It’s March Madness! As we fill in our brackets and enjoy buzzer beaters and Cinderella stories, it’s easy to forget that our favorite college basketball players are students first and foremost. Over the years, I’ve worked with a number of students looking for schools with a rigorous curriculum and successful sports teams. Colleges are often known for one or the other—rarely ...

Choosing a college is stressful and making sure you make the right decision can often feel like a daunting task. To help out with the process, here are some common mistakes to avoid along the way: [gate] 1. Rushing the process. Finding the right college takes time and effort, not to mention research and an often lengthy application process. Waiting until ...

Academics, living arrangements, and costs may be at the top of your list of factors in choosing the right school, but experts say you should pay attention to one more thing: a school’s efforts to welcome students of your heritage. "It is crucial for a college-bound student to select an institution that reflects his or her values, cultural heritage, and aspirations ...

Not all people have a smooth experience in high school. It takes some people longer to adjust, and others make choices that could have been better. And some students have to deal with serious life issues while in school: death, divorce, athletic injuries, or an end of a serious relationship. Whatever the situation, it might have meant a bumpier road rather ...

With the first black president elected and affirmative action programs now defeated in four states, some are wondering the fate of the programs and how they'll be affected.  The programs, designed to level the playing field for perceived minorities, have been under attack for years, most actively by anti-affirmative-action guru Ward Connerly. In 2003, the Supreme Court affirmed the use of ...

One of the best resources for students thinking about college is the college website (or portal). Here you’ll find the most distinctive and best features of each college – or at least what the college would like you to think are its best features. But no matter. With some skillful surfing, you’ll be able to examine the underbelly of that ...

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 ...

On one not-so-different Friday evening, I glared at the computer with my eyes wide open. Exhausted from a strenuous week, I sat with a deep exasperation and wondered why my computer must warm up so slowly. On that Friday, I would learn whether the University of Florida accepted me. Recently, the competition has skyrocketed for that college, and many students from my ...

Not to oversimplify the matter, but PEACE is the process during which your child starts the college search and application process. While one may take this aptly-named acronym literally, we have a few more tips that should serve as a guide while navigating your son or daughter through today’s tricky college admissions process. *P for Participate:* Be involved in your child’s ...

You just started high school, is it really time to begin planning for college? The answer is "yes" and "no." While you should focus on having fun and making good grades for the sake of your high school career, you should also keep in mind that everything you do in high school will be examined during the college admissions process. Follow ...

One morning, a credit card in hand (and Handel’s “Halleluiah Chorus” playing in my mind), I gleefully clicked the ”Submit” button for my Common Application. After I paid the application fees and filled out the school transcript forms, I was finished with the whole process. The thing I was wondering about ever since I was six had reached its completion. As ...

As a college-bound student, I will admit that preparing for the college process takes more than good grades and activities. While students strive to find a place in the realm of academia, I believe that scholarships are a crucial element. Universally, most people concur that a decent education doesn’t come cheaply. Indeed, knowledge is power, but obtaining that power costs a ...

Fastweb members share their schools! The size and location of your campus can make a big difference on your college experience. Fastweb users attend all types of schools—from big urban universities to small rural colleges. They share what they love about their schools. -- “I attend Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, NE. This is a small school maybe a ...

Want to try something new? Really new? That list of majors in the course catalog isn’t static. As technology advances and business evolves, fields of study that weren’t imagined or that may have been limited to a few specialized classes emerge as full-blown majors. Check out these 10 fields of study that hardly existed a decade ago. 1. New Media Online ...

Last spring, we identified the must-dos for students in high school at all grade levels, and what better way to start the new school year than similar guidance for the fall. The start of the school year provides a clean slate – so brush off last year if it wasn’t so stellar or build off of it if it was particularly ...

Don’t know your SATs from your EDs…Here are some of the most popular questions when it comes to Admission and Application. Everything from campus tours to test scores to letters of recommendations. What does a campus visit consist of? A good time to get started with the college campus visit is the summer before senior year. The first step? Check the ...

Glancing up from my exam, I noticed two of my classmates handing in their blue books to the professor and leaving the classroom. We were only fifteen minutes into the testing period. Were they already giving up without a struggle? I was amazed that at least a third of the class hadn’t even bothered to show up. Several tardy students were ...

The time has come – your baby is graduating and headed off to college! We know you want to celebrate in style, which is why we've scoured the web for everything you need to give your grad the most thoughtful and useful gifts around. Your grad will simply adore going off to college, prepared with the best - although, when in ...

“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 ...

So many schools! So many choices! Take it step by step to find the right college for you. Step 1: Develop your ideal college profile You can't find your perfect college until you figure out what you want. Start by breaking it down. Make a list of the characteristics you want in a college. Think about: Size: Large schools can offer ...