The college application process is a trying time for any student. With deadlines fast approaching, it’s hard to keep track of all of the applications, essays, recommendations, and records that are necessary for college admission.

Most juniors are beginning to look at colleges and may take some college visits, which are beneficial to any student. An early start on deciding which universities to apply to is necessary to avoid extra stress. Most colleges have several different deadlines for application, and it’s important to decide which deadline is the best fit for that student.

The college process is the most individualized process most people will go through during high school. The influence of classmates on a personal college decision can be extremely detrimental. Each person looks for something different in a college.

A student can not decide on his or her applications because of the places their friends are applying. This could lead to a college where the student is very unhappy.

Even if a student does take the suggestions from friends, they need to research each and every college to ensure that they will hopefully enjoy their time at college. This should be the most important aspect of a college; whether or not a person can see themselves being happy there.

After deciding on colleges, teens are also not left with much free time to sit around their house writing college essays and filling out applications. With classes, extracurricular activities, and worrying about SATs or ACTs, seniors find themselves falling behind before they even begin.

Each college requires teacher recommendations along with information from the guidance department. Each student has to rely on others to meet their deadlines, and they’re left to hope that nothing goes wrong since it’s the student’s future on the line.

Lack of time is not the only stressful factor of college applications. There are also fees that aren’t easy on the students or the parents. With a fee to any college the student applies to, along with fees from the guidance department for every college, it isn’t the most affordable process.

The family also has to consider the cost of each college. With scholarships, financial aid, student loans, and other grants, there are ways for students to get help paying for college. These forms of aid also require students to monitor deadlines that require filling out yet another application and possibly an essay.

With deadlines and essays stacking up, the best solution for any student is to simply start early. Deciding which school they would like to apply to and figuring out what they need to do to get in there is the first step in making this process less stressful.

Lindsay Powell can be reached for comment at [email protected]