What I wish I knew in 12th grade—

As you look for colleges, take your time because there's plenty of it

When I look back at my senior year, the think I regret most is the fact that I allowed myself to become completely consumed by the college admissions process. When I should have been enjoying my last year with my high school friends, I was taking four AP classes, participating in too many extracurricular activities, and trying to focus all of my energy on getting into college. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was focusing this energy in the wrong direction. If I had realized in October that I’d be in such a different place in terms of what I wanted in a college by the time April rolled around, I think I would have been able to take a much healthier approach to my college search.

I was overwhelmed by the seemingly endless demands on my time first semester senior year, and I decided the best was to fix this was to apply to a college for early decision. To be quite honest, I don’t even know that it mattered what school it was. I just wanted to fill out an application, be accepted, and enjoy the rest of my year. After visiting a few schools, I picked the one II liked the most and made my decision. Probably as a result of trying to convince myself that I had made a good decision, I managed to become obsessed with the idea of getting into and attending that school. As you can imagine, I was devastated when I was deferred. And worst of all, I was terrified of the mound of applications that awaited me on my bedroom floor.

As funny as it may sound, getting deferred is probably the best thing that ever happened to me. From the time I sent in my application until the time I decided where I was going to school, I learned a lot about myself and the schools I had applied to. So, the advice I wish someone had given me before senior year is this: take your time because there’s plenty of it! Applications aren’t due until January. Decide where you want to apply and do it, even if you don’t think you know very much about the school. You can visit or return to schools in that down time after you send in your application. Talk to current and past students from those schools and don’t forget to pick up and read the schools’ literature – it’s really helpful. Hopefully, these tips will help you make a great decision about a school you can love for four years.