Making the decision of what college you will be attending after high school is one of the biggest decision of your life. Your decision is influenced by so many factors: tuition, distance from home, campus life, academic programs, the list goes on.

As someone who was completely overwhelmed by the college process and made a few wrong decisions along the way. There are a few things I would do differently if I could do the whole college process over again.

1. Apply to more schools

A lot of times we can feel pressure from other people over our futures. Constantly people will give their advice over what they think is best. Occasionally you get the “Well you know, what you should do is…” and that’s all well and good but often it’s unwanted. However, as a high school senior you are open to any suggestions because you’re as lost as they come.

Apply to schools that you like even if you aren’t completely sure or confident that you will get in. Choose them because you like that they have to offer not because it’s what is expected of you, in the long run, you’ll be a lot happier with your choice.

2. Realize how far away I was really willing to go

The college stereotype is that you’re supposed to go far away and be independent, something I wasn’t ready for right out of high school. Truth is at 18 years old most people aren’t one hundred percent independent from their parents whether it be financially or otherwise. That being said, there’s a lot of pressure to go away to school.

It’s what is expected when you say “I’m going to college” and a lot of times people begin to question why you’re not packing your bags and moving out to get an education. I commuted my first two years of college and although the campus life was not the same, I was able to get the same education while saving money in the process. This may not be for everyone but it should definitely be a well-known option and not looked down on by so many people.

3. Focus on academic programs

When I used to think about college the first thing that came to mind were athletic events, social life, and the visual appeal of the campus, etc. Although those things are all important, I wish I had looked at academic programs more. At the time I went into applying for school with a major declared but that didn’t necessarily mean I knew what I wanted to do with it.

I picked a school for things other than academics and overall it wasn’t the right fit for me. My advice is to look at everything about a school and don’t settle just because you’re confused about what you want.

4. Be more accepting of transferring

I picked a school thinking that was where I would be for the next four years, as many people do. I didn’t want to be the girl that had to admit she made a mistake and left the school she had been so excited about for the past 6+ months. But I ended up leaving my first school less than a week after the semester started.

I got a lot questions about doing so but at the end of the day it was what I needed to do for myself and I was glad I figured it out early. Within the year after I left, I heard story after story about people transferring from the university they had committed to their senior year of high school. At the end of the day, that is absolutely okay and you should not have to be unhappy out of fear of what others will think.

I’ve always thought it was crazy that we were all expected to figure out our lives as seniors in high school. Truth is, I didn’t know what I was doing then and although now I have a better idea, it’s still not completely clear. There’s a lot of pressures that we all face at that age so my advice to any high school student out there is to relax. It’s easier said than done but junior and senior year of high school are about enjoying the milestones.

Be excited about prom and graduation. Enjoy senior trips and privileges. When those college acceptance letters start coming in, be excited about those too. Just remember to put yourself first and that you don’t have to have it all figured out just yet.