Starting in freshman year, students are encouraged to begin thinking about what they want to pursue as a career and which college they might want to attend after high school.

It can be difficult, and even nerve-racking, trying to figure out what you need to know about school before college and about college itself. There are five especially important, and difficult, questions that I will attempt to answer.

Where do I start?

It can be confusing when you have no clue where to look for information.

Personal decisions are a good place to start.

Figure out what you want to go to college for, how much schooling you need, and what you are looking for in a school. From there, you can start looking into colleges that fit your preferences.

When should I start researching colleges?

As weird as it sounds, as soon as possible.

Freshman year is the best time to start. Even though you have four years of high school, those years go by quickly.

You can start looking into colleges that you hear about around school.

Going to a college’s website can give you a lot of information.

There you can find the programs that the college offers, what the kind of learning environment there will be, the cost of tuition, scholarships available, and other financial aid options.

Does it matter which college I go to?

Different colleges offer different programs.

Therefore, it is possible that a college you are looking at will not have the classes you need to take in order to go into your profession.

The website CollegeBoard has a website by the name of Big Future that can be helpful when researching colleges.

The college search feature on Big Future allows you to search for colleges based on specific preferences that you have.

You can base your search on the type of school you want to attend, what kind of campus and housing you prefer the college to have, the location of the college, the major you are trying to achieve, and the amount of money you prefer to pay.

When should I start applying to colleges?

Once you have an idea of which colleges you prefer to go to, you can start applying the summer after your junior year. Most students start applying towards the end of the summer.

When are scholarships due?

The due date on scholarships can depend on the type of scholarship and the college.

The best way to figure out when a scholarship is due is to check the website of the college.

If you have any questions about specific colleges, check the website to find a number or an email to contact them.

Do not wait to figure out what you want to do. The sooner you know, the sooner you can start planning your future.