As a current senior, deciding which college to go to is a struggle to deal with, especially when you have a college you are interested in, but it is highly competitive. For current seniors and underclassmen, having a checklist of what you need to do either now or in the near future is helpful and alleviates stress. To all students, here is what you need to do for college admissions:

1. Decide if you are going to apply to college. Helpful tips to find colleges that match your interest can be found on Public School Review. If you do decide to apply to college, narrow down your college list and look at each colleges’ requirements because they may all be different and have extra things you need to complete. 
2. Look at each university’s essay requirement. You may have to submit a common application essay or coalition application essay. The common application is the most filled out application since it covers 774 universities in the states and outside the country. The coalition application, however, only covers 132 universities. It includes all of the Ivy League colleges and other prominent universities. Depending on the university you decide to apply to, they may also have additional supplemental essays you need to complete, so make sure you check the school’s website.
3. With your narrowed down college list, decide what type of admissions you want to do for each of your college’s application admissions.
4. Establish if the colleges you want to attend require teacher recommendations. Get your teacher recommendations at least a month before school starts or by mid-September at the latest, one of which is from a core content class, early or you risk not allowing your teachers enough time to fill out your recommendations.
5. Look to see if the colleges you want to attend are test-optional. Decide if you are going to include your ACT/SAT score in your admissions. You may want to opt out of turning in your scores since many are becoming test-optional unless you feel like it will add to your application. 
6. Talk to your counselor about using Parchment to send your high school transcript to your college of choice as well as your official college transcript if you took dual-credit classes during high school. An easy way to contact your counselor is to fill out the online form in the counseling office or their website.
7. Make sure to pay the application fee required for each college you apply to. Some colleges may not have an application fee.
8. Fill out scholarship opportunities and financial aid applications. Some aid applications may be due before the college application deadline.
9. Look at additional information about financial aid and help on the Senior Page on the counseling office’s website. 
10. Turn in your college application and wait for your admission decision. Good luck!