Resources

SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON COLLEGES

There are many sources of information on colleges of which you should take advantage. The type of information available from these different sources is as varied as the sources themselves. Do your college investigation homework with the help of the following:

Frank W. Brightwell and Associates—We will help you weigh the pluses and minuses of different colleges, and we can help steer you in the direction of schools that might be good matches for you.

Your school counselor—Remember that it is very important to work closely with your counselor at school.

Graduates of your high school and other current students— Perhaps the best source of information on a college is someone who is a student there now. Someone in your school’s guidance or college counseling office should be able to tell you which former students of your school are enrolled at a college in which you are interested. Some college web sites allow you to correspond directly, via email, with other current students.

Seniors at your high school—The students in the class ahead of you have just gone through this process. You probably have some friends in that class. Try to identify someone, or a couple of people, who are a lot like you. Ask them what colleges they considered, which ones they eliminated, and how they made their decisions.

Alumni-- Information from people who have already graduated from a college is obviously not as current as that from a student attending now, but alumni are nevertheless a valuable source of information about a college. Most colleges will help you locate an alum or two in your area.

College admission publications—Colleges and universities spend millions of dollars each year on literature designed to inform you about their institutions. Your high school guidance or college counseling office probably has catalogs and viewbooks from several hundred schools available for your perusal. You are probably receiving some in the mail as well. College catalogs are not very interesting books, but they do contain some information you might find helpful. Included in them are academic and student life policies, requirements for degrees in all of the departments at that school, a listing and description of all of the courses offered, and a listing of the faculty members. If you have a specific major in mind, the catalog will help you assess the depth and breadth of that department at the college. The viewbooks are the slick and photo-filled marketing tools which are designed to show you what the campus is really like—in the eyes of the public relations and admissions departments, of course! The text is brief, but most viewbooks list programs available at the school as well as its activities and organizations. They also contain important practical information on the admission procedure, as well as financial aid information. Many viewbooks have applications inserted in them.

Writing for your own information—Colleges and universities purchase your name and address from many sources. That is why you receive so much unsolicited information from such a variety of colleges. Chances are, however, there are schools about which you will want to learn more, but for which you have no information of your own. Most college web sites allow you to request catalogs, viewbooks, applications, and other information on-line. You can also write or call the admission office to be placed on the mailing list.

Guidebooks—There are probably a couple of dozen college guidebooks available at bookstores. Your high school guidance or college counseling office probably has some titles available for your use. The guidebooks fall into two main categories: objective or comparative guides, and subjective or ranking guides. The first type includes such books as those published by Peterson's, Barron's, Lovejoy's, Arco, and the College Handbook by the College Board. Most of the information included in these guides was obtained directly by the publishers from the admission offices. They provide quick-reference information and a lot of statistics. Be careful! Statistics can be manipulated to suit the needs of the person or institution presenting them. The subjective guides include those by Fiske, the Yale Daily News, Gourman, Rugg, William Buckley, Princeton Review, and Kaplan. When reading these guides and reviewing the manner in which they rate various aspects of the institutions they are discussing, keep in mind that you are reading the opinions of only a few people. On the other hand, even though the information will be two or three years old, it is possible to read several such descriptions and put together a good idea of what life at the school might be like.

World Wide Web and Internet—Most colleges and universities have home pages on the World Wide Web. What you will find on the pages will vary greatly from college to college, but typically you will find the most current and detailed information available about the school and its application procedures. Some sites include "virtual" tours, and others allow you to apply electronically to the institution. Most sites have an email link to communicate directly with the admission office.

Videos and CD-roms—Although most colleges are now investing more in their web pages, many have produced videos and CD-roms for admission office use. Some schools will automatically send you a copy of their video or CD-rom if you are on their mailing list; others will send you one if you request it. Some may charge for their videos, and there are a few companies which specialize in producing college videos and selling them to prospective applicants. Be sure to check the web site before you purchase a video, and be sure to check the production date of the video.

College fairs— The National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC) sponsors large college fairs around the country which bring together representatives from a few hundred colleges. There are other fairs, more regional, local, or with a specific theme. All of them are good forums for you to talk briefly with the college representatives, pick up literature, and put your name on their mailing lists. The best time to visit the national fairs is in the evening when the crowds are smaller.

College representative visits at your school— Each fall (and increasingly during the spring), colleges and universities send admission representatives to high schools to speak with students and answer their questions. The presentations are a convenient way for you to establish contact with an admission office and to learn more about the school and its application procedures from someone working there. The meetings are also a good chance for you to learn more about schools about which you might know very little. You should attend at least a couple of the meetings just to find out what they are like and to hear what an admission officer has to say to prospective applicants. One added benefit to the meetings is that, in many cases, the representative will be one of the people who will be reading the applications from your high school and then contributing to the decisions made by the admission office. It is definitely to your advantage if that person gets to know you as a person rather than as just another application. Check policies in your school about meeting with these college reps.

Evening information programs—Instead of trying to visit all of the high schools in an area, many colleges also host area-wide receptions or information meetings during the fall and spring. These may be held at a hotel, a high school, or at the home of an alumnus. Occasionally, several colleges will "travel" together and sponsor joint programs. Like the high school visits, these presentations can be a valuable source of contact for the interested student and prospective applicant.

Campus visit— Before you become too serious about attending any school, it is very important that you spend some time there to "get a feel for the place." Spring break, summer vacation, and weekends are good times for you to visit campuses, and you should do so with your family at those times. All admission offices offer campus tours and information sessions for prospective students. You should try to revisit those schools in which you are most interested, however, at a time when classes are in session. Most college admission offices will help arrange for you to spend a night in a dorm, attend classes, and eat in the cafeteria. You should try to seek out an alumnus of your high school at that college, if there is one. When visiting a college, try to imagine, as best you can, what life there will be like. How large are the freshman classes? Do you like the food? the dorms? What information can you learn from the flyers posted around campus? the school newspaper? How are people dressed? How far do you have to walk to get to classes? Do the people walking around look happy? Visit campuses with a critical eye and do your homework on the school before you go. Always call the admission office(s) in advance to find out the times of tours and information sessions. If possible, try to schedule an interview during your visit (see section on interviewing).

Interested? A word about the amount of interest you show in a college: Just about every college will keep track of how much interest you are showing in that school. They know how many times you have requested information in writing or by phone, they know if you spoke with a representative at a college fair or at a meeting at your high school, and they know if you have been on campus and had an interview. Regardless of how many times you have been asked to complete an information card for an admission office –on that campus or elsewhere–do it again. Also, remember that the more personal you can make the process, the better it can work in your favor. Get to know someone in the admission office– that person could be an important advocate for you later.

Getting into a college isn’t about filling out an information card or attending a meeting when you don’t want to be there. But when an admission office is faced with far too many qualified applicants than it can accept, doesn’t it make sense that it would want to accept first those applicants who expressed sincere interest in the institution and who tried to learn as much about the college as possible?