It’s a bright Saturday morning when the smell of sweet coffee greets you outside of your room. Still in a haze, you make your way down the stairs, when your mom asks you if you’re ready to head out. Slightly confused, you soon realize that it’s time for your first college visit.

College is creeping closer for juniors this spring. With over one year left of high school, it’s time to start thinking about the future which, for most, involves searching through colleges.

“I don’t know where to go,” junior Alex Gryczanowski said. “There’s so many options.”

With all this new stress, parents can offer useful advice.

“My dad gave me colleges to look at,” junior Lindsay Miller said. “But [my parents have] been really supportive of what I want.”

One common stress among students is figuring out how to narrow down the search.

“I don’t know what I wanna do,” Miller said. “But I wanna be in a city. I looked at campus, student life, and how close it is.”

For students who do have an idea what major or field of work they want to go into, it can make the search less complicated.

“I’ll probably like colleges with journalism or communication courses,” Gryczanowski said. “I think I wanna stay in state too.”

Having goals in mind can help fuel the lengthy and time consuming search.

“I get to leave Nebraska, most likely,” Miller said. “I don’t got to be by these people anymore.”

As Spring break and summer begin to creep closer, it’s a good chance to start searching websites or visit college campuses without the stress of school and extracurricular activities.

“I’m going to the University of Minnesota while at a softball tournament,” Miller said. “Probably two others, but not sure as of right now.”

So as you make your way down the rest of those stairs, grab a cup of coffee before you go on the search of what your future may hold.