As my high school career slowly wraps up, I’ve taken the momentous steps of writing my personal essay, filling out the Common Application and pressing that final submission button. The process has been tedious and stressful, so as an experienced applicant, I’d to share some tips and tricks with you, RHS underclassmen, to help alleviate your college application anxiety. These are the same tips and tricks I wish I’d know when I began the application process last year.

First, start the process as soon as possible. That doesn’t mean you should have all your applications submitted by August after your junior year, but it does mean that, by the time your senior year rolls around, you should have a general idea of your intended major and what type of school you want to attend.

You might ask yourself, what does this college even look like? An easy way to find out what you like is to visit various types of colleges: city, campus, sports-centered, liberal arts, big, small and everything in between. Another tip is to look at specific programs instead of the school as a whole, as that will save you a lot of time searching through college offerings on Scoir and the Common App.

Senior Carly Ellermeyer agrees that she benefited from starting early.  “I had my Common Application activities and main essay done by June, which allowed me to start my supplemental essays on August 1, when most of them were released,” she said. “Now that school has started, the last thing I want to think about is applications, and I’m so relieved I got them done over the summer.”

For a timeline, I’d suggest you start thinking about your applications by March or April of your junior year. For most students, the personal essay will take the longest to complete. I wrote about six drafts. The tedious process of marking up each one repeatedly until I was satisfied was the most stressful part, so I’m thankful I started early. It’s also important to remember that your essay is supposed to show colleges who you are, outside of your GPA, so make sure it conveys your personality, likes and hobbies.

I’d also suggest thinking about where in the country or world you’d want to spend the next four years of your life. Making a list of priorities is useful when exploring college options. Specifically, look at the weather, student population, campus size, sports programs, Greek life, distance from home and more. Once you have your list of priorities, you can start listing the schools that fit your ideal needs and wants.

Next, if you find a school and fall in love with it, be sure to show “demonstrated interest” in the school. One of the best ways to do this is to reach out to the admissions office; more specifically, to the admissions counselor for your region. Last April, I toured Indiana University Bloomington and was hooked. I never would have pictured the campus being beautiful as it was, until I set foot on it.  Touring schools, giving online interviews, and attending open houses are great ways to show interest in the school and help you process your choices.

Above all, despite the demands of applying to colleges, it’s important to still enjoy your senior year. “Everyone will end up where they’re supposed to be,” senior Kayla Brand said. “Although the process can be stressful, it’s important to take it one step at a time.