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The Applications
Back in our day, applying to college was as simple as getting a brochure from the high school guidance counselor and then sitting down and filling it out and mailing it in. These days, you need a college degree in order to apply to college.You'd think the Internet would have simplified things instead of making them more difficult, but you'd be very wrong. Have you ever tried applying for a job through an online job database? Applying for college is no less difficult.
First you have to fill out an account application on the school's web site and then you get to fill out the actual college application. The time it takes to find and then completely fill out said college application is approximately 2.5 years, and then when you finally get to hit Submit you will get an error message saying "Page not found" or "Online session expired" or "What an idiot you are to take 2.5 years to fill this out!"
It's at this point that you're glad you only had one child, because the idea of going through this multiple times with multiple children makes you want to run with scissors. Of course, if you have multiple children, make sure to get rid of all the scissors in your house.
Because the application process for each institution requires a lot of time, make sure to schedule time to work on them when you can put aside a couple of hours for it, at least. You have to devote a few nights to a single application, so don't assume it will be a quick process.
You can streamline the college application process by having your child write up their essay and summary of activities and honors prior to beginning the actual application.