If you’re a high school junior or senior, you know EXACTLY what time of year it is. If you guessed Thanksgiving, you would be wrong. The beginning of basketball season? Negative. Christmas? Try again.

That’s right teens; it’s the wonderful time of year where you sacrifice all hopes of sleep, proper nutrition, exercise, and any form of social life to accomplish one goal: applying to each of the 5485435 colleges that you hope to get into for next fall.

I remember being in the same position a few years ago. After visiting nearly every school on my endless list of knowledge (thanks a lot gas prices), I proceeded to spend endless hours on personal statements, GPA verification forms, and online applications.  While I got through the ordeal like everyone else, I had always wished that there were an easier way to go about it.

Unfortunately, most of us get caught up in the insane process based on the phrase “It will determine the rest of my life.”  Therefore, we spend the open application window stressing and fretting over every possible scenario.

If you’re able to take a few minutes to step away from the computer (and from your stress), something tells me that I just might be able to help.  Here are a few tips to get you through these next couple of weeks:

1. Step away from the caffeine! That’s right people, I said it. Stretching yourself thin by loading up on coffee, energy drinks, soda, and everything in between can prove to be a HUGE mistake. Not only do large amounts of caffeine cause your heart to dislike you, but they cause your ability to think clearly and thoroughly to decline sharply.
2. Remove yourself from Facebook! I understand that many of you may be reading this entry on your Facebook (oops!). At the same time though, I also know that those same people are talking to friends, tagging themselves in pictures, and becoming fans of everything from their favorite iPhone application to the new Twilight movie (I apologize to those who work at movie theatres this Friday).  Here’s a helpful hint, SIGN OFF of Facebook for a given amount of time (let’s say an hour).  You will be amazed at how your productivity increases in such a short amount of time.
3. Take small breaks to unwind. Take about ten to fifteen minutes every couple of hours to just breathe, relax, and concentrate on something else (or even nothing at all). If you are stuck on a challenging part of your admissions essay or just can’t seem to get anything productive done, feel free to take a few extra minutes to chill out. TIP- Make sure to take your break somewhere OTHER THAN your work environment. Sitting at the same place for over a few hours can cause anyone to go a little nuts.
4. One at a time. Yes, you might have over ten schools on your application list. That’s perfectly fine! Make sure when you finish an application that you put it to the side and consider it completed. The last thing you want to do is find yourself near the deadline with a dozen unfinished applications.
5. Don’t stress, celebrate! It’s going to be months before you hear anything from your potential colleges. Instead of spending countless hours re-reading your personal statements and looking over applications that you’ve already sent in, celebrate the time in high school that you still have left.

I hope that you take the time in these coming weeks to be both productive and positive. Yes, college applications can prove to be fairly stressful. Like everything else in life though, the work you put in today will turn into positive results tomorrow. Go get ‘em, Class of 2010!

***Have questions about dealing with the college crunch? Email me at Scott@ScottBackovich.com ***

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 8:07 pm. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.