By Marissa Day ’14| Executive Web Editor

It was the end of December 2013, and I let out a huge sigh of relief. I had turned all my college applications in on time and I was feeling good. There wasn’t a single thing that I had to worry about… right? I can’t believe how wrong I was.

I never thought about what the application process entailed after you sent in your initial application. Scholarships, FAFSA and CSS weren’t really high on my list of concerns, simply turning in those dreadful applications were enough to adle my brain with worry. Alas, now that those applications are turned in and colleges are starting to send out their admission decisions, those three factors have since dominated the top of my list of worries.

Admittedly, I don’t do much in regards to FAFSA and CSS, but my parents do, and the looming deadlines to turn those in haven’t been lost on them. For the past two months, my mom has nagged me without end to pull up my CSS profile for her to complete, but it was never apparent to me how important it was to turn those in. Although both programs give out certain amounts of money for each person, it comes with a price, time constraints.

  CSS and FAFSA upload their applications around the same time colleges are getting ready for their Early Admissions applications to come through. Although the CSS was released in October, it unfortunately didn’t become a problem for me until much, much later in December… oops.

The sheer idea of looking at scholarships that I qualify for is another daunting aspect of the college process. Scholarships usually require essays, and I don’t think I’m quite ready to delve back into the world of cramming homework and college essays together late at night.

There isn’t a way to put in words how stressful it is to wait to hear back from a college’s admissions board. So far, I have two deferrals under my belt, which are almost worse then a straight out acceptance or rejection. The unknown decision from the colleges is something that I think about everyday, and will continue to fester in my mind until I get a clear-cut answer.

For anyone who said senior year was a breeze, I would like to meet them and tell them how wrong they are. On top of all the worrying, many colleges require Mid-Year Transcripts, so not only is it impossible to slack off unless you want to kill your chances of getting into that college, but maintaining a strong GPA is as crucial to the Admissions Committee as they were when you first apply.

Even now, I’m raking through my mind trying to remember if I still have to send more forms out to colleges or look up more information to apply for financial aid. With midterms and a new quarter coming up, the internal struggle over what is more important- the present or the future-weighs heavy on my mind and continues to culminate into one gigantic ball of stress.

Like I said previously, there has to be something good in this college process. Something that makes all this work, worry and frustration worth it in the end. I just hope I can reap the benefits when they come.