You have this high school thing down. You have decided
college is right for you.
Good for you.
But where do you begin?
Ask your high school counselor.
College fairs.
There are rankings such as those from "U.S. News and
World Report” (hint, the numbers are
rigged.)
There are massive books such as Princeton Review or Fiske
Guide.
Or you can discuss with family, friends and alumni.
And then there are websites. Lots! College Navigator, Unigo
and even Facebook since universities maintain an active Facebook presence.
There is a dizzying array of options to review in trimming the short list from
thousands to a few universities that feel good.
But try this:
Do a Google search for "common data set" and the
name of any college.
Poof, you have landed in a treasure trove.
Universities offer an incredible amount of useful selection
information via the CDS.
--Detailed enrollment/”persistence” data.
--Freshman admission/enrollment.
--Academic offerings and required classes.
--College life choices.
--Costs and financial aid.
--Student and faculty totals and ratios.
After you have mastered trolling through CDS' info, data
mining gets easier. Let’s say, for instance, your grades are excellent but
standardized test are a little scary. But you learn, say, that Bowdoin College
doesn't require standardized tests scores (which about 16% of applicants opt to
hold back).
Or let's say the idea of becoming a small fish in a pond of
tens of thousands of students is not your preference. Delve into
UCAN-network.org, which is chock full of private college info. Private colleges
are not the preserve of rich families. They are expanding outreach, academic
support and financial aid programs that help students from all backgrounds
realize the opportunity to enroll and succeed in a college of 1,200 like-minded
students instead of 30,000.
You have started the process of choosing a college.
Congratulations.
Do your homework, take good notes and plan on visiting some
colleges to see how they fit before your applications are submitted.
--Mike Ryan
