It’s mid-January meaning half of the admission due-dates for colleges have expired. Though many seem to be on track, seniors need to stay aware and remember that these next few months could be very defining moments in their lives.

I’ve provided some helpful tips, or a checklist per say, on what seniors this time of year should be doing to prepare and finish the final steps in the process.

1. Finalize/admit your applications. Lots of due dates are coming up for universities, so you need to make sure you keep up.
2. Fill out fee waivers. If you are legible, send them to schools and you’ll be omitted from application fees (see prior article https://chstalon.com/1826/news/fee-waivers-could-benefit-seniors/) for more info.
3. Fill out your FAFSA. The schools you apply to will be notified that you have requested some financial help through this. Visit https://fafsa.ed.gov/ to start.
4. Check on applications. If you have submitted yours, many schools give you an opportunity to track your application, meaning you can see if yours has been processed or looked at yet.
5. Apply to scholarships. This is arguably the most important (besides applying, obviously) because it’s another opportunity to gather financial support guaranteed throughout the course of your college career, and we all need that.
6. Start making a long-term plan. Eventually, the application process will be finished and all you can do is wait for the results. To stay on track, it’s important to find out what you are looking for in a college. Financial support, big/small campus, geographical location, certain clubs/activities, all of these contribute to the general type of education you may be seeking. Granted, you should’ve already thought of all this when applying, it never hurts to finalize just what you want to make future decisions easier.
7. Take a chill pill. If you’ve done all of this and feel secure in your decisions, congratulations! Listen to some Stevie Wonder by the fire and sip your juice box, you adult.

Best of luck & happy 2016!