With college application deadlines just around the corner, there are still CommonApps to finish and supplement essays to edit. Senior stress levels are higher than ever.

The college process can be one of the most stressful parts of senior year. With more and more pressure to get into top-rated schools, students need to find ways to manage their stress.

Senior Ryan Budnick often feels the most stressed when he is behind on his work. He makes sure to finish whatever he is doing first, and then relaxes by listening to music, taking a nap or having a snack.

Multitasking is not the ability to concentrate on multiple tasks at once, but rather the brain quickly switching its focus between several tasks. Multitasking is not efficient and does not shorten the amount of time spent on homework, but rather, lengthen it.

“People can’t multitask very well,” neuroscientist Earl Miller told NPR, “and when people say they can, they’re deluding themselves,”

“To manage stress, I use checklists and make schedules to designate time so I get to sleep by 10,” said senior Julia Vinha. “I take it one day at a time, do what I can.”

Students should have 9.15 hours of sleep daily. With insufficient sleep, students are more tired in class and less able to concentrate well. However, many students feel as if more than 7 hours of sleep is a luxury.

“My sleeping patterns aren’t super healthy,” said  Budnick. “But they’re a lot better than a lot of people who I know are even more stressed.”

By making schedules and having deadlines, students are able to manage their work better. Vinha says that she gets help from her college coach, who helps her keep her checklists.

“Instead of having my parents nag me,” said Vinha. “I have someone who stays on top of everything [for me].”

Although college coaches are an option to seniors, students can also find help from faculty at school. Guidance counselors are readily available to steer students towards colleges that best suit them, help them decide which tests to take and help them make decisions.

“Getting help from my parents and teachers, and to some extent, my guidance counselor, relieved stress,” said Budnick. “They were a big help.”

With college application deadlines in the horizon, some seniors are starting to regret how much they’ve procrastinated.

“Start early, in the summer,” said Vinha. “If starting [your application and essay] early isn’t an option for you, do it in intervals, don’t overload at once.”

Regardless of how well students can cope with stress, they should try to avoid it as much as possible because stress can inhibit everything from memory to immune responses. Students should try to manage their work and time so that they will have less stress to overcome.

“I’ve been procrastinating for a long time and [now] I look at the clock and realize how much I have to do in so little time,” said Budnick.