One of the schools Belcher visited was Wake Forest University in Salem, North Carolina. The school is among other top ranked universities such as Elon University, UNC, and Duke University. Another benefit of staying organized during the school selection process is being able to stay on top of scholarship opportunities, especially since tuition is at a staggering high. Image by Taylor Evans.

As juniors, the pressures of college are always hanging over our heads, but rather than becoming overwhelmed, keep an organized schedule.

“It’s easy to lose track of all the college letters and emails that you receive, so I recommend that you keep all the letters and file through them neatly so that you don’t lose or throw something away you might need in the future,” said Abby Belcher,11.

In addition to keeping an organized system for letters and brochures, some students have already taken the steps to deciding what kind of campus they want to attend.

“Over President’s Weekend I went to North Caroline to look at schools.  I’m not positive where I want to go to school yet, but I can definitely see myself in North Carolina,” said Belcher.

Scheduling college visits is surprisingly easy.  Most schools have their tour link right on their webpage and make it extremely simple to sign up for college tours and or informational sessions.

However, not all schools require pre-registration so make sure to research the specified requirement for schools of your interest.

The main tours offered at most colleges and universities are either a campus tour, normally lasting 45 minutes to an hour, informational sessions about the school, also lasting about an hour, or a joint option of both.

Again, all schools are slightly varied so check the school’s tours to schedule accordingly.

As you are touring a school, make sure to take notes, just so you can differentiate between schools in the future when you are applying.  Many students have admitted to getting schools mixed up after seeing so many.  By taking notes, this can be avoided.

“I definitely think taking notes is a good idea.  After seeing so many schools, they will definitely start to mix together, so keeping track of what you liked or disliked about certain schools makes your final decision that much easier,” said Belcher.