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Making a First List
To begin
Once you have determined what your academic goals are and what college "personality" you're seeking, it's time to make your initial list of schools. First, think big and make a large list.
WHY: You will ultimately be applying to several schools, and to find the group that is right for you, you can first play around with some Web sites that can point you in some general directions. Research on the Internet is not only easy, it can expose you to schools you may never have heard of or considered. Today, expand your mind!
METHOD: Surf major Web sites with information about all U.S. schools and develop a large list of about 20 to 30 schools. Just think about personality match at this stage - you will narrow this list later and add in more safety schools and dream schools.
Important tip: Make sure you take any "advice" and opinions you find with a grain of salt - be wary when statements are opinions and not facts.
• Find sites where you can plug in your academic profile and personality traits and get a list of possible matches.
• Find sites that compare and contrast schools.
• Find sites that give student feedback.
• Find sites that point you in specific directions by major.
• Find sites that offer you all the schools within a certain geographic area.
From Other HEADS
I STARTED LOOKING ON THE INTERNET and narrowed my search to small to mid-sized schools with journalism majors. Look at collegeboard.com. It's a very good site. You can see size, location, personal testaments from current students, majors, cost, and reputation from reputable sources (ranking, articles, awards, and so on).
-- ADRIENNE LANG
TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
CREATE AN E-MAIL ACCOUNT that you will use exclusively for college admissions information, and make sure you check it often. There are so many free e-mail sites, you have plenty to choose from. More colleges are connecting with students through the Internet now. Some schools even notify you of your admission decision via e-mail instead of by letter.
-- LINDA ROADARMEL
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
Web Resources
You'll no doubt find a ton in your own Googling, but here are a bunch of great ones to bookmark, from our book How to Survive Getting Into College:
• The College Board: www.collegeboard.com
• Peterson's Education Center: www.petersons.com
• US News & World Report: U.S.News America's Best Colleges 2008
• Go College: www.gocollege.com
- College Confidential: www.collegeconfidential.com