Colleges and Universities Listings

Feeling overwhelmed looking for universities and colleges that suit your needs? Try using these simple tips for making your list more manageable and targeted.

Quick Checklist When Shopping for Universities and Colleges

If you are just starting your search for universities or colleges you may feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of options. You must decide if you want to attend community college, a liberal arts school, or university. Colleges all have their own unique curriculum and guidelines, and not all are right for you.

Different people have their own systems for researching universities and colleges:

• Some start with university listings or directories and visit each school's Web site individually. However, this takes time as there are simply too many colleges to comb through.
• Some start with "best of" directories or ranked university listings. This can cut down on time, but the classification systems are not always helpful. If you are committed to attending a graduate university, colleges that only offer bachelor's degrees don't belong on your list.

Make Your Own Ranking System for Universities and Colleges

A much more practical approach is to start big and whittle down your list using predefined criteria. Below are three quick fixes for making your search more manageable:

• Define your degree level requirements. Many community colleges do not offer graduate certification, most graduate programs do not offer associate's training, and some schools offer a hybrid of different degree programs. Make sure the schools on your list offer the level you require.
• Define your career goals. Polytechnic programs might have courses not offered at your state university. Colleges may not offer the career training you want.
• Define your budget. Perhaps some of the schools on your list qualify as in-state universities, while others are out-of-state institutions. Can you realistically afford the latter? If not, take it off the list.

Once you have a more manageable list, you can start focusing on other variables like location, student life, or faculty. One final tip: it helps to keep a spreadsheet of your top schools. By ranking different criteria with a 1-10 point scale, you can sort this list and determine which programs are best suited for your needs.