Compare your choice of schools head-to-head and take a virtual tour of the campus. Begin grouping your college choices and rank them based on your selection criteria:

Use this worksheet to keep a college comparison report:
FREE download

• College Comparison and Profiles
  compare colleges by region and cost:
  http://nces.ed.gov
  
  you can profile two or more colleges on cost, student size, teacher ratio, and other criteria:
  www2.collegeboard.com
  
  
• College Rankings
  view college rankings by school criteria and other rankings
  www.library.uiuc.edu

  college rankings from US News & World Report:
  www.usnews.com

Make a Campus Visit:

You should plan to make a college visit after you submit your application. The cost to attend college can be high for many schools. So make sure this is the right school for you.

• Plan to visit the college for a full day. Attend when the school is in session, if possible.
• Arrange an interview with the admission office or other “campus visit” groups.
• Meet with the financial aid office to get all related financial aid information offered by that school.
• When doing a visit, check out the library, student unions, sporting facilities, and academic centers. Walk the campus to familiarize yourself with the layout.
• Review housing facilities and dormitories to determine whether to live on-campus or off-campus housing. Note the college rules for housing. Some colleges require first-time Freshmen to live in dormitories.
• Schedule time to speak with students and faculty. Visit the clubs and societies that are part of the campus life. Check campus rules, safety
  programs, and facilities that maintain the safety of the campus.
• Drive around the surrounding community to familiarize yourself with restaurants, theaters, rec areas, job opportunities, etc.

• view our complete college planning calendar for September

It’s time to review your college search and narrow your selection down to those schools that meet your career objectives. Meet with your school’s guidance counselor to discuss your decision.

Your Search Categories Include:

1. search list of 2-3 schools that you could definitely get in
2. search list of 4-5 schools that you could probably get in
3. search list of 7-8 schools that you would like to get in

• Budget how much you can afford for application submission. If the submission costs for 16 or more schools is too high, narrow your search to 3-3-3.
• Take a final look at your schools to make sure they meet your career requirements. Add or remove schools from your list.
• Make sure you meet the school requirements (GPA, transcripts, exam scores, etc.). No sense wasting application fees on schools where you don’t meet requirements.
• Contact those schools that made your final cut. Request an application and other information such as deadlines, required fees, financial aid, etc. Find out if they need your official transcripts at the time you send in your application.

College and University Search:

• Finalize Your College Search :

  — universities by State

  — community colleges by State

  — career schools by Type

  — online schools by Academic

  link to: college search directory

Keep a track of your college list using our FREE download tool:

click here 

What should you look for in a school:

• private or public
• size
• location
• type of curriculum
• quality of education
• cost
• admission requirements
• help with financial aid
• housing resources
• nearby facilities
• campus life
• security
• lifestyle

• view our complete college planning calendar for September

Make it count.

You should have a good idea what your plans are when you graduate. We will now begin the planning steps for getting yourself accepted into a post-high school program of your choice.

Follow these steps carefully. You need to plan accordingly so that everything is ready to go.

Important Note for High School Seniors:

If you haven’t made any plans regarding college or post-high school careers, link to our late starter file to catch up on things that should be done to meet Fall deadlines.

• First Step:

  keep your grades up. Colleges will look at grades when reviewing your application. It is important that you maintain or increase your grade performance level during your final year

• Second Step:

  meet with your high school or guidance counselor. You should do it early. They are valuable players in your college planning process. Discuss with them your planning and testing dates. Use them extensively as you research and select colleges.

• Third Step:

  you should have all of your college search information listed and profiled. If you haven’t made any college plans, you need to review our “Late Starter” file and get going. Important deadlines are due in October.

• Fourth Step:

  if you are considering early admission, check “early admission” deadlines and get your application ready. Many “early application” deadlines are in October and November.

• Fifth Step:

  you need to get your application items started and completed. These items include essays, letters of recommendations, transcripts and other information.

• Sixth Step:

  prepare and register to take the schedule exams required for college admission. These exams include the SAT I, SAT II and ACT. Check your school for which exam.

• Seventh Step:

  consider taking Advanced Placement Exams or the CLEP tests that are administered in the Spring. This may save you time and money by testing out of some college courses. Speak with your high school counselor and administrators about CLEP testing.

• Eighth Step:

  meet with college representatives that visit your school. Get a feel of the kind of college you would like to attend.

• Ninth Step:

  keep a record of what you find in your research. This will help compare programs when you need to make a decision:

  • Use our FREE download tool for tracking:

    click here 

• view our complete college planning calendar for September