Easy Ways to Start Your College Search

Pick a Baby Step, Any Baby Step

Feeling overwhelmed by the number of factors involved in choosing a college? Don't be. There are quick and easy things you can do today to start the process.

Read Your Mail

At this point, you're probably receiving tons of college brochures and maybe even a few college-recruiting emails. Reading this material will help you begin to learn about specific colleges—and it may also show you options you didn't know you had.

If you haven't been contacted by a school you're interested in, go to its website and request a brochure. You can also tell schools and scholarship programs you're interested in hearing from them.

Talk to Family and Friends

Get the perspective of people who have already gone. Their personal experiences can give you insight into what college is all about. Ask relatives about their alma mater or talk to college students home for the holidays.

Write Down What You Want or Need

Coed or single-sex? Public or private? Think about who you are and what you're looking for in a college. Making a list of factors will help you determine what's most important.

Research Colleges

Check out a college's profile to get all the basic information about it, such as majors and sports offered and admission requirements. Then, check out the college's website to take a virtual tour, see the courses offered, and contact students and the admissions office. Just remember, to see if you click with a school, you should visit its campus.

Make a College Wish List

List any college you'd like to attend, from the one on the beach or in the mountains to the one with the best academic reputation in your intended major, but don't forget the school nearby. At this point, don't limit yourself. Just brainstorm.

Visit a Campus

Visit a college that's close to home or one that a friend or family member already attends. It doesn't even have to be one that you're interested in attending. Visiting will help you focus your preferences and may even make you think of needs you didn't know you had. Can't get to a campus? Take a virtual tour on the school's website.

Go to a College Fair

Ask your guidance counselor if there's a college fair coming to your school or a nearby school. Once there, you can pick up catalogs, talk to representatives and other students, and feel like you're officially starting the search process.

Meet with Your Counselor

Your counselor is drawing on years of experience and, in particular, experience sending students to colleges in which you may be interested. Meet with him or her to discuss your education and career goals, and how you can achieve them.