Dozing off in Faubion’s musty computer lab, I wondered when the torture would end. We had made an account on some website called Naviance, a word I was 75 percent sure didn’t exist. It asked what college I wanted to go to. Easy! Undecided. It asked what career path I wanted to follow. Easy! Doctor. I’m brown, it’s expected, and they make money. It’s not like I wanted anything else in life.

Four years later, the same questions aren’t so easy. I’ve logged into Naviance more than I ever planned on doing in my life, and the electric blue font has seared itself into my nightmares.

“Class of 2018, you made it!”

What did I make? Where did I make it? Why is it 2 AM and I still have to turn in an essay about The Lorax for Environmental Science?

High school has been a journey, and every part of my life has changed. Obviously, since I’m taking environmental science, I have no plans of being a doctor (sorry, mom!). Instead, I plan on following my dreams of writing, so please plan on me showing up to your house at age 30 asking for a couch to sleep on.

To follow my dreams, though, I have to apply to college. Which means I have to decide. As bad as it sounds, decision-making keeps me awake at night. I’ve barely slept, at first trying to apply to 25 colleges, frantically writing essays and filling out extracurricular activities (does WHAB even count?). My stress partly came from an inability to read numbers (coincidentally, an explanation for my quiz grade, Mr. Newhouse!). I thought the priority deadline for most colleges was October first. Turns out, it ranges from October 15^th to November first. Amazing! So, I calmed down, narrowed down my college list, and decided to just decide.

It’s actually gone well. So, fellow seniors, if you haven’t started college applications, now is your time to shine. Don’t freak out—you have time, you have room to change your decisions, and things will work out as planned. And college is just another stage of our lives. We got this.

It’s just that time of year—college applications are in season, and white pants are out (it’s past Labor Day. Please stop)

I’ve noticed some questions people have, so here are a couple tips:

1. When you put your Naviance and Common App together, it won’t work unless you release your FERPA first. So add a college to your Common App, click on it under “My Colleges,” and then click the second thing (it has the word FERPA in it). DO whatever it says and then you’re gold.
2. To request rec letters, you have to click on the “Colleges” link in Naviance and then click the “letters of recommendation” part. If you click the side bar, it’ll just take you to a survey.