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Tips
We've tried to make our search as useable as possible,
but it always helps to know how something works before
using it. Here are some tips that should help you use
our college search engine more effectively.
1.
Reality Check
Let's be realistic. What kind of school can you afford?
How good are your grades? How far away from home do
you want to go? Before you sit down and use the Colleges.com
search engine, you need to answer those questions—
they will be the keys to what you find.
If
you are planning on paying for your education single-handedly,
first, congratulate yourself. Then take a hard look
at what you can do—and what you want to get out
of school. Make sure you are realistic about what you
can afford. If you are planning on working full-time
while you're in school, does the school offer flexible
class times? How much will you have to work to pay the
tuition? Does the school have affordable tuition—and
good financial aid packages? You might want to try our
scholarship search in conjunction
with your search for a college.
If
you're like many students, your parents will be helping
to pay your tuition. Like it or not, they need to be
included in this decision. How much can they afford
to pay? How much of the burden will you carry? Are they
willing to let you move across country? What other expectations
do they have for your college education?
After
you've gotten a look at what your limitations are, make
sure you first search for schools that meet them. If
you have a price cap, no use searching for schools that
exceed it. If you have to attend school in your city,
search by location first. You will waste much less time
if you're well acquainted with reality.
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2.
Prioritize
After you have
established some hard and fast guidelines for your school
search, are there any other "must-haves"? Do you have
your heart set on attending a school with a football
team? Do you need to be by the beach? Understanding
what your limitations are will make college possible—but
knowing your priorities will make you stick out the
experience until you get a degree.
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3.
Write it down
Before you begin using our search engine, make a list
of the top ten things you are looking for in a college.
Take the first two or three spots for essentials like
your price range, or a state school. Then write down
your next priorities—a great English program, or
a small student body. Finish your list with the qualities
it would be nice to have.
Use
that list as you are searching. You might want to do
an initial search with your top three priorities, review
the list of schools the engine gives you, then narrow
that list by a few more characteristics. Keep going
until the list gets to a manageable level—then
write to each school that is left and request more information.
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4.
Less Is More
Your first inclination may be to check every quality
you'd ever want in a college. "Ooh, I want a band, and
a rugby team, and I want it to be in Mississippi and
have less then 300 students," you think to yourself.
But chances are, you'll come up empty-handed. What are
you doing wrong?
Well,
you're being too specific. If you check five criteria
to search by, you will only come up with schools that
have all five. If you choose thirty things to search
for, each school must have every one of those qualities
for it to show up on your list.
So
choose carefully. What is the most important quality
or qualities you are looking for in a school? Make sure
you choose those first. Then you can choose more specific,
or less important criteria, and narrow your list.
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5.
Information we can't help you with.
We at Colleges.com want to do everything possible to
help you with your college search—but unfortunately,
we can't do the search for you. We can offer you our
search engine—which narrows your choices, gives
you more information about the schools you're looking
for, and connects you to the right people. But we can't
recommend specific programs or specific universities
for your situation, and we can't get you the catalogue
to a specific school.
Many
times, students email us, asking about the Architecture
program at Everytown U, or they ask us to tell them
what beauty schools would work for them. Much as we
want to aid your college search, our search engine provides
the best, most complete information we have. So when
in doubt, start your own search, and contact the colleges
that the engine turns up for more information.
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6.
FAQ's
Q.
Can you send me the ABCD University catalog?
A. No. Information about specific schools or programs
must be obtained through each individual university.
Our search engine, however, can give you the contact
information for thousands of colleges nationwide. If
you are looking for brochures or specific information
from a school, go to the College Search, type in the
name of the school you are looking for, and voila!
You'll find an address and phone number to get you started.
Q.
What schools offer an art (or business, engineering
etc.) major?
A. Again, all Colleges.com can do is point you to our
college search. You can search by majors, programs,
and even selected activities at thousands of schools.
Q.
Whenever I search for a school in your search engine,
it tells me that I've found 0 schools. Why can't I find
a school?
A. You're probably being too specific. If you search
by five criteria, you will only come up with schools
that have all five. If you choose thirty things to search
for, each school must have every one of those qualities
for it to show up on your list. So choose carefully.
What is the most important quality or qualities you
are looking for in a school? Make sure you choose those
first. Then you can choose more specific, or less important
criteria, and narrow your list. See Search
Tips for other ways to make your search more effective.
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