College Preparation Handbook - Alliance For Affordable Services

There are more than 3,800 colleges and universities in the U.S. Which one is best for you?

Your selection criteria will depend on a number of factors, such as location, cost, academic majors and degrees offered.

No single college is right for everyone. And in turn, there are numerous schools that can probably meet what you need and want in a college career.

Searching For Colleges
Don’t go it alone when looking for a college.

Ask your high school guidance counselor for recommendations. Talk to your parents or friends of your parents who may be graduates of different colleges. Go to college fairs.

And go to the Web, where college search sites abound. At almost all of the sites, you can search by:

Specific criteria, such as field of study
Location
Cost
Size
Degrees and majors offered
And much more

Here are three sites to help you get started.

1. CollegeNET.com
www.collegenet.com
Search for colleges by region, major, tuition and other criteria. You can create a custom search that will help you find schools that match your interests and personality.

2. CollegeSource Online
www.collegesource.org
Search an online library representing more than 40,000 college catalogs (four-year, graduate, professional and international schools). You can see the catalogs cover to cover in PDF and get course descriptions.

3. CollegeView.com
www.collegeview.com
You can search by state and area of study. The site gives you multimedia campus tours as well as facts about the school and enrollment costs.

Tip List For Selecting A College
Use these five tips to help you narrow your college choices.

1. Academic Programs
If you already know the exact career you want to pursue or the field you want to study, research colleges that enjoy top-notch reputations in those areas.

If you have a general sense of your area of interest, search for colleges with strong programs in that area. For example, perhaps you’re interested in liberal arts, but not yet sure about which major to pursue. In that case, search for colleges with strong, well-round programs in liberal arts.

If you’re undecided about your academic focus, look for colleges that offer a wide range of programs, majors and degrees.

2. Location
Think about the activities you enjoy, the types of places you like to experience and the ways you plan to spend your time when not in class.

Is an urban school in a big city more to your liking or does a college in a small town sound appealing? Do you want to stay close to family or experience a new part of the country?

If you intend to work while going to college, you’ll also want to look at the job opportunities in the surrounding community.

3. Cost
The price tag of a college education is an important consideration.

But don’t look at the cost of a college in a vacuum. Compare the costs of different colleges. Can you get an equally good education at one college that costs significantly less than another school?

4. Financial Aid Availability
Many colleges offer institutional grants for students to supplement other forms of financial aid. The amount and availability of these grants differ from school to school.

Some colleges have matching scholarships for students studying in a specific field. Others offer merit scholarships that are awarded for academic achievement.

Find out as much as you can about the availability of a college’s financial aid before you make your final decision.

5. Student Retention And Graduation Rates
How can you be sure a college will deliver what it promises in terms of academic programs and student life?

You can measure a college’s quality and the satisfaction level of its students by looking at two numbers:

The percentage of students who return after their first year at the school
The percentage of students who enter the school and remain to graduate

Favorable graduation and retention rates indicate that most students are pleased with their educations and experiences at the college. Chances are, you will be too.

College Campus Visits
Nothing will give you a better sense of a college than a visit to the campus.

You can strike out on your own or arrange a tour through an advisor or the college admission’s office. Either way, plan your visit during week, when classes are in full swing. And allow plenty of time to fully explore the campus.

If possible, meet with the admissions officer or with staff members in the admissions office to let them know about your interest in the school. Also pick up financial aid forms and talk to the college’s financial aid administrator. If you’ve already decided on a major, you may be able to arrange a brief meeting with a professor in that field.

Students who plan to live on campus can also request a tour of a dorm and a meal in the cafeteria.

Don’t overlook other areas of the campus. Here’s a quick checklist to help you stay on track as you take your tour.

Get a copy of the college newspaper
Visit the career center
Browse the library and campus bookstore
Check out the parking situation for students
Spend some time in the student center
Attend a special event such as a student art show or musical performance
Visit the campus gym and health center
Explore the academic buildings

Second Opinions
If you can’t decide which colleges might be right for you, get a second – or third – opinion.

These Web sites and books rate and compare colleges on a number of factors, including quality, costs, academic programs and more. Seeing how they score colleges could help you make your decision.

U.S. News & World Report
America’s Best Colleges 2008
www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php
Includes rankings for national universities, liberal arts colleges and baccalaureate colleges by region and more.

The Princeton Review
2008 Best 366 Colleges Rankings
www.princetonreview.com/college/research/rankings/rankings.asp
Based on feedback from more than 120,000 students across the nation.

Kiplinger.com
100 Best Values in Public Colleges
www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges/
Sort and compare colleges by cost, quality measures, financial aid and state.

“Fiske Guide to Colleges 2008” (Sourcebooks Inc., 2007)
By Edward Fiske
Includes academic, social and quality-of-life ratings for more than 300 colleges and universities.