Right about now, many high school seniors are filling out a stack of college applications. So from now until the end of the year, I'm going to try to focus on helpful application tips to make the next few weeks as bearable as possible!

A huge part of your application will be listing the activities and jobs that made you the unique snowflake you are today! Start by listing everything, even one-time events like the time you marched in a protest in DC. Name the organization, program, or business; provide a one-sentence description; list when and how often you participated; and cite any leadership position or major accomplishments you had.

Now that you have your list, select which activities and jobs you want to highlight and in what order (in case you run out of space, you over-achiever, you!). I recommend going in this order:

1. Activities, programs, or businesses you started yourself. This probably does not count the lemonade stand you ran in third grade.
2. Activities and jobs where you had leadership responsibilities, like manager or president.
3. Activities where you held a lesser position, such as treasurer or secretary.
4. Activities, programs, or jobs where you excelled or can cite a major accomplishment.
5. Activities of academic importance (such as the National Honor Society) and community service.
6. Everything else!

Hopefully this will help you organize your college application process a little! Stay tuned for more tips, and please share any you have in the comments.

Many of you who graduated in May 2009 are now entering the repayment stage of your federal student loan. While often dreaded, there are tools and plans available to make paying off your student loan affordable, simplified, and minimize your total interest cost.

Standard repayment provides level monthly payments that cover accruing interest and a portion of principal. This is usually the most economical option as you will accrue the least amount of interest.

If you need to have lower monthly payments, you have a few options: extended, graduated, income-sensitive, and income-based repayment. These all provide a more manageable monthly payment, but you will pay more interest over the long run and not everyone will qualify. Find out more about all these different plans at SallieMae.com^®.

As for private student loans, eligible repayment plans may vary by loan type, loan balance, and disbursement date. Be sure to talk to your lender about your options!

If you haven't entered repayment yet, Sallie Mae has a Loan Repayment Calculator to help estimate what your monthly payments could be under all these different payment plans, helping you choose which will be best for you!

If you have a little extra cash left over each month, I would highly recommend prepaying your student loan! As long as your lender doesn't penalize you (most shouldn't but you definitely need to check first), the extra payments you make are applied to the principal of the loan, after the accrued interest and any outstanding fees (if applicable) are satisfied. If you reduce your principal — even by a little — you reduce the amount of interest you have to pay over the life of your loan. Basically, the sooner you pay off your loan, the less time it has to build up interest and the less money you owe!

And don't forget your old Upromise^TM account! Not just for high school students anymore, Upromise Loan Link^® can help you earn rewards on everyday purchases to pay down your Sallie Mae loan.

And, not matter what, don't panic. With a little bit of planning you can soon be on your way to building credit, managing your debt, and being in charge of your financial future!