love me back. My doctor told me to cut back because he says it’s not good for my blood pressure. I can’t seem to stop, though. I feel like an idiot for being so attached to coffee, but I really enjoy it. Do you have any ideas on how to let go? -- Ending the Coffee Affair

DEAR ENDING THE COFFEE AFFAIR: According to the American Heart Association, many studies have been conducted to determine if coffee causes disease in the body. So far, the findings have been inclusive.

Neither the AHA or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend drinking high amounts of coffee, though, because it can have negative side effects. Among the side effects are rapid heart rate, high blood pressure and anxiety. Like most things, enjoying coffee in moderation is ideal. You can also go to decaffeinated coffee if your system is now too sensitive for caffeine. For more details on the side effects of too much coffee, go to: healthline.com/nutrition/caffeine-side-effects.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)