You've thumbed through the glossy brochures and visited the Web sites. But beyond the pictures, what's life on a college campus really like? The best way to get the inside scoop is to go offline and take a campus tour. After all, there's nothing virtual about your college choice. Scheduling Your Trip Pick a normal school day when the regular flow ...

When picking out a college, you need to choose the institution that's best for you. Size, location and price are important. But for many black students graduating from high school today, an even greater consideration is whether or not to attend a historically black college or university. Check out the pros and cons to decide if one of these schools ...

You envision a college degree as part of your child's future. So choosing a college where they're comfortable, happy and can be successful is important. But you're also curious if that school's party reputation is deserved, and if your child really understands what it'll mean to be six states away in a town with no major airport. As you accompany your ...

Brian Donovan recently graduated from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He made the decision in high school that he wanted to go to a military college. "I wanted to challenge myself," Donovan says. "I didn't want to be just a normal college kid. I wanted to do something different." Every year, thousands of students make the commitment to attend ...

Bridget Kulla If you’ve decided to head back to the classroom for an advanced degree, get ready to face some competition. Between 2004 and 2016, the number of masters degrees granted is expected to increase by 35 percent. To stand out from the pack, get organized to make your graduate application shine. Graduate school applications generally require: Transcript GRE or other ...

When it comes to diversity on a college's campus, enrollment percentages and brochures can't tell the whole story. How can prospective students dig deeper? Courses and Programs "Check the availability of different classes that reflect diversity, check out the student organizations," says John Kula, director of Penn State University's Upward Bound Program. Look for student-run clubs that interest you listed on ...

You've narrowed your choice of colleges down to seven different schools. Now comes the fun part: filling out seven different applications. This means entering your name/address/school data over and over and writing multiple personal essays. And if you can't apply online, this means reacquainting yourself with a typewriter. At long last, an alternative is gaining momentum: the Common Application. What Is ...

Does the prospect of talking face-to-face with admissions officers give you fits? Before your nerves get the better of you, learn what to expect - and how to ace your college interview. Understanding the Process There's no doubt that the college admissions interview causes a lot of angst. And yet, it's rarely the deciding factor in admissions. Many schools don't even ...

Why are you applying to this college? That is one of a few standard questions former Harvard alumni interviewer Gerald Bradshaw used to ask recent high school grads hoping to get into the Ivy League school. It seems like a simple question – most questions in the alumni interview are – but the question and the interview itself have tremendous impact ...

One of the most important parts of your college application isn't written by you: the letter of recommendation. But that doesn't mean you're off the hook. Get the best recommendation you can to make a winning impression. Get Organized Organization is the key to making sure your recommendations get where they need to go on time. Make a chart of your ...

As a homeschooled student, your trek to college has taken you off the beaten path. But even if you don't have the "typical" credentials colleges are looking for, you can still impress admissions counselors with a dazzling—and unique—application. Keep a Portfolio and a Logbook Without a transcript, it's hard for colleges to know about your academic background. So prepare a portfolio—a ...

When it comes to selecting and getting into a college, guidance counselors are invaluable. But they can't help you unless they know what you're looking for. Help them give the guidance you need by following these tips from counselors across the country. Visit early and often. Get to know your counselor during your freshman year. Check back with them at least ...

Sometimes traveling halfway across the country to check out all the campuses on your college list isn't possible. You can still learn your way around the quad and see what dorm rooms really look like with online college tours. in Ithaca, New York, offers slide shows, video tours, audio clips and commentaries from students on topics ranging from academics to social ...

At seven in the morning, I stared at my computer wide-eyed. Instead of semi-consciously scrambling around to get to school, I sat at my messy desk and awaited judgment. As my computer warmed up at a glacial pace, I indulged one of my nastier habits of nail biting. On this Thursday morning, I received my SAT scores. My performance on this ...

Life can give you moments of various emotions. Personally, I tend to cherish my moments of happiness, inspiration and laughter. These emotions came to me when I first made a soufflé rise, single-handedly mastered a tough calculus problem, or laughed at a horrible movie with my friends. However, I often wince or laugh at my less-flattering moments when I felt sad, ...

At Hofstra, the curriculum for the School of Communication requires that you must hold a minor in the liberal arts. Many of my peers aren't too pleased with this facet of the course selection, but I've found that it's been very useful to me. At the beginning, I had a lot of options. I considered French, but I knew that once ...

Last year at this time, I had just completed my first semester back in college after an eighteen-year break. I was worn down after a demanding holiday season coupled with a pressure-filled finals week. Although I survived the experience intact, I wondered if there might be an easier, less stressful way to do fall semester in the future. Fortunately, I discovered ...

Wearing pajamas to school is a definite plus. So is being able to get up for any reason, leave the classroom for an indefinite period of time, and come back to my desk whenever I please. Whether it’s in the wee small hours of the morning, the middle of the afternoon, or late into the evening, my English Composition class is ...

Many colleges offer study abroad programs and many students are able to take advantage of them. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of them. At the time, shelling out $2,000 for program fees and another $4,000 for credit costs didn't seem too appealing. I did manage to go to London with a friend on spring break last year, and the overall cost of ...

The massive, concrete block building looms frigidly over a flat expanse of green lawn. It’s a far cry from the red-tiled roofs and ivy-covered walls of University of Colorado Boulder. There are no breathtaking views of the nearby Flat Irons here. Instead, wedged between commuter traffic on Santa Fe Avenue and quaint, old-town Littleton, rests my new scholastic home – Arapahoe ...