I'm in my last semester of my junior year of college and I've been feeling the pressure to decide what to do with my life. Yes, I do still have one academic year left, so there is still time. On the other hand though, if you think about it there isn't much time left. In case you want to further your education, there are applications to submit and deadlines to respect, which usually occur in the fall semester of your senior year - granted you don't feel like taking a gap year.

So what to do?

First of all, you have to decide whether you want to commit to another couple or more years spent bend over books and indecipherable notes you took.

In the event that you don't feel that way, generally people start looking for internships and/or jobs in their field of study. The other alternative is continuing. But with what? A Master's degree? A PhD if you feel ambitious? Or another Bachelor's degree? It's up to you and it is so stressful. The decision process is one of the most taunting I have ever experienced. Plus, I'm only at the beginning of it. I barely touched the tip of the iceberg and I am already overwhelmed.

What I find helpful in these cases is making a pro/con list factoring in aspects like pricing, scholarships, numbers of years willing to commit to, level of difficulty of the program, location, possible future employment and career outcomes, etc. By physically writing down a list I feel like I have more of a grip on the situation, I experience an illusion of control that helps me rationalize every aspect of the matter without getting excessively emotional.

Once you have decided, it's time for personal statements and recommendation letters to be written. The only advice I can offer is to do your best work and explain why that specific program is right for you in your essay and also pick the professors or the people that know you the best and your potential, it will make the difference.

Then, submission of transcripts and all the bureaucratic papers.

From there on everything gets easier, in my opinion. The hardest part is definitely the decision process.

Try to relax and breathe when thinking about the future. Don't let it scare you, even though it is. You are in control of your own life, thus don't let pressure rush you into something not suitable for you.