How to Choose the Right College

Senior year can be very stressful for those students with aspirations of going to college. In addition to school, clubs and athletics, there is the ever-pressing concern one faces with regard to the college application process. Have you applied to the right schools? Have you submitted enough applications? Will you be accepted?

Below are a few tips from someone who has been in your shoes.

1. Relax

The first thing to realize is that there is no "perfect" college for you. I have spent the best four years of my life at a school I never wanted to attend. As counter-intuitive as it may sound right now, just know that your happiness at college depends more upon the friends you make while in school than on the school itself. Relax and enjoy your senior year. It will go by fast.

2. Visit Campus

There is no better way to get the feel for a school than to visit its campus. Sign up for a campus tour and take the rest of the day to walk around and get a feel for the school. Visit colleges that are different from one another so you can broaden your perspective and better compare one school to another. You may just find that a college you have never liked is the one that you enjoy the most.

3. Apply to at Least Three Colleges

Why three? You never know what you are capable of until you try. The first "mandatory" application is to a "stretch" school. This may be a dream school or the best school in the state, but the key is to apply to a school that you may not be able to get into. Why? Sometimes you may be able to get into a top university that you never thought would accept you. This is something to work toward, and can sometimes end up in a surprise acceptance letter.

The second school is on that is in line with your achievements. This classification is pretty self-explanatory - apply to a school that is in line with your resume.

Last but not least is a "backup" school. In the unfortunate event that you are denied from the above two schools, you want to make sure that you have been accepted somewhere. It is better to get into a "lower-tier" university than to find that you have not been accepted anywhere. You can always transfer to your dream school after a year or two.

4. Have Someone Look Over Your Essay

The worst thing you can do on a college application is to have a typo on your admissions essay, or, worse yet, not adequately discuss the topic. Having someone look over your work for both content and grammar is the best way to ensure that you put your best foot forward.

In the last-minute rush that is often associated with college applications, it is easy to make fatal errors. Believe it or not, I have heard of students forgetting to change the name of the college when submitting one particular essay to multiple colleges. Mistakes like this can be easily avoided by having someone proofread your essay.

5. Relax

This point is so important that it is worth mentioning twice. Senior year should be a fun, exciting time in your life. Try not to let the college application process keep you from enjoying your final year in high school.

In a lot of ways, college is what you make of it, and what you learn about yourself in your time there is truly the most valuable part of the college experience. The process of self-discovery will happen no matter what campus you are on, so try not to sweat all the little things in the process.