Welcome to the advice column! Here, students can ask me for advice, and get a public response to whatever is troubling them! My hope is that my public feedback can be useful for all readers, not just those who write in!

Anonymous: I am getting really stressed out about college and it is making me very nervous. I am still a few years away but I feel very pressured and stressed out. What should I do to manage my stress while still working hard to get into college?

Hi writer! I actually just finished my own college applications, and the feeling is great. Over the course of my past three years at the high school, there are a few things I have learned that help me manage my stress.

• Take your time! I know it always feels like you are short on it, but you really aren’t. The worst thing you can do is spend all of your time focusing on what’s coming in the future, because it makes all the good things that you are currently experiencing go by so much faster. Embrace where you are now! Everything will fall into place when it needs to.

• Invest in a planner. Even if it’s just a Notability template, have a checklist of everything you need to get done that isn’t mental. I’ve tried the mental list many times before, and trust me when I say it is nowhere near as effective as a physical one.

• Start thinking about what you are interested in now. This doesn’t have to mean establishing a set career path for yourself right now, because you are still really young for that. But in terms of careers, what would you enjoy doing? What kind of a climate would you enjoy living in? (This is especially helpful when choosing a college). And if you really have no clue what you want to do, going to college without your major declared is always an option. But you still have a few years to figure all of this out officially, so I wouldn’t worry. Worry more about what you having going on right now, and keeping those grades the best they can possibly be.

Hope this helps 🙂