Hundreds of students gathered on September 26th at Shelton High School for the annual College Fair. Amongst them were freshman and sophomores who had come to see what all the fuss about college is about. They scanned up and down the rows of college booths, stepping up to one's that interested them. Unlike the seniors who would be attending college the following fall, these underclassman had plenty of time to venture about looking and listening to each representative. Seniors were quite the opposite, as the pressure to decide dawned upon them. Little did they know that a lot of stress, tears, and tension could have been relieved if they had just started this process a few years earlier.

Starting your college journey doesn't necessarily mean that you have to know where you want to go to school by sophomore year. Some students do, but the majority are just like lost puppies. They know what interests them, but they do not know how to take these hobbies and turn them into majors and minors. The best thing any underclassmen can do to start the college process early is figure out which hobby can be turned into or relates to a job or career. This way, one can figure out what career path or field they want to study. I am currently a sophomore and have no clue what I want to study in college or be when I graduate. What I do know is that I love English, theater, competitive swimming, and sometimes science. Therefore, I am looking into career paths that involve my interests. This year isn't really about what schools I want to apply to, but narrowing down the paths I could take in life.

Taking in interest in activities going on at school can help too. By being involved in clubs and sports, you really separate yourself from those who just focus on academics and show that you are a well-rounded student. Joining 10 clubs senior year might not always save you if you are rushing to add extracurriculars to your resume. If you get involved in clubs and sports frehsman year, you can show colleges that you are dedicated and repsonsible. Sometimes it could be that the random club you joined freshman year just because your friend wanted to could be your favorite thing about school and give you that extra edge.

Another thing to think about if you are someone who wants to jumpstart their college/career path is to figure out where you want to go to school. I know some people who refuse to move out of their home state while others want to move to London the day after graduation. This all depends on you. By making this decision early you can narrow down schools based on location. If you only want to go to school in New York than you should only think about applying to schools in New York. This decision can also relieve a lot of stress later on. It makes your decision process easier and narrows down schools without you even having to think about it.

Last, but not least, is to gather information. Information is key in the process of college applications. Knowing what schools offer a certain major or what SAT scores and GPA you need to have in order to be accepted is so important. By gathering all this information early, you can really help make sure you get into the school of your dreams. For example, if you know the school you want to go to requires a year of chemistry, then it is important to make sure you take that class. If by senior year, you just realize that you need three years of a language to get into your dream school, it might be too late. Keeping tabs on this kind of information is really in your best interest. You want to be as prepared as possible to make sure you get into a college that you want to go to.

The college process is often very stressful and can definitely be a hassle if you wait to start last minute. By being prepared, knowledgeable, and focused early on in high school, you can definitely get in to whatever school you desire. Just remember, "It's the early bird that gets the worm!"