Senior year. The alleged “blow off” last round of high school. The year of preparing to leave. The year of anticipating college. College applications are a daunting reality of senior year, full of writing essays, personal statements, and evoking tears from even the most prepared students. Why didn’t anyone tell me this was going to be so bad?

In my blissful ignorance, I thought that applications would be a piece of cake. I mean filling out your name and writing a few essays? Can’t be a big deal. Boy was I wrong. Applications have taken over my life. They wake me up in the morning, follow me to school, pop up in my casual conversations and pester me in my free time. Maybe if I managed my time more efficiently, they would already be completed. But I don’t. So they aren’t. Sorry, Mom.

Am I the only one paralyzed by these overwhelming life changing decisions? I’ve only applied to one school and I’m about ready to call it quits. And maybe that’s not such a sin. Why are seniors expected to write multiple essays and spend hours editing applications when we have our final year together to enjoy? If you don’t know where you want to go, will applying to half a dozen schools really make your decision any easier? I understand applying to a couple, but anything near the double digits seems a little excessive.

Why doesn’t the school prepare us more in our junior year for this process? Maybe just disillusion students so they have the summer to at least know they should be preparing, even if they still put it off like I did. The fact of the matter is that during your junior year, after all of the EOC and AP testing is complete, it wouldn’t hurt to look at ApplyTexas Essay topics or look at what your top college applications require.

But I was not advised or guided towards that head start. And I am struggling through it all the same. I have, however, found incredible resources in our academic advisers, and without their help I would tap out and become a housewife.

My advice to juniors: Think seriously about college applications now, so you aren’t drowning later. To my fellow seniors: We’re all in this together.

So I’ll keep trucking and know that in a couple months acceptance letters will make it all worth it. Until then I’ll keep applying. Keep giving applications the good ole college try.