Going to college may sound exciting, but the amount of preparation required to get there may seem daunting to many. Maintaining a good academic standing while balancing college preparation can be a stressful task to accomplish. However, preparing for college isn’t as bad as it seems and can prove to be a very rewarding experience.
Here are three simple tips to help you with college preparation.
1. Stay ahead.
This tip is broad because it is applicable to both your school work and college application work. If you want to make the most out of your senior year, then stay ahead! This means staying ahead of deadlines and doing work early. Not only does this minimize stress, it forms a good habit of not procrastinating, which will prove to be very handy in college. In the long run, getting into the habit of consistently doing work well ahead of its due date gives you a sense of confidence that you can overcome any obstacles in your educational career.
2. Write everything down.
Perhaps the most stressful aspect of college preparation is the abundance of things to do. Besides from the entire college application process itself, repeated multiple times depending on how many colleges you’re applying for, there’s also the hassle of juggling school work, extracurriculars, and a social life. The only way to stay sane throughout all of this is to write everything down. Whether it be in a planner, a plethora of sticky notes or a spiral bound notebook, it’s absolutely imperative to have a visual list of the tasks you need to complete - and when. That way, you can see what you have done and what you need to do. If you’re particularly stressed about college preparation, you can devote a separate medium to writing down all your college preparation tasks. The bottom line is: write everything down so you can keep track of your crazy journey.
3. Ask around.
The greatest and most esteemed individuals did not get to where they were without the help of others. This means you too must seek out advice from those around you. A different perspective on your situation can be extremely helpful, especially when what you think what you’re currently doing won’t get you to your intended goal. So if you’re feeling stressed about college preparation, ask around! Ask your friends to see how they’re managing. Ask your teachers about what colleges look for. Ask current college students about how they handled the hassle. Chances are you’ll learn something new that’ll help you immensely.
Going to college is no easy to task. If it was, everyone would be doing it! Perhaps that’s why the amount of work to get there is so challenging - it’s a glimpse into the environment you’ll be immersing yourself in. Preparing for college does seem daunting, but it isn’t impossible. Stay ahead by completing work before its due date to minimize stress and cultivate habits that will help you thrive in college. Write down all your tasks and their due dates to keep track of all that you have to do, all while slashing away everything that gets completed. Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask others around you for advice, as they most likely will give an insight that you may never have considered. With all that being said, no one can ever really be fully prepared for something; that’s just how life works. Yet if you work to your fullest potential, you can rest assured knowing that you did all you could.
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