Choosing where you spend the next four years of your life can be incredibly stressful. It becomes even harder to handle once you begin to consider money, campus life, academics, AND the fact that you might end up incredibly far from home. Despite this, choosing your perfect college isn't always as hard as it seems.

Take it from a girl who knows! I applied to Miami University and the moment I felt like everything had fallen into place, I knew right then, that this was where I was meant to be. I committed before I even visited the campus and I don't regret it for one second!

But how can you be so sure that it will work out for you? Well, I don't advise to do what I did, it probably wasn't an amazing idea, but still, I had no doubt in my mind that Miami University was exactly what I needed. It's a long process finding the right college and you might be a few years behind in my "master plan" but believe me, you can still start all these steps your senior year of high school.

1. Always keep on top of your grades.

From the moment you step onto your high school grounds, school work should be a top priority. Don't drive yourself crazy caring about your grades, but know the better the grades, the more options you will have while searching for colleges.

2. Take standardized tests early and prepare for them!

These tests, while incredibly stressful and by no means a measure of your true potential, are a big part of the college application process. If you take a test like the PSAT, you might just realize that you have a lot of work to do to prepare for more important tests like the ACT or SAT. If you know early, you have time to work on yourself!

3. Get involved in everything that interests you.

At my school, it was stressful to be in 10+ organizations at once, but it was possible. For you, though, that might not be possible. Get involved in the things that seem interesting, even if you've never tried it before. You never know, it might be one of your true passions!

4. Take job or college placement tests (ASAP).

This one seems stupid, but I promise, it's not! Some answers you get will just be a completely wrong analysis of who you are, but some might really help! The one I suggest for colleges is how I discovered Miami University. Without it, I wouldn't have even known this place existed! It's through The College Board and has many factors that can lead you to your "perfect" college. Explore on this site, you might discover that you wanted something you had never even considered!

5. Research the heck out of colleges.

Find what interests you. During my freshman year, I spent hours at a time exploring Miami University's website. Many sites, including Miami's, have online tours. YouTube can also be a great resource to help understand the "feeling" of the campus.

6. Take time to figure out what you want to do with your life.

This might change, and it probably will, but if you at least have an idea of what you want to do, it'll make the college search so much easier! Don't fret if your plans change though. As a freshman, I just wanted to be a good ol' fashioned psychologist. Eventually, though, I realized I really wanted to take that even a step further and become a psychiatrist.

7. Once you discover what you want to do with your life, REEVALUATE YOUR COLLEGE INTERESTS!

Luckily, for me, this didn't change much but know that it most likely will. Different colleges have different professional areas of focus and they might not even have a major to specialize what you are interested in.

8. Visit some colleges, even if you're not going for the purpose of a visit.

College campuses are very different settings compared to high schools. Visiting colleges, even if you know you're not interested in them, can help you understand how various colleges of various different sizes work. It's also helpful to know about different colleges so you can compare them and be able to ask the truly important questions once you're on a real college visit that you care about.

9. Work on your writing skills.

This one seems really pointless. Let me tell you, though, it's not. You know yourself better than anyone else and you want to be the one writing your scholarship and college essays. It's okay to get help from your parents or a teacher, but overall, it will mean so much more if those essays come from you. Also, it's just much more satisfying knowing that you've accomplished something all on your own.

10. Apply for all those free colleges and then apply for a few in which you're truly interested in.

We all hope to get into one of our dream colleges, but that's not always possible. Be sure to have backups, at least one, because you don't wanna be stuck at the end of the school year not having anywhere to go the following fall.

11. Apply the HECK out of scholarships.

There are so so so many scholarships out there. You can get scholarships for truly anything. Some are based on GPA, some community involvement, some sports, and some are just RANDOM! In other words, there are a countless number of scholarships you can apply for, and you should! You can't get them all, but every little bit helps.

12. Take advantage of "accepted students" days.

At Miami, we have a program called Make it Miami. Participating was my first time on campus and even though I had already committed it's a great way to make the final decision and see if this college is really right for you. You can also discover various programs that you can apply to and get involved with before you even move onto campus. That was the best part for me.

13. Relax, because truly, it is not the end-all-be-all.

So many people choose a college and after the first year and realize that the college isn't right for them. Some people even realize that no college is right for them! So relax, because it is a big decision, but things happen, and plans change.

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So, realize that this is an important choice and you should begin early, but don't sweat if you're a little "behind schedule." Most importantly, always make your college choices for yourself. My mom and dad were each somewhat unsure about Miami, but Miami University has been the dream since my freshman year in high school and continues to be the dream during my freshman year in college. And you can have that, too.