Of course, there are a few obvious ways to find information about colleges. First of all, if you parents went to college, you can ask them about their experience, but it always helps to get as much information as possible. Here are a couple of place you can look to find information about specific colleges, applying to colleges, the application process, etc.

1. High School Academic Counseling office
Your academic counselors are a good resource to use when you're trying to figure out your strategy in applying to college. They've seen and helped other students graduate and go on to college, so they have a lot of experience. Listen to what suggestions they might have for you!

2. Go straight to the source!
Check out their website! Sounds easy right? Maybe. College webpages usually contain a LOT of information and it can be intimidating trying to find answers to your questions if you don't know where to begin to look. So, we have a few practical tips:

• From the homepage, locate the "admissions" link. The "admissions" page is particularly useful if it is your first time on the site. It is a page written just for people who are interested in maybe applying to the school. You can learn about the history of the school, the profile of the student body, the academic programs they offer, applying to the college, financial aid, and much more.
• Join their mailing list. From the "undergraduate admissions" page, you can usually find a link that will allow you to add yourself to a mailing list. Entering your mailing address and email is a way of letting the school know that you're interested in learning more about them. If you're on their mailing list, you will usually receive information in the mail such as the college's "viewbook," a brochure about the school.
• College info sessions. Many schools send representatives all over the country to make presentations and talk specifically to high school students and their parents about the school. Usually there is a schedule of the different cities that these representatives will be at. If a school representative is visiting your city, bring your parents to the info session. When you're there, ask lots of questions because you'll want to know as much information about the place where you potentially will be spending four years of your life.

3. Collegeboard.com
The same website that you use to register for your SAT tests has more than just testing information. Collegeboard.com is a gold-mine for popular topics. Their links "applying for college," "find a college," and "pay for college" are pages that you should definitely visit!

Site highlights:
College Search Engine: http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/index.jsp
This search engine helps you find schools based on preferences such as: "type of school," "location," "campus life," "majors and academics," "admissions," "cost and financial aid." It's useful if you know for example, that you want to go to school in an urban and study drama.

College Options: http://www.collegeoptions.org/
Cikkege Options helps students of all ages and their families make informed choices about post-high school education.