Navigating the college admissions process is complicated, and I feel it’s on the organizational level of planning an invasion of a small country.  Here are some ways to make it slightly more efficient and less stressful.

• Do smart research using smart sources—my favorite two research tools for colleges are old school.  The Fiske Guide, although it doesn’t cover every school, is amazingly helpful when it does.  But it’s an actual book, and you have to flip the pages and everything.  Also, I find looking at college websites to be incredibly informative.  Apparently, the schools actually spend a lot of time on those things.  They will actually tell you, quite specifically, what they offer.  All you have to do is click!  Who knew?

• Have a balanced list so you won’t be stressed out throughout the process—-you don’t want to be like Devi in Never Have I Ever who only applies to Princeton ED with no other submitted applications.  Because it’s a fictional TV show, it all eventually works out.  In real life, not so much!  If you apply to some rolling admissions schools that notify you early in the process, you know you’ve already gotten an acceptance under your belt, and that you are going to college no matter what happens next.

• Decide what your theme is for your application–and be consistent about how you express yourself so that it’s able to be picked up in the 5 minutes someone looks at your application.  It should be one sentence and something pithy—such as, I love science, exercise, and working with kids, which is why I want to pursue becoming a pediatric PT.  It should make sense.  For example, if you are applying to engineering programs but don’t have any extracurricular activities in science or engineering, that’s an inconsistency that may put your application into the deny pile.  Make your case for yourself with a consistent theme.

• Start way earlier than you think you need to on your common app and common app essay—-if you are a junior, like now!  Wouldn’t it be great to have that all done by April of Junior year, before the AP and finals madness starts?  If you get this done early, your life will be much better come senior year.  You’ll thank me later.

• Keep all of your passwords for portals, etc., in one file accessible to both parent and student (parent just for emergencies)—-checking portals is not something my teen clients seem to love to do, and I’ve lost years of my life watching them try to figure out what their passwords are.  Write it down in one document and share it with someone, like a parent, who has a vested interest in your well-being.

• Keep a Google doc with all of your essays in it so you can recycle them–if you have everything together in one place, it’s easy to find what you need, copy it, and edit it.   Voila, another essay done!

• Keep it all on the down low. Our society is stupidly competitive about things that shouldn’t actually be a competition–such as, getting into a “prestigious” college, whatever that actually means.  Both other parents and your fellow students are culprits here in terms of the competition game.   Don’t tell other people what you are up to until you’ve made your final decisions.  Trust no one!  Okay, I’m kidding, sort of–but really, no one needs to know this particular part of your business.