As you start the process, it’s very important to see that there is not ultimate or “perfect” university or college. You should have a number of schools that fit your list of criteria, and that have the scholastic and other programs, such as extracurricular activities that are of most interest to you. Be sure not to limit your searches to just the most popular schools or the schools that your peers or classmates are going to… or even the ever so popular US News and World Report rankings. Did you know there are over 3,000 colleges and universities in this great land of ours? The doors are wide open for you or anyone to explore and find a school that you can call your own and submit contributions on a regular basis to a campus community in so many ways.

The list of colleges that you’re going to want to research should be sizable. While you are considering other colleges and doing your research, you should start to trim down your list to the colleges that you are going to visit, then eventually to the colleges that you plan to send in your application during the fall. Did you know there are literally tons of resources at your fingertips as you look around for colleges? Looking online is probably the top way to research colleges since the universities and institutions have so much information on the web and links to other colleges all over the country.

There are also a lot of college guidebooks that can help you out. Just a few of them are The Fiske Guide to Colleges, The Insider’s Guide to Colleges, The College Handbook, and Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges, and those are just a few. They provide a ton of information and most of these books are constantly updated. These guides are very useful, but take note that many of them are created from a certain person’s perspective and should not be the only consideration you have. These books should be used right along with the information published from the college, other books, the internet, and a visit to the campus grounds itself.

Most colleges and universities have DVD’s/Videos, bulletins and other media for you to take home and read over. These typically provide an excellent overview, lots of pictures, interview from students, financial resources, tips, etc. You really can get a great feel for the campus just by grabbing one of these, then making it a point to visit the university in person, mingle with some students, talk to professors and get more specific information. One of the things that I recommend is to visit with counselors and alumni. The reps from admission are generally easiest to visit during the fall, and that’s when you’re going to want to be asking specific questions and hearing more specifically about their school.

University and college fairs have a tendency to provide a lot more excellent information about a huge variety of universities and colleges. Get on the school’s mailing list. Once you make it out to one of these college fairs, be ready with a nice list of questions and speak with as many representatives as you can. A big suggestions that I might ad would be to print out a bunch of address labels with your information so you can stick them directly on the cards. This will save you lots of time and make sure you include all of your contact information such as your name, address, telephone number, email, year of graduation and the area of interest. Follow these tips and researching colleges will be a breeze!