A few months ago, I compared my actual application process to the “Inferno” of Dante’s Divine Comedy. However, in this phase of my senior year, I now find more parallels with the second canticle of Dante’s work, “Purgatorio.” Dante the Pilgrim now needs to wait and reflect upon his life to achieve perfection. For example, the envious must sew their eyes ...

When I picked up Dante’s “Paradiso” of The Divine Comedy a semester ago, I expected the souls in heaven to live the good life. I anticipated the stereotypical floating souls to eat endless buckets of fried chicken and live a carefree existence. Instead, I found Dante’s work very philosophically abstract and difficult to comprehend at times. Therefore, when I started comparing ...

What should you consider as you make the big decision on where to go? We asked high school and college students what they looked for in a college. Academic Programs "The thing I found most important in selecting a college was the types of programs available for my major. Were they accredited? Was the school known for their program in that ...

During my spring break last year, I felt a little out of place at the airport. Most people migrated south for the lovely delights of sun-kissed beaches, refreshing gelatos and flip-flops. However, I, the high school junior, headed up north with my ski jacket to visit some potential college choices. When my dad drove our rental car through the thick, snowy ...

For many of you, the most stressful part of the admissions process happens AFTER you apply. First, the waiting, hoping for the thicker envelope (or the email with more megabytes), wondering how a bunch of people you don't know can have so much to say about what you get to do next year. So then you get admitted (I hope). Unfortunately, ...

I couldn’t understand how my friends could be so carefree. Didn’t they know it was almost spring? Didn’t they have college decisions to make? Mine took over my life - monopolizing my thoughts, afflicting me with insomnia and making my head spin. While I wandered dazed through each day, they were acting like there wasn’t a problem in the world. Out ...

It's almost spring and you've got a lot on your mind as a senior in high school. Plenty of reports and projects are due, Prom may be coming up and you're beginning to realize that you'll be leaving your friends in a few short months. On top of all that, colleges are asking for deposits for enrollment. Your problem is you ...

“If there’s one mistake my students make [when choosing a college], it’s not listening to their parents,” says Bruce Hammond, director of college counseling at Sandia Preparatory School in Albuquerque, N.M., contributing editor to the The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2006 and author of Discounts and Deals at the Nation's 360 Best Colleges. Parents can often balance the excitement students ...

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) studies and measures how students interact and engage with their colleges, specifically academic programs and extracurricular activities that can be found on campus. Drawing from their experiences in observing how students can get the most of their total college experience, NSSE has developed a series of questions to ask prospective colleges as you make ...

My dad and my uncle were born and raised in Los Angeles and spent their whole childhoods rooting for UCLA in sports and thus treating the University of Southern California as their mortal enemy. When it came time for my uncle (who was the older sibling) to go to college, he applied and got into both schools, but USC offered ...

Key West. Myrtle Beach. Yosemite National Park. A college admissions office. Maybe that last one isn't a top vacation destination but it's worth a visit. Just as you wouldn't waste precious vacation minutes sitting in a hotel room figuring out what attractions are in the area, some planning before you head for campus will help you maximize your visit. Pick Up ...

Time is such an ambiguous thing. At some times in life, it seems to go too slow (e.g., chemistry class). At other times it goes too fast (e.g., hanging out with friends). Right now, though, I am caught in an awkward mix of feeling as though time is going both too slow and too fast. On the one hand, I can't ...

College planning can be stressful for both students and parents. Long before they face the challenge of finding college funding, students face an equally important challenge - the college admissions process. Filling out college applications and waiting to hear from admissions committees can make for a nerve-wracking senior year. But now schools are taking steps to alleviate student stress by instituting ...

Junior Year Start thinking about college choice. Make an appointment to talk with your guidance counselor. Register with www.fastweb.com to find the money you need for college. Plan to take your PSAT during your junior year and start studying for the ACT or SAT. Summer after Junior Year Visit college campuses and ask friends in college for their advice. Request applications ...