It's that time of year again - this year's high school seniors are finishing up their year. Most will be heading to college in the fall, a daunting prospect that delights and terrifies many.Being the end of one journey and the start of another, I found it only fitting to shed some light on the best way to decide your future home.

1.Take a Deep Breath

This is going to be a lot. I'm not going to lie to you here - this is going to be overwhelming. you're going to get letters, emails, packages, from every college in the country saying they want you. Everyone you know has their opinions and, despite vowing to "not get involved," you can bet they're going to share them. You're going to think you can never make a choice like this, but here's a secret: you absolutely can. Just take a breath. Try and clear your head. The best way to start this process is by relaxing as much as you can.

2. Keep Your Mind Open

...because you're probably going to change it. During my college search, I can tell you I changed my mind approximately once a day. One day I was going to school across the country, the next I was living at home and going to the local school, for the record i ended up doing neither.I ended up at a school that I had never heard of and that I didn't even want to consider. My point is that you can't make up your mind before you start, you might be missing out on the school that is everything you're looking for.

3. If at all possible...take a tour of campus

I know it isn't physically possible for you to tour every college you have interest in, but I cannot stress enough the importance of seeing a campus before you decide. My suggestion is to pick your top three or four schools to go look at. You want to be able to feel safe and at home in college and the campus atmosphere is a big part of that.

4. Make Tuition a Factor...but not THE factor

It is super important to look at the cost of the schools you're thinking about attending, especially if you are also going to be living on campus. College is expensive and there are very few ways around that. So when deciding on a college, maybe don't look at exclusively out-of-state private schools. If you have two schools on equal playing fields and one happens to be a little cheaper than the other one, it is important to let that play into your decision. At the same time, don't choose a school simply because it is the least expensive. My mother always told me,"Your education is like buying a house - it is an investment." So if you find the perfect school and it happens to cost more than you thought it would, do not feel guilty about investing in yourself.

5. Make the Decision for Yourself

As I said earllier, everyone and their mother is going to try and tell you where to go to college. With all of this noise if can be hard to rememebr whose life you're actually living; hint - it's yours! Nobody can make this choice for you, as much as you might just want someone to tell you what to do, that can't happen. So rememeber amongst all of the chatter, you need to do what feels right for you; no matter what that is.

6. Have Confidence

As young as you feel, I hate to break it to you but you're actually growing up. And despite feeling immature and unsure, you are totally capable of doing this. And you aren't doing it alone. We all go through the same thing when choosing a school. You think you can't possible be an adult yet. You think you're wildy unqualified to even dream of going off to school. But you are. Don't doubt yourself. Do not be afraid of failure. You are going to be just fine.

7. Your Choice DOESN'T Have to be Permanent

It's awfully scary to look at college as the place where you will spend the next four, six, eight years of your life: because it doesn't have to be. I know people hate to even discuss the topic of transferring schools, but it is an imporant point to bring up. Transferring schools is an option. You may make your college choice, go there for a year and realize it isn't what you thought it was. Transferring schools is never off the table. I know several people who are transferring schools and they are happier for it. I'm not saying bank on being able to transfer schools at the drop of a hat, but you don't need to worry about ending up stuck somewhere where you're miserable.

8. College is What You Make It

There is going to be a moment at the end of this process when you sudenly panic and think you've made all the wrong choices. It will likely stem from hearing friends who are going to "better" schools than you or getting one final Ivy League brochure in the mail. I'm here to reasure you. Private school, public school, university, community college, state school, Ivy League school, they all have one thing in common; they depend on you. Your college experience is largely based on the attitude you have going into it. Don't wait for "the perfect school" because you will never find it. But you will find place that you can work with, a place that you can make your home.