5. Look to the Upper Class at Your High School
If you are a freshman, sophomore, or junior, see if you can listen in on what the seniors are talking about when it comes to schools.
Seniors are in the thick of the entire college admissions process, having discovered a whole number of schools that you may have never heard of before.
They themselves have visited schools, met with alumni, and have quite a deep know-how of the process.
High school seniors can be good sources of information when it comes to finding the right school.
4. See If You Can Swing an Alumni Interview
Many schools are now offering “alumni interviews.”
These are often very informal coffee dates between alumni of a school and prospective students.
The impact they have on admission is not always substantial…
That being said, they can have a small impact and more importantly they can serve as a means for finding out more about schools on your list that you are interested in.
The most important part of an alumni interview is to bring questions.
Make your questions pointed, and ask about campus opportunities, what being a student is like, and more.
You may be surprised how much you can learn about a school in an alumni interview.
3. Read Fiske Guide to Colleges
We’re a big fan of Fiske’s College Guide.
No, we don’t have a formal affiliation or endorsement deal with them.
That said, the Fiske College Guide has demonstrated itself to be, time and time again, a hugely important resource for students and families doing research on colleges.
This incredible volume has helped tens of thousands of students over the past several decades find the best schools for their futures.
Of course, our site is a great place to start too; we encourage gathering information from a number of websites.
