For some students, it’s easy to select the colleges they’ll apply to. For example, a devoted musician might target leading schools with top conservatories—a very limited number of schools. Most students, however, have a much harder time determining where to apply, since they don’t know what is on offer and don’t know what will matter most to them (given their own possibly vague and changing interests).

We’ll explore the key differences between colleges—academic, non-academic, location—and how to evaluate them:

• How to narrow the focus to a manageable number of schools early in the process
• How to make the most of publicly available information
• College websites
• Different rankings—their limitations and appropriate use
• Other printed and web sources
• The value of personal research: contacts with current students, college visits, interviews, and summer programs on campus

We’ll focus particular attention on:

• Understanding the chances of admission at a school
• Determining whether a student should apply early decision, early action, or regular decision, and the important implications of this decision
• Understanding the career implications of college choice

Although the primary focus will be on American colleges, we’ll also touch briefly on how to select foreign schools.

Note: It’s important to recognize the potentially iterative nature of this process. In evaluating colleges, students can learn not only what distinguishes one from another, but also what they value most. Thus, for many students, their understanding of colleges and of their own interests evolves in tandem.

Face masks are required of all participants. 

PRESENTER: Richard Montauk