College prep can be stressful for high school students

College prep season is in full swing at Moeller High School. Eleventh-graders like Caleb Kiener are learning what college recruiters want to see from incoming freshmen: good grades, test scores and extracurriculars. "A year from now, I would like to have a much higher sustained ACT score and I would like to become more involved in community service," Kiener said.  Moeller school counselor Brian Gilronan said the college process begins freshman year and ramps up as students go into their junior and senior years.  Seniors are staring down deadlines. Early action applications, which give them a head start in the process and competition for scholarships, are due Nov. 1. Then there are tests like the ACT and SAT and financial aid applications like FAFSA. Counselors at Moeller understand that students have a lot to go through, and so they have a "relax and relief" program to help get them through the stress. "(It's) a group centered around students who are feeling acute stress, and just a way for them to connect with each other and know that they're not alone," Gilronan said. Several local high schools, including Moeller, have college representatives coming to them to talk about what they have to offer. There's also a larger national college fair coming up Sunday at Duke Energy Center. Click here for more information about the event.