The College Search

The Search Process is one that can be both exciting and challenging. It is clearly exciting because you will be taking the first formal steps that will help you find the college you will be attending in the future. It is challenging because there are more than 3,000 colleges and universities in the United States and you might even add to that number by considering colleges in other countries. There are many steps to this process that will be identified in this section. Remember that there are many people who will assist you. Your parents, other family members, and your school counselor are part of the entire planning process and are eager to assist you in many different ways.

The first step in looking for colleges actually is an inward look at yourself. You must gain a real understanding of the kind of person and student you are. When you consider going to college, there is the "dream" phase. At this point, you really are thinking about things that are external to attending college. It may be that skiing in Colorado or surfing off the California coast sounds fabulous. But, you must ask yourself and your parents if this is a realistic goal. If it is, then continue with that thought. If it isn't, begin to deal with the realities of your plans for college.

In order to be able to find colleges that are appropriate for you, it is critical to your success and happiness in college that you examine your interests, abilities, how you learn, and what you would like to study. What you want to study in college is called your "major". Colleges offer many alternatives and it is possible that some might be more to your liking than others. Before you can examine what colleges offer, you have to examine yourself. You may also want to consider taking some kind of career development survey to help determine possible career directions.

Click here for a list of questions you should explore before you begin.

Click here for for information on how to search for colleges.