In case you didn’t already know, senior year is stressful. SO stressful. Not to be dramatic, but it’s basically like slamming your head into a brick wall over and over again. Not really, but you get the idea. Between senior project, trying to keep up your grades, graduation, and senioritis, it’s completely overwhelming. And then of course you have to throw in those little things called college applications. It can get a little hectic, but from someone who successfully made it to the other side, I promise you’ll get through it and it’ll be worth it.

As you begin to explore the world of college, here’s a couple tips you might want to keep in mind.

1. Don’t apply somewhere “just because”

If you know you would never want to go to the school, don’t waste the time or the money in applying. It’s completely pointless if you know you’re not going to end up going there. There’s no prize for whoever gets accepted into the most schools.

2. Narrow down your choices early

The more you can narrow down schools before you apply, the better. Trust me, when you’re up at midnight trying to finish an application the night it’s due, you’ll regret ever deciding to apply to fiftteen schools just because you think you might possibly have an interest in it.

3. Apply over the summer

This is a huge one, get your applications done before school starts. As sucky as it is to start doing work over the summer, you’ll be glad later. After school begins, you’ll have so many other things to worry about that filling out applications will be the last thing you need.

4. Apply early action

If schools have a nonbinding early action application, do it. If not, it could be march before you get your acceptance letters. It might not seem like a big deal now, but when all your friends know by January and you’re still waiting, you’ll regret it big time.

5. Pick schools with your major

If you already know what you plan to major in, apply to schools that have a good program. If you’re still not sure, try and apply to schools that have a wide variety of majors. You don’t want to go somewhere whose main focuses are on one or two programs if you’re not going to end up in them.

6. Have backups

No matter what, you should always have a backup school in mind in case something happens. If you’re hoping to go to a difficult school, you definitely want some backups. Not everyone gets into their first choice college.

7. Have people proofread your application

Have at least one (preferably two) people read through your entire application to make sure there aren’t any small details or mistakes that you missed. If you can, have an english teacher read your essays and help you with them. Sometimes your essays can make or break your acceptance.

8. Take a deep breath, have some chocolate, and relax

A lot of things feel like they’re being thrown at you all at once, but if you manage your time and use it well, senior year really won’t be that bad. Chocolate also helps. College applications can be stressful, but I promise that when you open that acceptance letter to your dream school, it will all be worth it.