The college application process has become increasingly complex during the past decade. Students have to grapple with a variety of testing strategies (ACT, SAT or both), escalating costs and the need to build a resume of meaningful activities. Moreover, many students are applying to colleges through early admission programs, requiring applications to be done by the beginning of November.

The pressure that the process has put on parents, students and families is often intense, leading to family squabbles and student overload. However, a few simple steps, rules and guidelines can help families navigate the process.

Start Early

I cannot overemphasize the importance of thinking about the college process early in the student’s high school career. That doesn’t mean parents should pester students about building up resumes, applying for scholarships or even complaining about grades. What it does mean is that parents and students should think about sensible times to take standardized tests, look into summer programs or activities that might deepen a commitment to a subject and think about what courses to take. For example, if your child loves math, make sure that he or she is taking the most difficult math course possible in freshman year. If your child is taking biology freshman year, think about whether it makes sense to take the SAT II at the end of freshman year.

Visit Colleges before Senior Year

One of the most time-consuming areas is that of college visits. During senior year, there is only a limited amount of time to visit schools before applications are due, and often students have activities and other commitments that mean they simply can’t visit a school they are interested in. Try and squeeze in visits before senior year whenever possible. For example, if you’re going on vacation during sophomore year and a college that your child might have an interest in is nearby, GO VISIT. If your child can’t decide on whether he or she wants to apply to a big school, medium-sized school or small school, see if there are any nearby schools you can visit during or prior to junior year that would at least give the student an idea of the differences among different types of schools.

Check Deadlines

Often, parents and students are simply unaware of early deadlines that might be important. For example, while a school might have an application deadline of January 1, the deadline for a scholarship the student might qualify for can be earlier. Some schools have extremely early deadlines for Early Action and other schools are rolling admissions schools where it helps to apply as early as possible. Even if you’re not sure about whether your child will want to apply to a given school, it is helpful to know about deadlines and they can be easily researched by going to an individual college’s website.

Make a List

Students and parents should collaborate on a list of factors that are important in the college search. This can be done as early as junior year. For example, does the student want to be close to home? Is the student interested in schools with an emphasis on fraternities or sororities? Does the student want to go to a small liberal arts colleges or a large school with big-time sport teams? Does the student have a strong interest in pursuing a specific degree program such as art or nursing? This conversation should include a discussion of finances at an early stage. Tell the student what you can afford and whether you will need financial aid, or would like the student to apply to schools where he or she might qualify for merit aid.

Every school you are considering should be evaluated on the basis of these factors, so that ultimately the student will have a list of schools that both parents and students are comfortable with. Next, the student’s academic profile should be factored into the list. Is the school a match for the student’s GPA and current test scores, is it a reach or is it a safety school? While test scores and even GPA can change, if you order the list into your best guess of reach, match and safety schools, you will have a good idea of whether your list is top-heavy or bottom-heavy.

If you can follow these relatively simple steps, the college process will be less stressful. And remember, your family relationships are more important than anything else. If you can keep cool and keep a level head, you and your family might even enjoy the application season.