Arrowhead counselors say students should try to apply to colleges by Halloween. College applications come out over the summer and the average application priority deadline is mid-November, according to universitylanguage.com.

The AHS guidance office provides a place to sign up to meet with counselors, get information on transcripts and fix errors before the college application process begins.

Most college applications consist of some personal information, a couple short answer questions, an essay, and for some, a letter of recommendation.

How do seniors know where to apply? When are the deadlines? How will seniors get this all done in time?

Alaina Lanser, a senior this year at Arrowhead, says, “This is a really stressful time for everyone. I specifically, thought for the longest time that I wanted to apply out of state but changed my mind to be closer to family.”

But this year’s seniors are not the first to go through this process.

Kassidy Tarala, a Warhawk from the class of 2015, now attends the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and says she remembers the stressful season of her Arrowhead senior year, filled with the blur of questions, transcripts, and scores vividly.

Tarala, who applied to five schools, says she highly recommends applying to a variety of sizes of schools and touring them and then from that see how they feel to seniors. She suggests thinking about the location. She says although some seniors would prefer the small-town, at- home vibe, others would prefer the hustle and bustle of a large campus in a big city.

Elizabeth Jorgensen, an English teacher at Arrowhead says, “Students can also get help on college essays at the College Essay Workshop. We had one session of the College Essay Workshop over the summer and we will have more dates for students to get help with essays. Ask your English teacher and check for Skyward messages before October for more information.”

Tarala says that if you don’t get into your top choice, not to worry because transferring is a very convenient option down the road that many people forget about. She also says that seniors may realize what they thought was their top choice, isn’t after all, and they are happy just where they are.

Coming from a first hand experience, Tarala said she originally had her heart set on fleeing as far away as possible, but on a whim she applied to Minnesota and visited the campus and she fell in love and knew it was right.

Tarala says she loves the urban atmosphere of the Twin Cities, and was impressed by the journalism and design school, explaining that she already has a journalism internship and that she is happy with the choice she made and the success she has encountered at this school.

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities and the University of Wisconsin Madison have a priority application deadline of November 1st; the regular deadline is December 15th for Minnesota and February 1st for Madison.

Tarala says the biggest advice for seniors is to not put too much pressure on this process.  She says, “It may seem like your entire life is riding on this one decision but it’s really not. If you go to college and love it, great. If you go to college and decide to transfer, great. If you pursue a dream that doesn’t involve college, great. It’s all just about following what feels right for you and makes you happy, not what your friends are doing or what your parents are telling you is the right choice.”