With the first round of college application deadlines drawing to a close, and regular decision deadlines not far behind, the seniors will soon choose what school they will be attending next fall. While it is an extremely important time for them, it is also a key time for many of us to start narrowing down, or even just begin, the college search.

Thinking about college can be very intimidating for students. Most juniors and sophomores have no idea where to start, what they want, or where to start looking! This is perfectly normal for all high school students. It may seem daunting, but looking at schools and figuring out where you may want to go in a year or two isn’t that bad.

Some simple ways of starting out are to figure out what you think you may want in a school:

Do you want to go north or south?

Do you want to go to a big school or a small school?

Do you want a school with a religious denomination, or a school without?

Do you want a school with a certain program?

Do you want to play a sport in college?

Answering all of these questions will give you an idea of the kind of college you want to attend and then you can look for schools that match what you’re looking for.  You might even consider taking a college match test on Naviance too.

During school breaks it is always a good idea to set up tours, visit friends, talk to your guidance counselor, and go to college information sessions.  Make sure the schools you pick are truly places you want to spend an important four years of your life!

Fortunately, or unfortunately as I see it sometimes, I’m one of those kids that has been going on college tours since I was thirteen. I always had an idea of where I wanted to go when I graduated High School, but my parents showed me there were so many other options out there. Always have an open mind when looking at colleges ,because you may realize you want something different.

It is exciting to start planning a future and imagining yourself in a new place. Now that I’m a junior and college is becoming something very real instead of a fantasy, it’s more stressful than anything. However, when I visit and talk to my friends that are now in college, whether they ended up at their number one or not, it is obvious that they all love their school. Seeing how happy they are, I know that we’ll all end up where we belong. Don’t let the idea of college stress you out. I know we’ll all find the right school, whether or not we’ve already started looking!