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It鈥檚 that time of year! Millions of teens have applied to thousands of colleges and universities across the country. They鈥檙e enjoying their senior year of high school and getting ready for the holiday season, but they鈥檙e also secretly—or maybe not so secretly—freaking out about the future.

If 测辞耻鈥檙别 starting to panic about your college applications or 测辞耻鈥檙别 wondering whether you applied to enough schools (or the right schools) 测辞耻鈥檙别 not alone. Advice may be the last thing you want to hear right now, but your parents, teachers, guidance counselors, admissions counselors, and other people who have 鈥渂een there, done that鈥� usually have a few good suggestions.

We鈥檝e also compiled seven reminders that should help you combat your college application anxiety:

1. Asking yourself, 鈥淲hat if?鈥� doesn鈥檛 do any good. What if my essay could have been better? What if I didn鈥檛 participate in enough extracurricular activities? What if that C I got in my freshman geometry class totally ruins my chances? Stop right now! Your applications have been submitted. Now it鈥檚 time to wait and see what happens. Repeatedly nit-picking things in your head will do nothing but stress you out and drive your family crazy.

2. Life goes on even if you don鈥檛 get into your dream school. Whether it鈥檚 the Ivy League or the state university your parents both attended, you may or may not get into your first-choice school. If you aren鈥檛 accepted, 测辞耻鈥檙别 going to be disappointed鈥攖hat鈥檚 a given鈥攂ut your life will not be over. There are plenty of other colleges and universities in the world that would be thrilled to claim you as one of their own!

3. Selective colleges are just that 鈥� selective. The odds of being rejected are much higher than the odds of being accepted. If you aren鈥檛 among the chosen few who are invited to enroll, 测辞耻鈥檙别 not a poor student or a bad person. Don鈥檛 let anyone鈥攜ourself included鈥攖ry to tell you otherwise.

4. There鈥檚 always next year. If things don鈥檛 pan out as you had hoped, there鈥檚 always next year! You may even be able to earn an associate鈥檚 degree at a less-expensive school before transferring to the school you really wanted to attend. Not only will you save money (or save your parents money) you鈥檒l have a chance to show you鈥檝e got what it takes to earn good grades at the college level.

5. There are successful, happy students at all colleges. Even once you accept the fact that there are plenty of colleges in the world, you might still be picturing a campus full of frowning students in the back of your mind. The truth is, there are thriving, cheerful students who earn good grades and succeed on most college campuses. They even go on to graduate and become successful adults in the workplace. And chances are, that school wasn’t the first choice dream school for every single student.

6. 驰辞耻鈥檙别 the one that is going to college. Terrified that your parents won鈥檛 be thrilled with your college decision? They鈥檒l most likely have a say in the situation鈥攅specially if they are footing the bill or paying for a portion of your education鈥攂ut the bottom line is, 测辞耻鈥檙别 the one that is going to college. Deciding to attend a particular school only because your parents want you to is probably not a wise idea.

7. When there鈥檚 a will, there鈥檚 a way. Terrified about paying for school? College can be expensive, but it is possible to earn a degree without going into the poor house. Most students qualify for some type of financial aid. This doesn鈥檛 mean you should take out hundreds of thousands in student loans, but you鈥檒l most likely be able to find ways to help yourself afford college.

Above all, remember that even though your education and training will play a role, your talents, personality, and drive for success are the factors that will help you go far in life鈥�not where you went to college.

Posted on 28 Nov

Melissa Rhone earned her Bachelor of Music in Education from the 911吃瓜网 of Tampa. She resides in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys writing about college, pop culture, and epilepsy awareness.