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knowledgeable about the college scene. Even better, if they know you and have some sense of your individual interests and talents, they can come up with names of colleges that you might not be familiar with, but which would be great choices for you. Also, some counselors know of colleges—sometimes in the region, sometimes not—that are especially generous with financial aid or simply are good values. Keep in mind though, that some counselors may be less helpful than others, especially ones who have developed an artificially narrow range of schools they recommend to students—maybe because they limit their suggestions to colleges in the area or to schools that others at your school have attended. EXTRA POINTER. As youmove forward on the college search, new schools will occur to you to consider. Run these by your counselor. Many high schools counselors welcome additional visits from students looking at colleges and, as a bonus, they’ll know you better when it comes time for them to write a letter of recommendation for your application. #8 Keep the “rankings” in perspective. Many colleges proudly trumpet their “rankings,” especially those published by US News and World Report, ( www.usnews. com/education) in an attempt to woo prospective students. While these rankings can provide some useful information, keep in mind that minor differences in the rankings don’t reflect significant differences in the quality of the schools; a school that ranks a few points down from another really isn’t in any significant way worse than the one a few points up on the ladder. Also realize that a significant portion of the data can be “gamed” by the colleges and that some of the data really has no impact on how good a college is. #9 Deal in all the “stakeholders.” Whether you like it or not, your parents—and in some families also grandparents or other relatives—are going to have a big say in where you end up going to college—especially if they’ll be the ones footing the bill. So it’s a good idea to hear their ideas about possible schools and add some of them into the mix (especially if they strike you as reasonable choices). That said, you don’t have to swallow what everyone else tells you if it doesn’t match your personal goals and interests—and even worse, if it falls into the category of deal breaker. Keep in mind that, at the end of the day, you’re the one who’s going to have to go to the school, so you might as well construct your initial list with that in mind. #10. Keep it fluid . In the good case, names of colleges will be added and deleted from the initial list as the process continues and you gain more and more sense of the colleges you’re considering. Don’t feel that your initial list is set in stone and that it’s some kind of no-no to change your mind. Eventually you will need to narrow your choices and firm up your decisions. But not now.
TOP 12 WEBSITES TO HELP YOU CONSTRUCT YOUR INITIAL LIST
A Google-search for “college websites” returns 335,000,000 hits; a search for “picking a college,” 13,400,000. Talk about information overload. How’s anyone supposed to find any useful information to help them compose their initial list of colleges? To help you narrow your search, here is a list of our dozen favorite all-purpose college websites: 1. Big Future: www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org This comprehensive site powered byThe College Board, should be every college-seeking student’s first stop on the web. In addition to helpful information about finding colleges, paying for college, and an interactive making a plan engine, the site includes information about majors and careers and how to find one that’s right for you. While you’re there, you can also register for SAT and AP tests. 2. College Compass: www.usnews.com/usnews/store/college_compass.htm This is the U.S. News & World Report premium tier, and hence the only site on this list that you’ll have to pay for (about $30 a year), but, in addition to the complete rankings, it offers a tool that’ll enable you to put in 23 “filters,” which will then generate a list of colleges they think appropriate for you (very good if you’re short on ideas of how to populate your list). Also includes a wealth of information about admission standards, financial aid, college life, and sports programs. 3. NACAC : www.nacacnet.org/studentinfo/Pages/Default.aspx The National Association of College Admission Counselors offers loads of information in one site, including tips for college prep, a college search engine, advice about applications, and information about paying for college and succeeding in college. You’ll also find a complete schedule of college fairs, links to various rankings as well as interesting reports on various issues in the college application procedure. 4. Unigo: www.unigo.com The brainchild of Jordan Goldman, Unigo is the first twenty-first- century-ready college website. Combining student reviews with actual student videos, Unigo offers a real-time glance at the “look and feel” of over 1000 colleges. An excellent choice for learning about colleges you’re not able to visit in person, Unigo should be a part of every student’s college search. Like any user-generated content site, though, be sure to take it with a grain of salt; opinions can vary widely and you shouldn’t use one student’s pissy comments to rule out a college. EXTRA SITES. If you like Unigo, you also might like College Click TV (www.collegeclicktv.com) Here you’ll find student submitted videos, complete with tags (very helpful for searching out specific aspects of campus, such as student body, spirit, professors, and even tailgating). Again, it’s the good, the bad and the ugly—so be sure to look at lots of videos. Also recommended: www.ecampustours.com virtual panoramic tours of over 1300 campuses.
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