Before college, you have to go through a huge process. First and foremost, just graduating is the expectation, but you have to take the ACT, PSAT, SAT, and don’t forget about STAAR testing and just general standardized tests. But even after all of that, there’s still actually applying to a college.

    Applying to college is another process that takes a lot of time and patience. The process is as followed; First you must fill out the application which is usually just some basic information, then you have to write your admissions essay, then it is smart to gather some subsidiary materials, portfolios, essays, and pieces of work you’ve gathered are things you should also send/submit or take with you to the next thing, the interview (this might or might not occur in the process depending on the college), if you are going to an interview, you should dress nicely, bring your subsidiary materials, and just be prepared to answer some questions and talk about yourself and why it’s important for you to attend that college and how you would do well there,etc. Then after all of this you wait for a letter that determines your future.

    Another step toward college is scholarships. 62 percent of Americans can’t afford to go to college with or without the help of their parents, and focus on scholarships to help get them in and through college. There are many different scholarships that are available, most online scholarships are for a cause, or are offered  sports and fine arts are the ones that immediately came to mind). Some ways of getting a scholarship include  being involved with your community, find a good search engine if you’re doing it online, digging deeper in research and giving the sponsor what it really wants from applicants, applying to every scholarship available to you and will benefit you, not ignoring optional questions , always looking professionally your best, and staying confident.

    If you have received an acceptance letter, congratulations, time to move on and start really working hard. The most important thing to do, is just more research and just find out more and more. Another thing you should do is go to the campus/campuses and attend their informational conferences, and if you have been accepted into more than one college make sure to choose and respond. Then there is paperwork, pretty self explanatory, get it done and done on time. After that there is the medical side of things, more paperwork and visits to the doctor for shots, immunizations, tests, and even more paperwork. Depending on your chosen college there might be more to do but after doing the required/basics (or that might be all you have to do), you should pick out housing, you might have to live a year on campus in a dorm or campus housing, you might live close to the college and drive back and forth, or you can move closer and get an apartment or house that is as close as possible to campus. Housing is really important so you can get to your classes, etc. and be able to take shelter if a storm hits, and just having a place in general is important (especially if it’s in a different state).

    One other thing that is essential is that you should have money for things that you need, so you should consider looking for a job on campus that works with your class scheduling or a job off but close to campus that works with your classes and scheduling.

    Now that college is starting, you’re most likely making new friends, maybe going to a party or two, and doing well in your classes, choosing a sorority or fraternity, joining or starting clubs. That is how college will (more than likely) start. College seems pretty great, time consuming, but worth it. Because in the end college is about getting a higher education, choosing your future, and finding yourself.

    Just be patient and hang in there, college is going to be great!