The Foreign Service Journal, June 2007

1. Books There are so many college guides available that you’d probably never have time to read them all. Hopefully your guidance office or school library will have at least one large reference book or series such as the Four-Year College Admissions Data Sourcebook (Wintergreen Orchard House — four volumes of colleges listed by region). You will want to study the statistics carefully. Most important are the stats of the entering freshman class: average high school class rank, average SAT and ACT scores, percentage of applicants admit- ted, percentage of international students and percentage of students who matriculate. Here’s where you get a good idea of whether the students are at your level academically, if they like the school enough to stay there, and if you have a reasonable chance of getting in. (Because there’s been a student popula- tion explosion in the last decade, make sure the stats you are reviewing are up to date!) Then there are the more “fun” books, such as Princeton Review ’s 361 Top Colleges or The Insiders’ Guide to the Colleges. In addition to statistics, these books quote students’ honest opinions of the colleges they attend. They are the ones you may read and reread as you come up with a list of colleges to apply to. A list of recommended books is in the Resources section, p. 84. 2. Web sites You can learn a lot about colleges from their Web sites, as well as from more general sites about the college admissions process. Sites such as www.usnews.com feature college rankings. For a variety of sites, see Resources, p. 84 When you visit a college Web site, explore the entire site. Don’t just go to the admissions section and the virtual tour. Take a look at course offerings. Read biographies of professors. Check the calen- dar to see what’s happening on campus, and read the college news- paper to see what students’ issues are. You wouldn’t marry someone after just one date, would you? Get to know your colleges in depth. 3. Chat rooms and notice boards Putting aside for a moment the usual objections to www.face- book.com regarding privacy and security issues, remember that Facebook started as a college-kid-only Web site, and that’s still its pri- mary focus. Now that high school students are allowed on the site, you can do a little networking with students attending the colleges you’re interested in. As in any online venture, however, use caution. Don’t give out your personal information, address or phone number. Colleges themselves often set up chat rooms for admitted or prospective students. Be sure to ask the admissions office about this. A group of admitted students on Wesleyan University’s list-serv decid- ed to read A Clockwork Orange over the summer and discuss it online. That was enough to convince my daughter that this was the school for her. 4. Brochures As soon as you start taking standardized tests such as the PSAT, voila — college catalogs begin to magically show up in your mailbox. They feature happy, racially mixed groups of students studying togeth- er under a leafy tree. Yes, they’re trying to sell the university to you — but despite a certain amount of hype, these brochures are helpful in pointing out special programs and any unique advantages to the college. They also contain contact information so that you can request course guides and information on special programs. Plus, photos help you visual- ize the campus. 5. Visits Most students agree that visits are a very important part of the selection process. Sometimes you will have a gut reaction to a school within just the first few moments of being on campus. Visits give you a chance to get to know the school, to ask questions, and to let the school get to know you through inter- views and casual conversations. Do a lit- tle research before any interviews so that you can ask specific questions about academics programs, campus life, etc. Remember that you are the customer. John Camarillo, who went to high school at St. John’s International School in Belgium, feels that visiting college campuses was crucial in making his decision. “I was sent college packs from each university I was admitted to, which didn’t help a whole lot because they all had the similar message of ‘we are a diverse, academically and socially rich university.’ The only way to honestly find out which university you pre- fer is by visiting,” he says. “I wanted a blend of an academic and a social environment. Vanderbilt perfectly combines both.” 6. Current students, alums and your guidance counselor Do get input from your guidance counselor on your proposed list of colleges, and ask if any previous students from your high school are currently attending those colleges. Also contact the colleges directly to ask if they know of students in your area in attendance who would be willing to trade a few e-mails with you. Alumni clubs can also put you in contact with someone local. You can even do an Internet search with a phrase such as, “a graduate of XYZ University,” and see whose name comes up — it may well be someone interest- ing who’d welcome hearing from you. — Francesca Huemer Kelly 78 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 0 7 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT When you visit a college Web site, don’t just go to the admissions section and the virtual tour. A Half-Dozen Ways to Research Your Colleges and Universities