These past few months have been a whirlwind, so here is a few lessons I have learned thus far.

1. God is pretty great.

I have grown up knowing that our God is one of grace and blessings if we just have faith, but the college application process has been the biggest test of that. A high-stress, high-anxiety process for me, it has allowed me to grow in my faith that God has a plan. Period. No matter how many acceptances or scholarships I do or do not receive, he still sits on the throne.

2. It is ok to be unsure.

Going into the college application process, I believed, I had all of my ducks in a row and I was set. But then I was flooded with college questions I felt I couldn’t answer. I began to question my top-choice major. Learning how to take a step back, breathe and be okay with still having questions was HUGE for me.

3. Focus is key.

I cannot count how many Saturdays I sacrificed to filling out applications, study halls I spent editing college answers, or how many times I bugged my mom and teachers to read over my essays. It’s difficult, but having focus on tackling the task at hand, I was able to maintain a relative degree of control over my stress.

4. Lean on those around you.

My parents, mentor, and friends have endured countless stressful rants or tearful confessions. So if it is all a loss, I have learned how deeply those around me care. Whether it is a teacher stopping me in the hallway to ask how the process is going, my mom listening to me stress about balancing it all, or my friends tolerating my raving about my first choice, it has all meant the world.