As students, we’ve been through the nightmare rush of college application deadlines, hurrying to complete college essays, and worst of all, totally undecided when it comes to choosing a college. Add to that the pressures of senior year at high school, and you might as well be asking too much of yourself. To ease off some of that stress, here are some guidelines you can follow to streamline your search and generally make life a lot easier when you look for colleges to apply to.

Create your college profile

Before choosing a college, start by finding out what you are looking for in a college education. While it is still early to decide on a career, taking some time out to sit down and list your preferences and aims will go a long way in sorting out problems in finding the right match for you. Choosing a college based on your preferences may seem obvious, but you’ll save yourself a lot of time by knowing what you want (and more importantly, don’t want) before the college hunt begins. An important factor in college selection is your financial aid requirement. While it’s not always possible to pinpoint the exact amount you will need in aid, ask your parents to help you reach a target bracket for the amount your family is willing (and able) to pay for your education.

Start early

Give yourself ample time to scout college profiles. Ideally your college hunt should start towards the end of your junior year, giving you enough preparation time for early decisions, AP tests, the SATs and your regular college applications. By deciding on your college profile and armed with a general idea of what you want to achieve in life (don’t worry, this is easier and more fun than it sounds), choosing a college becomes an easy, logical step for you and your family.

Keep your lists small

Go easy on yourself. There’s no point in applying blindly to 20 universities; with just a little bit of research you’ll be able to determine your chances of getting accepted to any university. Common advice suggests targeting anywhere from 7 to 13 colleges and I’d suggest that you go about choosing a college the simple way: By determining the chances of your acceptance, and moving accordingly. This is not to say that you should not have a backup list. Indeed, your college list should mention your perceived chances of acceptance, and you should balance your top choices with some guaranteed entries. However, remember that apart from the top tier colleges, it is not that difficult to predict your percentage chance of acceptance, and that should help you in trimming the list. Note that your financial aid requirements may alter decisions slightly or quite a lot, depending on the college. Once again, make sure you do your research.

Choosing a college should not be stressful and tiring. By preparing and doing your research, you will be able to concentrate on more important matters, such as getting the grades to get accepted into your college of choice.