The stress of college applications, the typing and retyping of personal essays, the sending of transcripts. Now the dreaded waiting is over. You finally have the peaceful bliss of receiving your acceptance letter, but what now?

The first step after being accepted to a college is to celebrate. Celebrating your success is one of the most important things there is. You’ve worked so hard to get to this point, so enjoy it. Take the long-awaited breath and relax. 

The second step is to weigh your options. Just because you’ve been accepted doesn’t mean it’s the best place for you. Take a look at all your options. Figure out which school has the best financial aid, dining hall, meal plan, housing and anything else you might be looking for. It’s important to research all your options before you make your decision. 

The third thing to do is to make sure you finish your Free Application for Student Aid (FASFA). Having your FASFA done is the most important thing for your college future. You must have it filled out before you can apply for scholarships. 

Then, apply, apply, apply. Look for every scholarship that’s available and apply for it. It’s better to apply for as many as possible even if you don’t get them. 

Finally it’s important to keep your grades up. Just because you were accepted to a school does not give you an excuse to stop doing your schoolwork. Keep up your extracurricular activities as well. 

Be proud of yourself, all your hard work has paid off. Acceptance is the first step into your future, so keep up your hard work and make as many memories as you can, because college is right around the corner.