Spring is the in the air and aside from increased levels of pollen causing allergy sufferers anxiety, college acceptance letters are causing high school students heightened levels of stress. Not only do students have to resist the urge to rugby tackle the postal workers to get their hands on mail from colleges, they also have to decide where to spend the next four years of their lives.

One of the best things about college is that you're no longer constrained by the limits of your high school self. You have the chance to become the person you want to be, not just the person you've always been. You have the opportunity to grow and change your habits, experiment with new study strategies, and develop a new rhythm to match your new college workload.

Students everywhere are under a lot of pressure. So it's important to take time to mentally prepare for the stresses of school. Remember, you can succeed academically without sapping your mental health.

There are certain habits that the smart students have and one of them is that they keep track of the grade every quiz, paper, test they get. In high school I watched my best friend write down every grade she got in her student planner. I asked her why and she said that she liked knowing how she was doing in school and what she would have to get on an upcoming test to keep up her grades. Soon I started doing it too. It made life easier in the long run because I knew how I was doing and if I slipped up on a quiz or a test and I knew exactly what I needed to get on the next one to turn around my grade. It sounds slightly obvious, but having a target in sight made it easier to hit it.

For rising juniors and seniors, summer is a time to start your college search afresh or solidify your shortlist. If you’re looking out of state, the feasibility of visiting or ‘trying out’ prospective colleges will likely be out of reach and not beneficial until you’ve narrowed your list to two to three possibilities. One way to gain tremendous insight about a prospective college is to visit the website.

You might get to college and think, “I have this whole essay thing down pat. I did well in high school.” Unfortunately, this is often not the case with many students. Taking advanced placement and honors classes in high school might have taught you the basics, but nothing can prepare you for the scholarly research that every paper requires in college, no matter the major. Every essay will require some format, informed research, and a clear thesis. While paper lengths vary drastically per course and major, humanities courses require a certain amount of content to be deemed sufficient. This article will attempt to walk you through how to write a successful paper for humanities courses. Even if you do not plan to major in something humanities-related, most college students must take humanities courses to fulfill general education requirements.

As you search for your perfect college, keep in mind that sticker price is not where you should begin. After all, the least expensive education today may wind up costing you in future opportunities. Here are some tips to help pay for the cost of education at the school of your choice.

Five Tips on How to Make the Most Out of Your Internship

This note taking series gives students ideas for bringing new vigor to their note-taking game. Article 1 talks about the importance of handwritten notes. Article 2 details notetaking methods—the Cornell Method and Mind Mapping—for more effective note taking. In part three, Tricia expands the notetaking process in the digital realm with suggestions for the best notetaking apps.

Question: If taking notes verbatim has diminishing returns for students, what should they do instead? Answer: With a little bit of preparation ahead of time, learn to match the method to the desired outcome.