As we seniors put our feet up and try to relax for the precious few days we have left before we depart for the Cracks of Doom (also known as College™), it is time for you juniors to lock in for what could be the most miserable semester of your high school career.

That’s right, college application season is the nightmare that seems like it will never end.

But it doesn’t actually have to be that bad.

Despite what the internet, chanceme forums, and that one guy on Linkedin or Reddit who’s apparently done everything might suggest, getting into college is not about transforming yourself into the most optimized human being imaginable.

You do not need to start 12 nonprofits or conduct groundbreaking research at age 17.

Instead, these applications are really just an attempt to explain who you are and what motivates you through essays and activities lists galore.

Each prompt is a way for you to showcase a different aspect of yourself.

You are full of variety, make sure your essays are too.

Condensing your entire existence into strict world limits isn’t easy, so make sure you start early and pace yourself. Future you will be incredibly grateful.

The summer is a great time to get your first few drafts of your personal statement or PIQs finished before teachers start peltering you with assignments again. (Do NOT expect to get a break just because you’re a senior. I say this from experience).

But it’s also a process of deep introspection. As you are slamming your keyboard with frustration raking your brain for something, anything, to write at 3 a.m., you will find yourself thinking deeper about what makes you tick than you might ever have before.

And for all you innocent freshmen and sophomores, please do not spend all four years shaping yourself entirely around applications. I understand how overwhelming college feels, but high school is one of the few times in life you get to explore your interests with relatively little risk.

So allow yourself to pursue activities because they are simply fun. More often than not, genuine enthusiasm for something small says far more about you than forcing yourself through something “impactful” that you hate.

Yes, do work hard, write the essays, dot the i’s and cross the t’s, and meet all of the deadlines.

But don’t lose yourself in this either. In 10 years you will remember the memories you made, not the exact wording of your activities list.