Astory in today's[Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/education/26fifth.html?r=1&ref=todayspaper)_ heralded the season of middle school admissions mania, since - according to the newly standardized timeline - the application deadline has been moved up this year to Jan. 9. Parents in the thick of decision-making can search through the thousands of school profiles on Insideschools andfind articles andblog posts outlining the process. If you want to talk to other parents also wading through applications, head to ourdiscussion forums. To hear about one family's experience with the process last year, read all of Liz Willen's columns called Middle School Muddle. Good luck - there are a lot of excellent middle schools out there!