The message is perfectly clear: stay present. It isn’t subtle. We are bombarded by this message from many angles: parents, teachers, our college counselors and advisors (mine actually has a “no talking policy about the college process in advisory until second-semester” rule). Focus on our schoolwork, the fascinating subjects we cover in Am Lit, American History, and Physics. Pursue our passions. Challenge ourselves both academically and personally. Risk failure. But most importantly, above all else, whatever we do, do not obsess about college.

It shouldn’t be so difficult to stay on track. We juniors have plenty to keep us from getting distracted. Each night we have hours and hours of homework––science labs analyzing the trajectory of a homemade rocket, close studies in English examining the antiquated text of “The Scarlet Letter”, and hour-long presentations about historical figures to memorize for Spanish class. Who has time to think about the future anyway?

And many of our classmates do not even begin their nightly work until late at night because they are equally busy with extracurricular activities. We are dancing, swimming, singing, playing acoustic guitar, soccer, ultimate frisbee, volunteering, babysitting, and working for hours every day after our already long day of classes. Truthfully, there is barely time to concern ourselves with what lies ahead, 12 long months from now.

And yet… we do.

It isn’t entirely our fault. There are certain realities that drive the college process and force us to “get started” earlier than might be good for us. Truthfully, before this school year began, before we had even started the second half of our high school career, many of us had begun to think about and prepare for the college process.

We visited a few college campuses while we happened to be away on vacation (really? or did we plan the vacation just to visit those schools?) We started preparing for the standardized tests we knew would be hard to tackle once the school year (and sports and activities, etc.) was in full force. And as advised by our College Counseling office, we have signed up to be on mailing lists for schools we are curious about so we are constantly bombarded with emails and mass mailings from colleges. It seems impossible sometimes not to obsess about college.

It isn’t all bad to start the college process a little early though. It allows us to be diligent and to thoroughly research schools. It prevents us from feeling too anxious the fall of our senior year when applications are due. And it gives us the chance to really think about ourselves, what we are interested in learning, and the environment that will be best suited for us.

I’m not going to lie and say that it will be easy. I don’t have a magic formula to getting into your favorite school while staying free of stress. The only thing we can do is have a positive outlook and support each other. It will be stressful, and at times we may feel as if the whole process is against us, but that is not the case. We just have to remember that second-semester senior year is almost upon us and that might give us the strength to power through.