If you are a rising senior, or college student with graduate school aspirations, summer is a great time to start researching programs.
One form of research, if your time and budget permits, is visiting the schools themselves. You can arrange to spend the night in a dorm if classes are in session in order to get a feel for what an average day on campus might be.
But what if you can't go visit?
One form of research, if your time and budget permits, is visiting the schools themselves. You can arrange to spend the night in a dorm if classes are in session in order to get a feel for what an average day on campus might be.
But what if you can't go visit?
Individual University and College Websites
Let's say you live in Washington state and you are somewhat interested in applying to the University of Washington, Washington State University, and Pacific Lutheran University. Perfect. Start there. Search for the school, and look at their home page.
There is going to be a lot of information on there. There are three main pages I suggest you look at initially: Degree Programs (Majors), Financial Aid, and Campus Life (Student Life). This gives you a sense if they have majors you are possibly interested in, money available to students based on merit or need, and some of the extracurricular activities hosted on campus.
It's also a good idea to take a look at tuition, the size of the school, the number of students, and the teacher to student ratio.
There is going to be a lot of information on there. There are three main pages I suggest you look at initially: Degree Programs (Majors), Financial Aid, and Campus Life (Student Life). This gives you a sense if they have majors you are possibly interested in, money available to students based on merit or need, and some of the extracurricular activities hosted on campus.
It's also a good idea to take a look at tuition, the size of the school, the number of students, and the teacher to student ratio.
US News - Education
What if you live in Washington, but have no interest in staying in-state? Or your dearest ambition is to eventually go into business and you need to know the top-ranking schools for undergraduate business programs?
US News is a fantastic resource for college information, providing rankings for schools based on a number of criteria. "Best Undergraduate Business Programs" lets you know that the University of Pennsylvania has the number one program, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
There are also rankings for schools by national standing, liberal arts programs, regional schools, best value, and the best schools for "B students," among others.
US News is a fantastic resource for college information, providing rankings for schools based on a number of criteria. "Best Undergraduate Business Programs" lets you know that the University of Pennsylvania has the number one program, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
There are also rankings for schools by national standing, liberal arts programs, regional schools, best value, and the best schools for "B students," among others.
College Prowler
College Prowler is "by students, for students." It encourages interaction between current and prospective students through features like "Ask Me," where registered users can ask students college-related questions.
"Chance Me" is another feature where registered users can plug in their data and get students to weigh in on their chances for getting into the school(s) of their choice. A word of caution: these are other students evaluating you. The admissions office has the ultimate say.
"Chance Me" is another feature where registered users can plug in their data and get students to weigh in on their chances for getting into the school(s) of their choice. A word of caution: these are other students evaluating you. The admissions office has the ultimate say.
College Confidential
Similar to College Prowler, College Confidential is another interactive forum for students. The best two elements of this site are its "College Vibe" and "Ask A Dean" pages. College Vibe lets students update pictures and video from their college visits to share with others. Ask A Dean gives students access to an administrator's opinion and advice regarding the college process.
There is also a separate forum for aspiring graduate students, or those seeking admission to medical school, law school, and business school.
There is also a separate forum for aspiring graduate students, or those seeking admission to medical school, law school, and business school.
Research Now to Save Time Later
Put in the legwork now so that come August, when it's time to start filling out the applications, you already know where you want to apply and why.
If you would like assistance with researching and applying to schools of interest, as always, feel free to contact me or leave a comment.
If you would like assistance with researching and applying to schools of interest, as always, feel free to contact me or leave a comment.
