<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I'm a rising senior and I have been staying on top of the college search throughout high school, but now it's hitting me - finalizing my college lists, visiting colleges, and writing so many essays. Can anyone reccomend ways to alleviate my stress during my senior year? Thanks!</p>
<ol>
<li>Prioritize & manage your time wisely</li>
<li>Keep track of all deadlines- for college apps, school work, whatever else there may be</li>
<li>Don’t spend all of your time studying. Have hobbies. Volunteer. Exercise. You can do a lot to keep your mind off the stress. But</li>
<li>Don’t give in to senioritis.</li>
</ol>
<p>Best way to alleviate stress is to get a rolling or EA admission as soon as possible, to a school you would actually want to attend. But once the acceptances are in, don’t slack off! You don’t want to be posting a thread a year from now that says, “Help - admission rescinded!” Keep those grades above C-level :). </p>
<p>Another strategy that works for some is to refrain from telling everyone where you are applying. That way if you are not accepted to some, you won’t have to share that info.</p>
<p>I’m freaking out too, though I have not been as prepared as you!</p>
<p>Here’s one good tip I learned:</p>
<p>I don’t know how many schools are on your list, but do this one day… sit back with a cup of coffee (my guilty pleasure) and research essay topics. Do this for any honors or other special programs that interest you too. For each school & program, write down the topics and give a bit of room to brainstorm. </p>
<p>Didn’t seem that bad right? Okay, now read over the prompts and compare them. I’ve realized that for my schools, they are all very similar. What I learned was to “recycle” my essays. This means that you write one essay for each prompt, and “recycle” them for each school… WAALAH! Personally, mine consisted of significant experiences and their impact on you, ec’s (I did mine of service), and what would make you a good candidate of the school (use same qualities, and add specific ones for each school.)</p>
<p>That’s all for that. I was FREAKING out too but from this I great tip I was able to use one essay for three schools! </p>
<p>As for other tips… well, prioritize tasks, and DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! Manage your time wisely. Also, try to visit a college each week if possible, or if you must plan a road-trip somewhere, take a week and just do it. Trust me, if you really are considering a school go and see it. I’m still applying to one school, but I was really interested in it at first… when I saw the school it didn’t appeal to me at all… so yeah, that’s very important. </p>
<p>Take advantage of the summer. I’m visiting schools, writing my essays, I might even apply (CommonApp and SUNY are up 8/1.) I don’t know about you but for me, I’m going to have to focus on filling out other apps, two APs, college spanish and calc once school rolls around. </p>
<p>Alright fellow I do truly wish you the best of luck!!! Let’s share tips, if you want lol :{D</p>
<p>Pressure is good - stress is bad. </p>
<p>Pressure makes you prioritize and execute- research schools, make a list, write those essays, etc. </p>
<p>Stress can be analysis paralysis - you think too much and fail to execute. </p>
<p>Dedicate a fixed amount of time to college applications until crunch time. During the first “college app” session, make a schedule and prioritize things. During the rest of these sessions, choose a modest goal and execute and make forward progress. </p>
<p>Make sure you also spend time doing things that you enjoy for the present without worrying about the past or the future. Use only the allocated time for college apps, but make sure execute during those pressure filled sessions - no worrying allowed.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot everyone! :)</p>
<p>Try to visit some colleges you’re interested in. Then, start your Common App essay and some supplement essays (at least those that are available now). Apply to some colleges as early as possible–public schools usually have rolling admissions so the application opens pretty early (e.g. U of Minnesota’s application is open now), and some private colleges like UChicago and MIT have non-restrictive early action (not early decision like Duke, and not single-choice early action like Stanford or Harvard). Now’s the best time to start the admissions process since you don’t have school work to take up your time.</p>
<p>Do as much as you can before September.</p>
<p>^This. I started preparing for applications in June/July but didn’t make the best use of the summer time because I thought, “Well, I have a couple of months to get this stuff done.” But once school started and I had assignments to do… Let’s just say, it was a scramble and one of the most stressful, depressing times of my life.</p>
<p>I tried to get my D to get some apps done in the summer before senior year. She stubbornly procrastinated and ended up overwhelmed, stressed, and depressed to the point where she lost clumps of hair, gained a bunch of weight, developed acne, quit her sport of 13 years, and made all of us around her miserable. Not to mention, she did a terrible rush job on the app for her 1st choice school (and of course did not get in). </p>
<p>My S will be a senior in the fall, and we are not going through that again. He is applying to his top choice (rolling admission) school this week, and assuming he is accepted, will be done before school begins - yea!</p>