Admission into a New York City high school fares way more difficult than neighboring Westchester County, where municipalities typically have one public high school. In some extreme cases, the process to enter a New York City high school can begin at the end of sixth grade.

It is a cumbersome process that, given its length, could turn parents off. But the investment and time one puts into it can change the direction of their young child’s life.

The New York City Department of Education (DOE) released an updated high school directory, a profile listing of every high school in each borough, available in seven languages and accessible online or at Family Welcome Center (the closest one is 1 Fordham Plaza on the seventh floor, and open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday). The 160-page Bronx booklet includes 117 Bronx high schools featuring a breakdown of graduation rates, school attendance, college acceptance rates, and a listing of extracurricular activities offered. Among them is a school newspaper, which could offer valuable exposure to students interested in improving their writing and speaking abilities.

Seventh graders are given the book at the end of the year, and they can pick up to 12 schools, ranking each in order of importance to that individual child. The length of time your child spends deciding where to go doesn’t exactly translate to an increased chance of getting the first pick. A secret algorithm is used to determine that. Where you come in happens when you review each school, using the school directory, to weigh a school’s pluses and minuses. Those decisions can also indicate which schools are not desirable, leading the DOE to perhaps shut the school down.

While you’re deciding, these are some questions the student should consider:

1. What are my interests?
2. What schools offer my interests?
3. How close is the school to home?
4. What is the school’s graduation rate?

But with other pressing responsibilities clogging up their lives, and the sheer process involved in assessing a school, parents are confounded, especially single parents, and are tempted to ditch the process altogether. But the investment is begrudgingly worth it.

The DOE should consider even more streamlined methods, such as a first-come, first-serve model that could incentivize students into handing in applications ahead of time. After all, applying early demonstrates the importance one particular school is for a student. So, should students apply early, there’s a greater chance of getting in.

Something akin to that method is used via “Limited Unscreened,’ a process that gives you higher priority. The status is contingent upon parents attending school open houses or high school fairs. But once again, how many busy parents, already confused by the process, can commit to that time?

It’s pretty clear that education can serve as a portal to success. These days it’s not so much how well one did at a school, but really what school they attended. After all, the seven-hour days a child spends at a school can function like a sponge: students should be absorbing everything. This includes good study habits, passions imbued by teachers, opportunities for growth, and most importantly, the subject matter. The inconvenience is limited, but the impact is everlasting.