It’s that time of the year again – a period marked with increased anxiety and nervousness.

I’m speaking of the wait for college decision letters! The applications have been sent, and now it’s waiting time. No doubt this is an extremely nerve -wracking time for everyone involved. What’s a stressed- out student to do during times like these? Here are a few tips to get you through the next few months.

1. Remind Yourself That You’ve Done All You Can

This is perhaps the most important piece of advice to remember!  Up until now, you’ve prepared so much by keeping up your grades, participating in extracurriculars, and ensuring that your admissions application is top notch. You’ve filled out form after form after form. You’ve asked for teacher recommendations. You’ve stayed up into the late hours of the night, brainstorming creative hooks to begin your essays. Finally, you’ve submitted all you have, knowing that it’s a true representation of who you are as a student. And now, it’s time to let a complete stranger decide the next stage of your life. As unsettling as it may seem, that’s the truth!  You’ve done your part, and now it’s time to let someone else do theirs.

So, as you go through these next few months, it’s okay to feel nervous about what’s to come – just know that you’ve done what you can and that’s all you can ask for at this point.

 2 Stay Up To Date

Most, if not all colleges have some way for you to check your application. This is most always done online, thru the college’s portal. It’s a good idea to at least check in once a week to see your status. This should provide you some brief bursts of sanity in knowing that your application has gotten to where it needs to be.

3 Prepare Yourself

Whether you get in to the college of your choice or not, it’s absolutely vital that you have all the resources you need for the next year of your life. In these next few months, make sure to take some time to apply for scholarships. Your local counseling department will be updating their list of scholarships weekly after January 1, so check that list.

I strongly suggest that students apply for every scholarship for which they qualify. Remember, the more you apply for, the more chances you have of getting free money for college! Check these two websites also for national scholarships: www.fastweb.com and www.scholarship.com.

 4 Focus On School

This is pretty self-evident, but what’s also pretty self-evident is senioritis – and as graduation draws nearer, so does this sickness! Keep up with your assignments, start early on your projects, and study for your tests. It will be hard to do, especially at around this time, but it’s worth it.

5 Find Time For You

No doubt these next few months will be very stressful. Even if you’re constantly checking your applications status, applying for scholarships or keeping busy with school, there’s still going to be those nagging thoughts in your head. You’re going to worry, regardless of how busy you keep yourself. A good way to get through this is to focus your nervous energy on something you enjoy. Whether that is going for a jog, playing an instrument, writing poetry, playing video games or hanging out with friends, always put aside some time to do something that gives you great satisfaction and happiness. You’ll come out of it with a better mindset and a positive outlook

6 Talk It Out

If you’re struggling with feelings that you are having difficulty managing, talk it out with someone. Whether with a sibling, friend or teacher, sharing your feelings is a great way to cope. Most likely, if you’re going through this, your friends and classmates are as well! Don’t hide what you’re feeling from those who care about you. You and your friends can work together to distract yourselves or find productive ways to pass the time.

Ultimately, the best way to get through these stressful months is to have a good mindset. You’ve done all you can, and you’ve done your best – and that’s the best you can ask for at this point. Think ahead and plan out all possible outcomes and prepare for them. That way, when you finally get the long- awaited email or letter, you’ll be more confident because you’ll know that you have options in case things don’t go the way you wanted it to.