How do I stop obsessing over this?

Apply for scholarships (there's a ton of them out there, my friend got one just for being in a club), finical aid, both those can help out with the costs a lot. The only advice I can really give is to give this some serious thought and talk to a school counselor, since that's part of their job (to help with colleges), and try to think about what you're more passionate about. It took me a couple years to finally decide on cosmetology school, but before that it was video game design, fashion design, etc. good luck~

My advice to you would be to go for a liberal arts college. That way you can not decide your major as soon as you go to college and you get to experiment in different fields. I know that you're scared, but there are tons of great liberal arts colleges and the best thing about them is that they know how unfair it is to make you choose what you want to do in life at such a young age! So I suggest researching that. As for costs, there are tons of liberal arts colleges that are need blind and claim to cover full need! Its great that you're looking at all this from right now because its never too early to start. I suggest focusing on your SAT and trying to get a good score on that as your score can help alot in admissions. Try getting involved in community service, sports, etc and keep your grades up. Look through colleges and research scholarships. Try talking to your parents about how much they can pay for you if they're willing to. Also, check your savings. Once you come up with an amount that you could pay for college, apply for federal aid. Try finding if your parents' workplace offer scholarships. If you have legacy at any college, then research those too. If you work right, then things can work out. Don't worry about your luck right now. Try focusing on how you do at school and come up with a checklist so you make all deadlines. Goodluck

Hi! I'm sorry to hear you're struggling but hey! You are in that age that it is ok to be stressed about this!! Let me tell you a bit about my case. I was right there were you are, and I had NO.CLUE. of what I wanted to do with my life. I'm about to finish my studies on Graphic Design, I still got no idea of what I'm going to do with my life. I don't have rich parents, but everything has seemed to end up working out one way or another. But my point in here is, hey, cheer up! Whatever it is you choose, just choose it with passion. Don't think if a psychologist earns less money than a doctor or an artist, that doesn't matter. What matters is that whatever it is that you do, you love it. Because when you have true passion for something, that's pretty much it. And even if you study medicine or psychology, you can always do art for pure passion. Don't be so worried about the end, enjoy the journey :) god bless you.

You definitely seem more interested in psychology, but that's your call! Anyway, don't stress over it. You're looking at the big picture and that's super overwhelming. Take it step by step. What do you want to be? Then what college do you want to go to? Find scholarships and contests, work part time if you can, save money. Get accepted into college, study hard, but know how to relax. You've got this. I know what you're going through, and you have to be honest with yourself. Make a a pros and cons list.

First of all, just remember that it's never as hard as you think it is. A lot of times we tend to over worry and over stress over things, but in the end the problem is not as big as you think it is. My sister is in college right now. She spent her junior and senior years of high school stressing and fretting over what she wants to do, and although she's already a sophmore in college right now, she still doesnt exactly know what she wants to do. I also want to remind you that what you major in does not dictate what school you go to. For all we know, you could major in english literature and still be accepted in Medical school. You still have time.

Since you seem interested in psychiatry, I would suggest that that becomes your first step. Meet with your college advisor, find out what classes you need to take to get a degree in psychiatry, and take them. If at some point during the first year or so you find that you still have a lot of free time, you could try to either minor in fashion design or double major in fashion design and psychiatry.

As for the money issue, starting now, sign up for as many scholarships as you can. If you dont know how to, go to your high school councelor and talk to her, I'm sure she has a few scholarship applications or information packets at hand. Usually if you're a good student you can get financial aid that covers all 4 years of college (while you're majoring). After that, its unlikely that you'll find scholarships to cover medical school, but you can always get loans. Regarding loans, don't worry too much, they will be paid one way or another, as long as you get a job after graduation. Most psychiatrists usually get paid between $100,000 and $200,000, but it really depends on a lot of factors such as where you work, how much you work, etc.

I guess all I'm trying to say is you have time, and you have resources, so dont worry too much. All you really need at this point is information; talk to councelors, do research on the Internet, or even talk to friends/relatives who are in college. The reason my sister is really chill right now, even though shes a sophmore in college and she doesn't know exactly what she wants to do yet, is because she has a lot of information. She spent so much time worrying, but as soon as she started doing research, she stopped stressing. Now she knows her options.

Worrying will do you no good.

A few years ago I was EXACTLY where you are now. I stressed until the first day of college and then quit to take a semester off school because I just freaked out. My biggest suggestion is if you have a good or decent 2-year/community college near you GO THERE. It's A LOT cheaper than a 4-year university. That way, you can get your core classes out of the way and take other classes in as many different fields that you're interested in. Take a psychology class to see if it's really something you want to do. Take classes you don't think you'll have interest in. One of the best decisions I've made so far in college is taking an acting/theater class. Now I'm really into and am thinking about pursuing that. Never before would I have though I could do it because I have horrible anxiety, but I really enjoy it. Just play around with a few ideas. Also, when I took that semester off, I came to the realization that even 19 (the age I was at the time) is WAY too young to decide what you'll be doing for the next 40+ years. the brain doesn't stop fully developing until around 25. So just relax and WAIT until your "destiny" comes to you :) And if you don't think you could handle a job or get a job (which I have MAJOR trouble with) there are federal and state work-study programs that allow you to work at the school (if you live in the U.S. I don't know about other countries)