Hello Future Seniors!

As a senior there are certain words that incite a visceral reaction from your peers. Words like graduation, college application, and future, will instantly create a tension between you and your peers.

I noticed this specifically at the start of the year. As October began to roll in, seniors began to carry the burden of growing up with heavy hands.

During this time, I took note of something. The college process was undeniably difficult, however, that was not the cause of many students’ stress. Instead, the combination of procrastination and confusion led to a lot of the fear around the subject of college. It’s not necessarily the process that’s stressful, but the lack of understanding.

As juniors arrive at the end of their second semester, they may begin to feel the stress of this next step. I think of high school as a plane ride. As a freshman you aboard the plane knowing that in four years you’re going to have to jump off. You spend these four years preparing – meeting passengers and working to build a parachute that will get us to the next step.

Senior year is when you finally have reached the greatest height the “high school plane” can go, and you are staring out into the unknown sky, wondering if all your training has been enough.

Everyone has been there. Your parents have been there, your cool college friends, your celebrity role model. Everyone has faced a moment where they had to decide how they would move forward.

The most important part is that you move. Even if it feels like every choice is the most important, you must make your choices because doing nothing is much more dangerous.

Below is a list of 4 tips that helped me throughout the college application process.

• Do Your Research 

Begin researching as soon as possible. Researching does not have to be a monstrous task. In fact, it can be as simple as putting some music on and researching colleges in your area. You can use websites like Niche and Xello as a database for a multitude of universities and their basic information.

This research is important because it removes the mystery that is causing your anxiety. Graduating high school is a milestone, and all the tasks that you must complete can easily feel overwhelming. Getting ahead of this upcoming stress is as easy as pulling up your laptop and searching up different things you are interested in a college. This could be a certain major, school size, school type, or location. You don’t need to know specifics to begin writing down your choices.

• Meet with Your College Counselor 

This is your first time being a senior! You are not expected to know how everything works. I know that I felt nervous to meet with my counselor because I was worried, I did not have everything put together.

Your college counselor is not there to judge you. In fact, if you arrive with questions and willingness to learn, they will more than likely be proud of you for making that step. Even if you don’t know what questions to ask, you should schedule a meeting to have a better understanding of the process as a whole.

I recommend meeting with your counselor before you begin, and then consistently as you go through the process. Utilize all the resources you have at your disposal, because they are there to help guide you!

• Start Early

As you move into senior year, you’re going to notice everyone’s blood pressure rise. Even my most calm friends were wrapped up in deadlines and societal influence. This stress can be combated by beginning the process early!

After meeting with your counselor, you will most definitely have upcoming tasks to complete. Beginning early gives you such a strategic advantage. Let’s say you have done research and you really like this school in New York. However, after further research you learn that it would be more beneficial for you financially to attend a local school, so you choose to apply to UF instead.

This constant adjustment is inevitable, and begging early gives yourself the chance to make changes without causing disruption to your future.

• Reframe Your Mindset 

Many people will project their own desires onto your future goals. That is a hard truth that you must swallow to go through the college decision journey peacefully.

You will meet students who tell you your college choice is too prestigious or not prestigious enough. You will have friends judging how far or close your dream university is to home. Parents will constantly question you about financial aid (apply to those scholarships!) and teachers will debate the best major that best fits your skills.

At the end of the day, post-high school is all about your personal journey. Do not fall victim to propaganda and choose a school that would best fit how you want to spend the next years of your life. This can be a community college, a trade school, a state university, or an overseas apprenticeship program. It does not need to sound cool or appealing to others, it only needs to make sense to you!

Final Comments 

All in all, you are college-material because you have made it here. You are worthy and capable of making the most of your resources and creating the lifestyle you desire after high school.

Of course, I am still a senior at the final stretch. I myself, have yet to jump off the plane and see what lies within the outreaching blue skies. If I were to be a new senior again, I would have loved to know what I know now.

I hope you implement my tips into your college preparation! Out of all the insights, I implore you to begin as soon as you can. I promise once you start the journey, everything falls into place.