By Juliana Pearson (April 8, 2002)

I’ve concluded that no high school senior should stay at home during spring break. I did, and it was a mistake. Don’t get me wrong, I had a relaxing vacation. I went out for Mexican food and danced to Caribbean music at the Kennedy Center. I lounged in front of the television and spent several wonderful spring afternoons with my boyfriend. The problem was that I spent much too much time waiting for the mail. At about one p.m.each day, I’d remember that the mail came at three, and it just might contain an envelope that revealed my future: the long-awaited college reply. Yes, I was a little obsessed. No, I was not awaiting that precious acceptance letter from the college Id been planning to attend since infancy. Instead, my college search had been such a long, drawn out process that I was anxious to close the lid on it. Colleges should really give seniors a little more time to decide. It’s ironic that by the time we have some concrete replies and actually have to make a decision, many of us are so sick of the admissions process that we feel as if we’re going to strangle the next person who utters the words "highly selective."

Despite my apparent angst towards admissions committees everywhere, I did learn a lot about during my college search, and some points are worth mentioning. Since there are so many books, pamphlets and magazines offering tips on the admissions process, I’ll try to keep this brief, highlighting the important stuff and avoiding redundancy:

• Second semester of your sophomore year is probably the best time to start your college search. "Start looking early" everybody advises. This is all well and good, but it is possible to start looking too early. I started looking at colleges during my freshman year. I had too long to survey my options. They were seemingly infinite, and I got confused. Also, there’s a lot of growth that goes on between freshman year and senior year. What you want in a school will probably change.
• Visit as many schools as you can. Sure, overkill is possible here too. However, visiting a campus and learning that you don’t want to go there will help you realize what you do want in a college.

• US News and World Report is not the best guidebook by which to measure the quality of colleges. Books that give you a better picture include Colleges that Change Lives and Looking Beyond the Ivy League by Loren Pope; Fiske’s Guide to Colleges by Edward Fiske; and Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different by Donald Asher. You don’t have to apply to any particular school[s] just because your friends are or your parents want you to. Keep an open mind and try to figure out what’s really right for you.
• Along those same lines, when you visit a school or have an interview, don’t ask yourself "am I good enough for this school?" but "would this school be good enough for me?" If the people in admissions aren’t nice, then that probably doesn’t say too much about the general personality of the school. They’re supposed to be promoting it. 
• You won’t want to, but start writing the applications essays the summer before senior year. Doing so would have eliminated some stress for me.
• Ask as many questions as possible. Talk to current and former students at the schools you’re interested in applying to. Make appointments with faculty members in your areas of interest. I’ve found many are eager to talk to prospective students. Be relaxed and interested in interviews. Don’t be shy about E-mailing or calling recent graduates to ask questions about the schools they’re attending or the college search process. You won’t be bothering them. They remember how stressful the process seemed.
• Finally, relax and take it all in stride. Going to one school versus another is probably not going to make a huge difference in how successful you are in life. It’s your motivation that matters most. Plus, if you make the wrong choice, you can always transfer.