How staying organized can help you get into college

College midterms have, thankfully, come and gone for the most part.

For the last week, life here at BU has been kind of hectic. I’ve had presentations, group project meetings, a midterm essay, a ten-source annotated bibliography, a research proposal – and all my other usual classwork. There wasn’t much time to eat or sleep, let alone relax.

But this is the sort of week that all college students occasionally deal with. I used to not have to plan much in anticipation. But after missing appointments and falling behind, I relented and started using sticky notes. Other students have different strategies: some keep track of everything on their phones, some use actual calendars and others take notes in assignment books that they carry everywhere. It doesn’t really matter how you stay organized as long as it works for you.

Staying organized and properly keeping track of your time isn’t just important for college. It’s critical for success in the college admissions process. Trying to remember application deadlines and all of the moving pieces can be overwhelming.

Use a system to manage your applications. Use an Excel file or go to an office supply store and buy a calendar. It will go a long way towards making life less stressful. It will also help you juggle and schedule your various commitments, whether classes, work, activities, social life, and yes, sleep. If you’re in the midst of the application process now, take a step back and develop a strategy or system. If you’re a junior (or younger), plan for how you will stay organized.

Knowing how to stay organized and managing your time during the college admissions process is a good indicator of how successful you will be. But you’ll also find it comes in handy once you’re getting through college midterms next year.