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YOU'RE IN CHARGE of choosing which colleges are best for you!

Determine what's most important to you, then find schools which fit your interests and strengths, not vice-versa.

CONSIDER THESE ASPECTS

How do you learn best? Large lecture-style classes or small seminars?

Do you prefer an urban or rural setting? A large or small campus?

Is it important to you to be close to or far from home? Is the weather a big deal to you?

If you have a clear sense of what career you'd like to pursue, does the college offer a major in that field? If you don't know what you'd like to become, does the college offer a wide range of interesting courses for you to explore?

Does the college offer activities you're interested in, such as athletics, music or drama? Without having to take classes in these activities, can you participate in them? For instance, can you spontaneously join an intramural team, become part of a campus band, or participate in a theater production?

HOW TO DECIDE

• Talk with your career center advisor, your guidance counselor, or a college counselor about which colleges may be a good match for you.

• To search for colleges that may be a good match for you, check out the Colleges/Universities section, then click on the link indicated in parentheses at these sites:

  • collegeboard.com/ (College Search, then College Matchmaker)
  • petersons.com (College, High School Students)
  • princetonreview.com (Counselor-O-Matic)
  • usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/cohome.htm (Choose the Right Schools, click on Tool: Advanced College Search)

• See the campus reps who come to your school. Check with your career center advisor or guidance counselor for times and dates.
• Talk to people who have attended the colleges you like.
• Visit the colleges you're interested in while they're in session. Call the campus to arrange a visit. To schedule a multi-campus tour on the East or West Coast, go to collegecampustours.com/. There's nothing like firsthand impressions to help you decide.

SMART STEPS IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS

• Make a list of colleges you're interested in and divide it into three sections:
  • Reach (those that will be a reach for you to get into),
  • Possible (those that may accept you), and
  • Likely (those that are likely to admit you).
• For online apps or to download written ones, go to Google and put in the college name. You may also fill out the Common Application (used by over 200 colleges and universities) at commonapp.org.
• Label separate file folders for each college you're applying to. Keep all material for each college within its folder so nothing is lost or misplaced.
• Make a copy of each application you receive so you can practice filling it out in order to do it right on the actual copy.
• Create a master schedule of when everything is due, including Application Deadlines, Financial Aid Deadlines, and Teacher Recommendation Letters. Not all deadlines will be the same.
• Distribute the appropriate parts of your application to the right people (for example, reports for your guidance counselor to send in and recommendation forms for teachers to fill out).
• Arrange for your standardized test scores to be sent to your colleges.
• Begin your essay at least a month or more before it's due. If you're applying to the UCs, begin in October. For private colleges, start no later than November. You'll need time to think about what to write about, how you'll say it, and time to proofread and correct it carefully.
• Make a copy of all your completed forms before you mail them in.

BEFORE YOU GO . . .

• Learn to do your own laundry.
• Open a checking account and a credit card. Learn how to balance a checkbook. Keep track of all your financial transactions.
• Learn how to cook your favorite meals. Most campuses have cafeterias, but often serve only two meals on Saturday and Sunday. Cereal's OK, but it's nice to eat hot food when you'd like to, and cooking is cheaper than eating out. Plus, it's comforting to be able to cook something that may remind you of home and that you really like.

FACING A REJECTION LETTER . . .

• Let's face it. Whether you receive one or ten thin envelopes, rejection hurts. If the rejection comes from the college you really hoped to attend, it's easy to feel devastated. Many colleges have stated that they could easily fill their freshman class several times over with the well-qualified students they turn down. Today's selection process has become increasingly competitive; this is due to a population boom of high school graduates all vying for a limited number of college openings. In addition, many students have applied to the same one hundred name-brand schools, making the competition fiercer. It's also become easier to apply, if you fill out your applications online and if you complete the Common Application for multiple schools.
• Don't let your rejection letters define you. Focus on the schools that recognize and value your accomplishments. Consider visiting your top two college choices from your acceptance list. Think again about the significant factors that shaped your application list. How well do those colleges that accepted you meet your requirements now? You're in the position to commit to a school, so reflect on what will make you feel most productive and happy.
• If no college looks promising to you at this time, you may defer admission for a year and explore non-academic alternatives. You could get a job in an area that interests you. Or you might consider unique prospects in the global community; go to leapnow.com for some examples. This may be an opportunity rather than a loss when you thoughtfully reflect on other options.

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