The toughest thing to do as a high schooler is make the single most important decision of one’s adolescent years, choosing a college. But, with these few tips, it will make the thought process easier.

Although most people say that senior year is the easiest year, they lied. It is no doubt the hardest year of high school. Students not only have to worry about their own school work, but college applications, scholarship, jobs, and filling out their FAFSA. It is quite stressful actually.

However, the worst of it is choosing which school the students want to attend, and it’s not as simple as one might think. There are various factors one has to take into consideration, such as finances and whether or not they want to go away from home. Personally, I want to go away as far as possible, but not everyone is like that.

For most families, the biggest thing to take into consideration is the financial aspect. Many people have dream schools such as Ohio State University or even Pennsylvania State University, but they can’t go due to the expenses. However, the biggest thing that can help with the financial portion are scholarships.

Apply to as many scholarships as possible, regardless of whether or not you think you’re eligible. You never know what might play into your favor. Besides scholarships, apply to financial aid such as the Free Application For Student Aid (FAFSA) and state aid. These help most people around the country.

Another thing that will help with choosing a college is location. Ask questions such as,”Do I like the location?”, “Am I going to be okay with being away from family?”, and “Are plane tickets cheap?” They might seem silly, but they’re something to seriously consider.

Aside from finances and location, there are many other factors that contribute to one’s decision. However, it varies for everyone because everyone has a different situation. So, my advice is to sit down and write a pros and cons list for every school that you have applied to. It helps to bring everything into perspective.

With these few tips, hopefully you’ll attend the perfect college for you.