To all of the high school seniors out there, I know how you feel. Just a year ago, I was frantically searching up statistics on schools while also trying to juggle multiple AP classes. Here is some advice on how to handle your senior year and the beginning of freshman year:

1. Prepare for a lot of crying as you leave your past life to enter a new and completely different world.
   
2. Despite the crying, realize that college is great and is a life-changing experience.
   
3. For those worried about choosing the right college, go with your gut. Also, ask yourself these questions:
   1. Is it affordable?
   2. Can you see yourself living here for 4 years?
   3. Does it have a lot of majors just in case you do (and probably will…) change your mind?
   4. Is it too big, too small, or just right?
   5. Does the food look at least semi-edible?
   6. Do you want to live far from home, or would you rather be able to drive home in a day or less?
      
4. Apply for scholarships– you never know where you’ll end up going, and money is always a good thing to have when going into college.
   
5. Earn money the summer before you leave so that you can afford food or other necessities (but mainly food– seriously, you’ll always be hungry in college).
   
6. Start dorm-shopping early, because it will likely take you awhile to find just the right things that you want.
   
7. Ask teachers to write college recommendation letters early before they get swamped by all those students who also procrastinated.
   
8. Once you get to college:
   1. Study hard– college is much harder than any high school AP class, depending on where you decide to go.
   2. Decorate your room and make it feel like home. This will be where you live for an entire year, and you want to be comfortable.
   3. It’s not as hard as you think to make friends – just be yourself, and you will soon find a group of people who are just like you.
   4. Exercise. I know that has been one major stress-reliever for me, especially during finals week.