It’s the most wonderful time of the year…especially for seniors who have submitted all their applications! We know that very few seniors actually fall into this category, and most are working to finalize theirs. Believe it or not, you can get near the finish line and still enjoy the holidays.

The most effective strategy is to make significant progress on your applications before your holiday celebrations. You will feel a weight lifted off your shoulders knowing you are done or just have to cross some Ts and dot some Is. Getting your work done now would also give your consultant a chance to take one last look at your materials before submitting them for early January deadlines. (Remember, your consultant wants to enjoy the holidays too!) We promise the hot chocolate will taste better when you feel like you earned it.

Thankfully, hot chocolate still tastes amazing, even if you still have work to do. When it’s time to relax, try to minimize distractions—literally. Put all of your application tabs into one window and keep it minimized until it is time to start working again. This way, you can watch Netflix in peace. Make it clear to your friends and family that you will want to push off application and college talk at certain times so you can enjoy the holiday. Schedule time for when you will resume working, so you know that even if you’re not making progress at the moment, you have a plan to later.

While college does matter, we all deserve to take some time to ourselves and connect with family. From the entire College Matters team, we want to wish you a healthy and enjoyable holiday season!

-Betsy, Sarah, Marcy, Gilbert, Katie