Ask yourself first what you want in a school. Do you want to go far or stay close to home? How important is athletics to you? Do you want to be in a city or our in the country? Do you want to go to a small school or a big school? 

Include work experience, extra curriculars, special awards and any volunteer experience. 

Narrow down your list to eight potential schools you plan to apply to. Organize them into Safety, Target and Reach schools. We would recommend concentrating on Target schools and having at least one Safety school and one Reach school. 

Start asking teachers and other mentor figures for recommendations! Check to see how many you need for each school. You should never assume someone will agree to be a reference for you--ask first. Ask early on too, to give them plenty of time to write your letter. 

Although many schools are becoming test optional, we still recommend taking the SAT or ACT. Many scholarships and financial aid packages REQUIRE it.

There is a lot of specialized vocabulary used in the college search process. Make sure you know what all the acronyms mean!

Most schools use the Common Application, so we recommend creating an account to make your life a bit easier. That being said, you may have to apply directly on the institution websites for certain schools. 

The first step to paying for college is completing the FAFSA! The form opens October 1st and the sooner you apply, the more money you can potentially receive. 

The Common App essay is used for almost all institution applications. There is a list of seven prompts that you can pick from. Make sure you check to see if the school you're applying to requires additional essays!

In addition to the FAFSA, you should apply to as many other scholarships as possible! The money does add up!