The most terrifying part of being a senior is realizing that mid-October is when you have to stop being pleased with just uploading your transcripts and start submitting applications. No one ever told me that until last week. So here I am in mid-October, and I have submitted a grand total of 2 applications. Which isn’t bad, except I mean to apply to 16 schools. With this in mind, here’s my best advice for underclassmen to remember when you’re in my shoes.

Tip #1: Start in the summer
It feels silly to look at that November deadline while you’re working on your personal essay in June, but it really helps. Oftentimes you have to write multiple essays to see which one is better, and you’ll want lots of people to review and edit them. In all, the essay process takes a few weeks if you’re lucky, or about a month if you’re not so lucky.

Tip #2: Keep track of your extracurriculars
When I was working on my resume for my application, I couldn’t think of a single thing that I had done in the last four years. That’s super not true since I’m in Science Olympiad, FPS, and other extracurriculars, but when you open a blank document and start to write, it’s really easy to forget things that you’ve done.

Tip #3: Ask for help!
I was really embarrassed to go to the guidance office or ask my mom for help on something because I felt a lot of pressure to know what I was doing. It’s 100% okay to not know something about the college admissions process, and it’s 100% okay to ask for help. No one is judging you for not knowing what a SRAR is (I still don’t) or for hitting a writer’s block when it comes to why you want to attend Texas A&M specifically. Asking for help will save you a lot of heartache down the road, I promise.

Tip #4: Submit applications early when you can
Most people like to have their applications submitted by mid-October. As I said earlier, I’m definitely not those people, but I’m the exception in this case, not the rule. Your application will be a lot better if you’re not madly filling in your GPA and class rank on October 31 when your application is due November 1. It’s better to be able to take your time, look over everything carefully, and submit with a smile rather than frantically editing your essay while chugging a coffee to stay awake at 11:47 pm when your application is due at midnight – not that I would know.

Tip #5: Pray about it
Sometimes you don’t know where you want to go, which makes those “Why do you want to study your specific major at our university” questions feel like you have a golf ball stuck in your throat. The best advice I could possibly give you is to pray about it. God already knows where you’re going, and you’re going to be fine if you just listen to Him.

I can’t promise this tips will help you, but I can promise that you’re going to go where you’re meant to. Good luck next year!