Being a senior is exciting, frightening and liberating, to say the least. After three years of high school, you're either more than ready to move on or dreading the unavoidable changes ahead. With the freedoms that go along with being a senior come more responsibilities and reasons to stress.

One thing on many upperclassmen's minds is college — where to go, how to apply and how to pay are only a few of the questions that come up. Unless you have the constant guidance of a counselor or knowledgeable adult, these questions can be confusing and daunting.

Career Facilitator Missy Gurule has worked at Santa Fe High School for seven years. She hosts college visits, college fairs and apprenticeship fairs. Her job is to assist students in anything they need help with.

Seniors should be "taking advantage of the resources offered here in the Career Center at Santa Fe High as well as resources online, first and foremost," Gurule said. "For example, ROTC is offering free ACT practice tests, which usually cost a couple hundred dollars."

You can sign up for the SATs and ACTs online by going to collegeboard.com.

One of the best things you can do to help yourself is to be proactive. Make a list of colleges that appeal to you. Include both schools that are more selective and more of a gamble; and safety schools, where you'll most likely
get in.

Gurule advises narrowing down your list of colleges to two in-state colleges and five out of state. If you're not sure of what schools fit you, or want to know more about certain schools, check out books such as the Princeton Review's The Best 366 Colleges, which has detailed descriptions and helpful information to help you in your search. Another helpful resource is the Web site Unigo.com, a site of reviews, pictures and videos, all uploaded by students attending the school. This allows you to see dorms, hear about the party scene, and find out about great restaurants and teachers — all things that you probably couldn't find in a brochure.

After you've made your list, find the Web site of each college or university. Most will have an online application that you can fill out. Many colleges use the common application, which is also online. This allows you to fill out one application for all the colleges, with a specific supplement pertaining to the specific school.

College isn't the only option of course.

"In Europe, most kids take a year off before going to university. So if you take a year off, check to see if schools will count that against you," Gurule said. If you want to take another path, Gurule suggests that "you get an apprenticeship, or a spot in a technical vocational school, or another job training opportunity. I also look online with you to see if the job you're interested in is in demand, and how the salary is."

GenNext staff writer, Demeng Zhangchai contributed to this report.