It has been ingrained in my mind for as long as I can remember. College.  The time has come for it to all pay off, all the work, the late hours, and the stress.

For me, fall break was two weeks of being a work-a-holic. The break has blurred into my memory as a series of supplements, applications and my social security number (which I have now memorized). I have completed my applications and checked off every bullet on my long list of to-do’s and now all that is pending is one last thing. The submit button.

I am terrified of the submit button. I simply cannot bring myself to push it. I suppose that after working for such a long time, the idea of completion has become such a dream that I can’t seem to grasp it as a reality.

People have told me for years that the college application process was the worst experience of their lives. They said terrible things about filling out forms and trying to figure out what they were going to do with the rest of their lives.

My application process was relatively easy, which makes me think I did something wrong. I was expecting breakdowns every other day of the week, mountains of work to complete and barely making it, but actually, the hardest trial I faced was addressing the envelopes for my letters of recommendation.

I had nearly all of them completed when I realized that apparently these envelopes needed to have “Office of Admissions” written on them (news to me). So, after purchasing more envelopes and more stamps (because it’s illegal to peel them off and stick them on another envelope) I was finally finished.

And then I was so kindly informed that with a click of a button, I could have done it all online. Well, that’s me–old-fashioned at its best.

Still though, now it is all done, and my horror stories hardly compete with the terrible tales I’ve been told in the past. So maybe all those people who told all those woeful tales were just trying to scare me, or maybe all of my get-an-early start mentality has finally paid off.

Whichever it is, I hope this process of figuring out the next steps of your lives isn’t bumming you out, seniors. It’s pretty intimidating to get started on, and can feel like an upward climb while you’re doing it, but in the end, I don’t think it was so bad. And don’t forget that it’ll all be worth it when those college acceptance letters come pouring into your mailbox (fingers crossed).

Throughout this not-quite-too-traumatic application process, I think I have unlocked the secret to success without having to climb a giant mountain or speak to some lady with a crystal ball.

The key to success (and applying to college) is simple. Start early and remember to add “Office of Admissions” to your envelopes! Good luck, seniors, and may your mailboxes be filled with good news. I mua!